Case Summaries

The student appealed on the basis that they had circumstances affecting their performance which they couldn’t have raised earlier. They said that at the time of the coursework they were in such a mentally stressed state that they couldn’t properly assess or understand their situation. As evidence, they submitted emails with the provider’s Disability Service which told them how to submit a request for additional consideration or request an extension. The student also shared the results of an ADHD self-evaluation test. It said the scores were consistent with ADHD in adults. The student explained that they had not shared this earlier because they didn’t think it was strong enough evidence. They were trying to get a formal assessment, which could take several months.

The provider rejected the appeal because the student had not given a good enough reason to explain why they had not asked for a longer extension or for additional consideration at the right time. The provider pointed out that it had issued specific guidance for students about what to do if they are awaiting a diagnosis. For example, they could submit a request for additional consideration claim with correspondence from their support services or submit a claim and explain they needed longer to provide the evidence.

The student complained to us. They said again that they didn’t think they could apply for a request for additional consideration or a longer extension because they didn’t have any official supporting documents. They did not realise until much later that they needed more time to complete their extension work and they wanted to graduate with their friends. The student also told us that they had since received a formal ADHD diagnosis.

We did not uphold the student’s complaint (we decided it was Not Justified). We could see that the student had circumstances that were affecting them at the time they were completing the coursework. But the student did not have evidence to support their claim that their mental health was such that they were unable to submit a request for additional consideration circumstances claim or longer extension at the time. The provider had given the student clear information about making a claim which explained what to do.

The complaint was brought to us one year after the provider’s final decision. Because of this delay, even if we upheld the complaint, we could not have recommended anything that would have enabled the student to graduate with their peers.