How to make your views known or make a complaint

We have tried to make our complaints process easy to understand and use. The Nottingham College Further Education complaints process follows a two-stage approach, with an appeals process if you are not satisfied with the outcome.

If you are a University Level/Higher Education student or have studied or undertaking a Higher Apprenticeship, you should follow our complaints process for University Level/Higher Education students.

Complaints Process Information

One of the main reasons people become unhappy with the service they receive is because they feel nobody is listening to them. Usually, problems can be resolved at an early stage by explaining the situation and discussing ways forward.

The first stage of the complaint process is Early Resolution, where a member of staff will work with you to find a solution to the issue. This could be as straightforward as having a discussion with your tutor.

At Stage 1, you do not need a written response to your complaint, but you may request one. The details of your complaint and the proposed resolution will be logged centrally for reporting purposes.

Who can I talk to? 

This may depend on what the complaint is about. Your tutor might be the person to talk to first, or you might prefer to arrange to talk to a manager who is responsible for your programme area. 

There are other people who can advise you. You could speak to:

  • Personal Development Tutor
  • The Student Representative for your course
  • Any other members of staff you feel comfortable talking to

Timeframe 

To enable a speedy resolution, any concern or complaint should be raised as soon as possible and within 3 months of the event.

Although there is no set timeframe for a response at this stage, we will aim to respond to your complaint as soon as possible.

If you are not happy with the outcome of Stage 1, details of the complaint and proposed resolution should be placed in writing, preferably on a complaint form, and sent to the Quality team. Please contact the Quality team if you need any support in writing the complaint.

Our contact details are feedback@nottinghamcollege.ac.uk

The Quality team will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days of receipt. An independent manager will investigate the points raised in your complaint and aim to provide a written response within 10 working days*.

What happens after my complaint is investigated? Following a thorough investigation, you will be advised of the outcome. Examples of possible outcomes are:

  • You will receive an explanation or apology.
  • We may improve or change our procedures in light of the investigation.
  • In some cases, there may not be enough evidence available to take any action over your complaint.
  • There may have been factors of which you were unaware.

Data Protection / Information Release 

It is expected that students will assume responsibility for all communication with the College and for drawing attention to any problems or concerns. However, we are aware that parents/guardians or other individuals may on occasion contact the College if they have concerns

The College will release information to a parent/guardian/third party only with the express written consent of the student. On receipt of such consent, we will communicate directly with the parent, guardian, or third party acting on behalf of the student.

* Deadlines may be extended outside of term-time due to the availability of the staff involved or if further investigation is required. In this event, the complainant will be notified.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of Stage 2, you can appeal against the decision. The purpose of the appeal is to consider whether the correct procedure has been followed during Stage 2 and whether the outcome was reasonable. 

An appeal will only take place if one or more of the following apply: 

  • There is new evidence for consideration which materially affects the outcome 
  • Not all of the evidence was considered when coming to a conclusion 
  • Other procedural irregularity in the process 

Your next step is to complete an Appeal Request Form and send it to the Quality team within ten working days of the date of the complaint response letter.

A senior member of staff will then review the appeal and a response will be made within 20 working days* of confirmation that there are grounds for appeal. 

I’m still not satisfied. What’s the next step? 

If you feel we have not resolved the problem satisfactorily, you may ask the Department for Education (DfE) to review your complaint. The DfE will review whether the College has followed its own procedures correctly. The contact details are: 

Customer Service Team Education and Skills Funding Agency
Cheylesmore House
Quinton Road
Coventry
CV1 2WT 

Or via: customer.complaints@education.gov.uk.

How the complaints process works

  1. Stage 1 – Early Resolution

    The first stage of the complaint process is Early Resolution, where a member of staff will work with you to find a solution to the issue. This could be as straightforward as having a discussion with your tutor.

  2. Stage 2 – Formal Approach

    If you are not happy with the outcome of Stage 1, details of the complaint and proposed resolution should be placed in writing, preferably on a complaint form, and sent to the Quality team.

    The Quality team will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days of receipt. An independent manager will investigate the points raised in your complaint and aim to provide a written response within 10 working days.

  3. The Appeals Process

    If you are not satisfied with the outcome of Stage 2, you can appeal against the decision. The purpose of the appeal is to consider whether the correct procedure has been followed during Stage 2 and whether the outcome was reasonable. 

You can find the additional resources below to help you submit your complaint. Our Complaints policy, along with an easy-read version. You can also find our Third Party Consent form if you are making a complaint on behalf of a student, this can be attached to your complaint submission.

Complaints Policy

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Complaints Policy (Easy Read)

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Third Party Consent Form

69 KB

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If you are a current or previous Nottingham College student, please provide your student number. Your student number is six digits e.g. 123456

6 characters left
Name information
Address Information

Select a course from the list below. This course list also includes courses which may not be offered by Nottingham College but have previously been.

Are you acting on behalf of a student? 

If you are submitting a complaint on behalf of a student, please select yes and provide the student details.

Student Information

If you are submitting a complaint on behalf of a student, please provide the student’s name and ID number below.

Student Name

Please provide the student's first and last name matching their student record at Nottingham College.

If you are a current or previous Nottingham College student, please provide your student number. Your student number is six digits e.g. 123456

6 characters left
Because you indicated you are filing this complaint on behalf of a student, you must also provide a signed third-party consent form, signed by you and the student. This is available as an editable document and can be uploaded in the Complaint Details section as an additional document. If this is not provided with the form, we will ask you to complete it before we can proceed with your complaint further.
Have you completed Stage 1 of the complaints process? 

Stage 1 is our early resolution process, where you have spoken to a member of staff about your concerns before a formal complaint is made.

Details of Stage 1 contact
Date spoken to 
Reason for not completing stage 1

Please note: Upon assessment of your complaint, the Quality Team may refer your complaint back to Stage 1 if appropriate.

When did the issue leading to your complaint occur? 

Please include details of: Who was involved, if there was any loss, damage, or injury, what was said and done, what you think the college did wrong or failed to do, and details of any witnesses.

Please tell us how you would like us to resolve your complaint.

If you would like to add any additional documents or evidence as part of your complaint, you can upload them with your submission.

Documents, images, and text formats are allowed.

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Use of complaint information and data consent

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