Requests for additional consideration of personal circumstances

Complaints relating to students' requests for additional consideration (sometimes called “mitigating”, “extenuating” or “special circumstances” procedures, or “factors affecting performance”) are common in our casework. Our Good Practice Framework: Requests for additional consideration gives guidance on processes for and handling of these requests.

Many of the complaints we see related to this issue come from students who had personal difficulties but did not seek support or use the procedures to request additional consideration of their circumstances at the appropriate time. It’s important that providers take steps to reduce the barriers that some students experience in accessing the support and processes available to them. We discuss this in our Annual Report 2023.