MRC POLICIES

MRC always strives to maintain the highest standards of teaching and learning.

Mont Rose College strives to maintain the highest quality of teaching and learning experience for its students. MRC commits to a process of continual improvements, and to maintaining its achievements through an enthusiastic process of standards and quality assurance.

ACADEMIC ETHICS
Integrity Policy of Management Education

It is Mont Rose College students’ responsibility to ensure all work submitted or presented to them is entirely their own. Serious violation of this rule in cheating or plagiarism may result in dismissal of the student from the college. The Director, senior tutors, and teachers are responsible for clarifying to staff and students items in the Academic Ethics Policy as outlined below.

1. Cheating

Any use of an unfair means to pass an examination or assessment, e.g. attempt to submit an assignment which is not entirely prepared by the student shall constitute cheating. Compliance with this rule requires the students to observe the following points:
- Students must not take books, notes, or any other devices or materials into an examination without first obtaining the express approval of their tutor.
- Once the test has begun, the student must not engage in discussion or communicate with any other students in the examination hall for the duration of the exam.
- Papers, projects, computer programs, and other assessment materials must not be submitted if it is the work of or contains unacknowledged work of any person other than the student concerned.
2. Plagiarism

Incorporation of any text into any assessed material whether intentionally or otherwise without due acknowledgment of its author or source constitutes plagiarism.

Non-compliance with the following guidelines may constitute plagiarism:
- All direct quotes must be acknowledged and documented appropriately, and citations must cover all works used.
- The sources of paraphrased and summarized materials have proper citation and bibliography accordingly.
- Students must ensure that all citations are correct and not misleading.
Other violations include
- Unauthorized alteration of the College's Ethics and Policy Documents, unless there is express approval by the Director or relevant authorities.
- Failure to comply with any specific regulation stated by a tutor.
- Aiding or assisting, knowingly or intentionally, another student to violate any of the above rules.
ADMISSIONS POLICY
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1. Policy Statement

Mont Rose College welcomes applications from all prospective students with the motivation to learn and the potential to succeed. The College review and update the admissions policy and procedures to ensure that it continues to support the mission and strategic objectives of the College. (Indicator – 4, chapter B2). The College is committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for all individuals seeking a place on a programme.

This admissions policy is made in line with the QAA quality code chapter B2.

2. Scope

Mont Rose College will ensure that all applications are dealt with on an individual basis and are considered fairly in line with the College’s Equality and Diversity Policy, Admissions Requirements and Guidelines and any relevant legislation like Data Protection, Competition and Market Authority etc.

The policy and procedures are clear and are conducted in a professional manner by the trained staff members. (Indicator -1, chapter B2)

3. Legislation

The following legislation applies to this policy
- Equality and Diversity Policy
- Student Welfare Policy
- Prevent Policy (Counterterrorism and Security Act 2015)
- Data Protection Policy (Act -1998)
- Recognition of Prior learning Policy
- Equal opportunity Policy.
- Competition and Market Authority Policy
4. Responsibilities

Everyone has a responsibility to give full and active support to the policy by ensuring:-
- The admission process should be conducted by trained and competent staff members in a professional manner. They should thoroughly check the applications to ensure that the prospective students meet the necessary entry criteria. (Indicator -2, chapter B2)
- The admissions staff should use different ways to enable prospective students from a range of different backgrounds to demonstrate their potential to succeed in their studies. E.g case studies, diagnostic test and interviews.
- The admission manager should ensure that the information about entry requirements, study mode and teaching and learning should be available on the college website for the students to make informed decisions.
- The admission manager make sure that the information about entry requirements, study mode and teaching and learning should be available on the college website for the students to make informed decisions.
- The admission process should be clearly explained
- Any significant change to a programme, e.g. location of the programme, delivery, content, etc. should appear on Mont Rose College website and Facebook page.
- The admission staff makes sure that the prospective students should get all the pertinent information at the time of the orientation which enables them to make a smooth transition from prospective student to current students (Indicator -10, chapter B2)
- Detailed course specifications should be developed for each course offered to assist students in making an informed decision. (Indicator -5, chapter –B2)
5. Actions to Implement and Develop Policy

Criteria for Admission

Entry Requirements

The Mont Rose College recruits students of outstanding achievement from all educational backgrounds. Proven previous exam results are the main focus towards admission at Mont Rose College. International students also need to show English competency in order to secure admissions.

The following criteria must be met in order to secure admission at Mont Rose College.
- A level pass or equivalent
- A BTEC level 3 qualifications in business (an overseas qualification has to be translated in English by a recognised translator)
- Other related level 3 qualifications
- An access to higher education certificate awarded by an approved further education institution.
- Related work experience
- a. International students must have a proof of English competency, therefore need to have an English test approved by UKBA. They should have CEFR B2 level and above in reading, writing, listening and speaking.
  b. Non-native English speakers must have a proof of English competency, therefore need to have CEFR B2 level or equivalent in English language proficiency.
- Applicants whose educational qualifications do not meet the entry requirement of Mont Rose College will be considered for admissions if they have got two years or more full time work experience.
- Mature Learners may present a more varied profile of achievement that is likely to include extensive work experience (paid and / or unpaid) and / or achievement of a range of professional qualifications in their work sector.
- EU students applying for a tuition and maintenance loan from Student Finance should check the terms and conditions of the Student Loan Company.
- Admission interviews will be taken by the academic staff and applications can be refused on the basis of an interview. (Indicator -7, chapter B2)
Procedure:

Once the college has received all the above information from the student than the candidates require to take the initial diagnostic test. The candidate needs to achieve more than 50 % marks to be forwarded to the next stage at which point they will be interviewed. After the interview the final decision is made.

An unconditional offer letter will be issued to the accepted candidates.
A conditional letter will be issued to the students in case they have to meet a certain criteria (Indicator -8, chapter B2).

Summary of admission process:
- Complete Admission Application with the required documents
- Within 5 working days the student will have to take the initial diagnostic test
- If the prospective student score in the initial diagnostic test is more than 50%, admission interview to be conducted by an academic staff on the same day.
- Refusal, conditional or unconditional letters to be issued within a week of the interview.
- Successful students will be informed of the Induction day.
(Indicator – 6, chapter B2)

For International Students the criteria of admission are almost same but before issuing the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) letter the college has to check students’ English level, which should confirm that a student has achieved a CEFR level B2 in English.

Once an International student arrives at Mont Rose College on enrolment day, then it is the responsibility of appointed person to check their academic documents along with Visa and scan them. Once student documents are completed, then he/she requires to do the initial diagnostic test.

Right to Refuse an Application

The College reserves the right to refuse an application if the applicant fails to fulfil the specified criteria.

Applicants who do not meet the normal entry requirements for a particular course may be given a place subject to specified conditions. These conditions will be made explicit to the applicant. A decision to admit an applicant under these circumstances will be at the discretion of the Principal or his nominee(s), usually the Admissions manager.

The College requires below mentioned documents from students. If they can’t provide any of this requested information then they must inform the College and obtain extra time to complete their application.
- Complete Application form.
- Passport /I.D./ Birth Certificate.
- Educational documents minimum Level 3 (English translation if- presented in a foreign language).
- Personal Statement.
- C.V.
- Work Experience Letter
- CEFR B2 Level (Non U.K & E.U only)
- 2 Passport size pictures
The student has a right to appeal against the admissions decision and can request a review of a decision concerning the selection or admission. The appeal policy is available on the college website. (Indicator -3, Chapter B2)

The college does not allow appeals based on academic judgement, appeal can be filed with regards to procedural grounds within 2 weeks of a decision.

The College will inform the prospective students of any significant changes in the programme they have applied for and will advise promptly of other choices available. (Indicator -9, chapter B2)

Monitoring & Evaluation

The College’s Senior Management Team will monitor the operation of the policy by receiving an annual report on admissions.
Policy & Procedure for Admissions Appeals and Complaints
Introduction

Mont Rose College of Management and Sciences is committed to a high quality and transparent Admission Policy and Procedures. But there will be times when the applicant is not satisfied with the admission process and wishes to file a complaint. Therefore, admissions complaint and appeals policy has been designed in line with chapter B2 and indicator 3 of the Quality Code.

Scope

An appeal is a formal request for a selection decision be reviewed and will only be considered where there are adequate grounds (as set out below). An applicant can request a review of a decision concerning the application with regards to procedural grounds, within 2 weeks of the decision being made.

Any applicant may complain or appeal against the handling of his/her admission application if there is a reason to believe that;

The admission decision contradicts the published entry criteria

There has been an administration or procedural error in handling applications

There are concerns regarding staff behaviour in handling the admission application

There is the emergence of information which may have affected the decision and which was not available at the time of the original decision.

Complaints or Appeals will not be considered:

If the applicant is disappointed with the selection decision made on academic grounds.

If the dispute concerns a decision from a previous admissions cycle or one that has already been accepted by the applicant.

Complaints Procedure: Chapter –B2 – Indicator -3

Mont Rose College is committed to resolve admission queries quickly and informally. In the first instance the applicant should contact the relevant Admission Advisor for feedback and an explanation as to why their application was unsuccessful. If the course of action proves unsatisfactory, then the formal complaints and appeals policy will apply.
If the applicant is not satisfied with the outcome of the application and the feedback received or there is some new information, he/she may complain in writing to the College Admissions Manager. An applicant must provide the following information:

Name and Address
Grounds for the complaint
An indication of the outcome being sought

The Admission Manager shall investigate the complaint and shall respond to the applicant within 15 days of the receipt of the complaint. (If it should prove impossible to respond fully within 15 working days, the applicant shall be informed in writing of the revised date).

Appeals Procedure: Chapter B2 –Indicator -3

Where an applicant remains dissatisfied with the written response received regarding their complaint, or there is substantial new information, he/she may appeal in writing to the Admission Manager by completing the Applicant Appeal Form together with any supporting documentation, within 15 working days following the receipt of their formal feedback.

5.1 The Admission Manager shall investigate the appeal and shall respond to the appellant within 15 working days of receipt of the appeal. (If it should prove impossible to respond fully within 15 working days, the applicant shall be informed in writing of the revised date).

5.2 The Admission Manager may request additional information from either the applicant or relevant staff and may convene a meeting to discuss the appeal. The Admission Manager will decide whether:

The appeal is upheld and the College will take appropriate action

OR

The appeal is not upheld and will communicate the reasons for this decision and confirm that no action will be taken

5.3 The decision reached by the Admission Manager is final and will be communicated to the appellant and relevant staff within 15 working days of considering the appeal.

Appendix 1

Applicant Appeal Form

This is only for the purpose of submitting a formal appeal in accordance with the Mont Rose College Admissions Complaints and Appeals Policy. Please read this information prior to submitting the form as we may be unable to consider an inappropriate or incomplete submission.

If you have any queries concerning the completion or submission of this form, please contact the Head of Admissions Mr. Jodat at j.sheikh@mrcollege.ac.uk

Applicant Name:
Applicant Number/ UCAS Personal ID:
Course(s) applied to:

Please provide details of your appeal below (please provide copies of any communications regarding your application or feedback received)

Continue on separate sheets if necessary

Please explain why you are not satisfied with the feedback or communications you have received.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
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The College will work to remove any barriers, real or perceived, which might deter people of the highest ability from applying to the College, either as staff or students. The College aims to provide an inclusive environment which values diversity and maintains a working, learning and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all its staff and students are respected to assist them in reaching their full potential.

No prospective or actual student or member of staff will be treated less favourably than any other, whether before, during or after their study or employment at the College on one or more of the following grounds, except when such treatment is within the law and determined by lawful requirements: age; colour; disability; ethnic origin; marital status; nationality; national origin; parental status; race, religion or belief; gender; sexual orientation; or length or type of contract (e.g. part‐time, full time or fixed‐term).

With regard to staff, this policy applies to (but is not limited to) advertising of jobs and recruitment and selection, to training and development, to opportunities for promotion, to conditions of service, benefits, facilities and pay, to health and safety, to conduct at work, to grievance and disciplinary procedures and to termination of employment

With regard to students, this policy applies to (but is not limited to) admissions, teaching, learning and research provision, to grant the scholarships, grants and other awards under the College’s control, to student support, to College accommodation and other facilities, to health and safety, to personal conduct and to student complaints and disciplinary procedures.

In order to realise its commitment, the College will:

Promote the aims of this policy;
Be proactive in eliminating discrimination, including harassment and bullying, through training and the production and dissemination of applicable codes of practice and guidance
Have regard to its obligations under relevant legislation, including the requirement to carry out impact assessments in certain areas, and for its policies, codes of practice and guidance to mirror the same and be changed to meet the demands of new legislation;
Whilst acknowledging that they are not legally binding, have regard to any Codes of Practice issued or adopted by the Commission for Equality and Human Rights;
Make this policy, as well as all codes of practice and guidance, available to all staff and students; and
Regularly review the terms of this policy and all associated codes of practice and guidance.

Scope

This policy applies to all members of the College, students and staff, whether permanent, temporary, casual, part‐time or on fixed‐term contracts, to job applicants, to student applicants, current and former students, to associate members and to visitors to the college

This policy statement is supported by the following policies:

Race equality
Disability equality
Gender equality
Age equality
Religion and belief equality
Sexual orientation equality

Complaints regarding the College Equal Opportunities Statement or Policies are to be raised with the Bursar who will present them to the College Welfare Committee in the first instance for consideration.

Further information on the general principles of equality law can be found at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents
QUALITY ASSURANCE POLICY
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Academic /Quality Assurance Board is comprised of Principal, Academic Manager, lecturers from Business department and Hospitality department, Programme Leaders and class representatives. They are responsible for developing and monitoring the Mont Rose quality policy and also strive to ensure that it reflects best practice in relation to national and international standards.

They are responsible for ensuring that the day to day operational aspect of Mont Rose College conforms to Mont Rose College Quality Policy.

Quality Assurance Objectives: The objectives of the Quality Assurance Committee are as follows:

To continually enhance the quality of education and to improve our training programmes.
To put into practice and monitor plans for improvement
To help students achieve their potential and for progress to be made.
To improve levels of student retention at Mont Rose College
To maintain high quality standards that fulfil Awarding Body requirements
To improve levels of attendance amongst students at Mont Rose College.
To be able to guide students’ opportunities for progression through active support and allow for opportunities for progression; and to improve the means for such improvement.
To systematically and strategically plan and manage the resources of Mont Rose College.
To identify the various priorities at different levels of students’ learning and academic training and teaching; this will also allow for the best use of the talents & performance of College staff
To collate data to measure and enhance the performance of both tutors and students.
To continually improve our quality of teaching and learning in order to fulfil the academic needs of our students.
To ensure that the requirements of internal and external audits are met.
To ensure the best quality assurance.
To provide reports that require the attention of the senior management team, academic board, and the directors on issue relating to quality.
The appropriate quality assurance techniques and standards are in place and all the learning resources are available for student learning
The quality assurance process is scrutinized regularly and so the changes can be incorporated whenever required
Through the appraisal mechanism and quality audits good practices and innovations are recognised and rewarded

1. Responsibilities of the Academic / Quality Assurance Committee:

The Academic / Quality Assurance Board is the final academic authority of the college. The board is responsible for:
Internal approval of new programmes
Annual monitoring of all programmes
Periodic review of programmes every five years
Student admission and induction
Other aspects of standards and quality assurance of college programmes
Informing programmes of external reference points
Programme enhancement
Student assessment policy, procedure and implementation
Programme discontinuation and the maintenance of the quality of the student experience during any running-out of programme
Oversight of liaison with awarding bodies and academic regulators
The Academic Board will meet as required as an Assessment Board, or may set up and operate an Assessment Board sub-committee
The Academic Board will meet as required to manage programmes, or may set up and operate a programme board sub-committee(s).

2. Quality Assurance Framework

The MRC quality assurance framework is arranged and managed through:

Students' feedback
Academic Staff feedback about the students
External Verifier/ Internal Verifier Report
QAA Report

Student Feedback

In Mont Rose College all students are encouraged to complete feedback forms during each session relating to the facilities offered by the, course content, teachers, teaching methodologies and resources. This information is evaluated and analysed by the Quality Assurance Committee who then later on make decisions for improvements.

Academic Feedback

All academic staff members are expected to offer feedback to the students with reference to their progress, college development, the market value of current courses, identification of new courses, building a good rapport with students, student issues and assessments.

3. External Examiners/Verifiers feedback

The examination reports developed by the external examiners and external verifiers sent by different awarding boards are vital for Mont Rose College to improve its quality policies and procedures.

Course Review

Each course should be reviewed on a yearly basis. The review process will help Mont Rose College to maintain the course in line with the requirements of the awarding bodies and the demands of the continuously changing external environment.

Programme/ Course Development

The Academic Manager is responsible for ensuring that courses offered at Mont Rose College should:

Prove to be a valuable educational experience for the students
Fulfil both the academic requirements and employment needs of the students
Support the overall objectives of the college and the programme

The following policies have also been developed to ensure quality procedures at all levels.

Academic Misconduct Policy
Equal Opportunity Policy
Academic Appeal Policy & Procedure
Students Complaints Policy & Procedure
Attendance Policy
Internal Verification policy.
Student Welfare Policy
Learner Support Policy
Assessment & Marking Policy
Student Engagement Policy
APPEALS POLICY
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1. Purpose and scope of the procedure

In all cases the college will abide by the QAA Quality Code. The college operates an internal academic appeals policy and procedure for those cases where an awarding body procedure does not apply (e.g. Formative assessment without awarding body involvement). In other cases, the appeals policy and procedure of the awarding body takes precedence, and the college will cooperate with it as required.
An academic appeal should be made by the student in writing, except in extreme circumstances. The college distinguishes between a student complaint (about any non-assessment service provided by the college and/or awarding body) and a student academic appeal. Academic appeals are concerns or problems raised by a student or students concerning any aspect of the assessment process, including grades/ marks given. There is a separate student Complaint Procedure.
This academic appeals procedure applies to the students who would like to appeal against matters which are under College control. Any matters raised against awarding bodies, Buckinghamshire New University, or other Mont Rose College partners, should be submitted directly to the relevant bodies. The College representative will provide the full guidance, how to appeal to other relevant bodies. (Indicator -1, Chapter B9)

2. Principles of the procedure

The procedure is based on the following principles:

A student has the right to be accompanied by a colleague or friend at every stage of the formal procedure.
Any academic appeal must be made in writing as soon as possible, even if originally made orally
It is only possible for the college to hear academic appeals that are within the power of the college to remedy. In many cases the appeals procedure of the awarding body will apply, and may be operated entirely by the awarding body.
All proceedings should, so far as is practicable, remain confidential
A formal record of any hearing will be available to the student.
The hearing will be recorded and a copy given to the student
The timescales set out may be extended with the agreement of the parties
Where more than one student has lodged an academic appeal relating to the Same, or substantially the same, issue, the academic appeal may be dealt with together in the interests of fair and consistent decision-making.
If the student’s academic appeal restates an academic appeal that the college is already dealing with, or that it has dealt with in the past, the student will be asked to explain how the new academic appeal differs from the previous one, and either what new incident has occurred or what new evidence has come to light.
Where it is clear that there is nothing new being raised, the college can reject the academic appeal without a hearing or committee meeting
Deliberately false or malicious academic appeal will be treated as matters of Misconduct and will be investigated in line with the Disciplinary policy and Procedure
An academic appeal raised while a student is subject to disciplinary proceedings will be heard when the disciplinary process has been completed. If the academic appeal has any bearing on the disciplinary proceedings, it can be raised in the course of those proceedings. (Indicator -2, Chapter –B9)

3. Process (Indicator -3, Chapter B9)

The academic appeal will be heard by a special appeal panel reporting to the Principal and to the assessment committee functions of the college. The student should set out in writing the nature of their academic appeal. The student should explain how they think it should be settled. This must be submitted to the Principal.
The Principal will appoint another person as investigating officer who will be asked to provide a full written report together with any relevant documents. (Indicator -6, Chapter B6) The investigation should be conducted as quickly as possible while allowing for all relevant information and evidence to be gathered. The student has to collect and present all required documentation within 14 days before the hearing starts. (Indicator -5, Chapter B9) Discretion could be applied and dates of the hearing rescheduled if the student requires more time to obtain more information.
Should the academic appeal includes material lodged against a named or otherwise identifiable individual or individuals, the Principal will give them a copy of the academic appeal at the earliest opportunity. The individual will present their response at the appeal hearing.
The appeal panel will consist of two nominees of the Principal. (Indicator -6, Chapter B9) Where possible, there should be a gender balance on panels. The college will make every attempt to ensure that the hearing will be held within 14 working days of receipt of the investigating officer’s report, or within 14 working days of the academic appeal being received if it is against an individual. (Indicator -5, Chapter 9) The student will be given five working days notice that the hearing is to be held. The student may request an alternative date to allow up to an additional five working days if their representative is unavailable. If following a reasonable attempt to rearrange the hearing, the student is still unable to attend, they may send a representative, or the hearing may be held in their absence.
The student making the appeal should ensure that they attend the meeting at the specified time. If they are unable to attend because of circumstances beyond their control, they should inform the Principal and/or the chair of the panel as soon as possible. If they fail to attend without explanation, or it appears that they have not made sufficient attempts to attend, the hearing may take place in their absence
Any relevant written information or evidence must be made available to all parties at the earliest opportunity and, in any case, two working days before the hearing.
All parties involved will be allowed to attend and make representations at the meeting. Witnesses may be called.
Refusal of any party to attend shall not invalidate the proceedings
The panel, in seeking to resolve the academic appeal, may adjourn the meeting or defer a decision if more information is required.
The decision of the panel, the reasons for that decision and any redress will be communicated to the student who has made the academic appeal within 14 working days. The college will accept the decision of the appeal panel. Where the academic appeal contains material lodged against an individual, both parties will be given a copy of the decision. This will be handed to the student whenever possible or posted directly by recorded delivery to the student within 14 working days of the hearing and to the student representative, where applicable. (Indicator -5, Chapter B9)

4. Right of secondary appeal to a decision of the academic appeal panel

Should the student making the original academic appeal wish to appeal against the decision of the panel they must do so, in writing, to the Principal within five working days of being informed of the decision. (Indicator -6, Chapter B9)

A request for a secondary appeal must specify the grounds of the appeal, preferably under one or more of the following headings:

The nature of any redress
The finding of the hearing on a point of fact which is pertinent to the decision of the hearing.
A failure to adhere to the published academic appeal procedure.

At a hearing of the secondary appeal panel, a member of the original panel will attend to present their findings and reasons for their decision. The student and the management representative presenting the case should use the guidance attached at Annex 1 and Annex 2 as best practice for the presentation of their respective case statements. Witnesses may be called.

The secondary appeal will be heard by secondary appeal panel members, the student and the management representative. The written cases should be received within five working days after the first appeal decision was released. The format of the appeal hearing will depend upon the nature of the appeal. If it is a re-hearing it will follow the format at Annex 1. The student will be given five working days’ notice that the hearing is to be held. The student making the secondary appeal may request an alternative date to allow up to an additional five working days if their representative is unavailable. If following a reasonable attempt to rearrange the hearing, the student is still unable to attend, they may send a representative, or the hearing may be held in their absence.

The student making the secondary appeal should ensure that they attend the meeting at the specified time. If they are unable to attend because of circumstances beyond their control, they should inform the Principal as soon as possible. If they fail to attend without explanation, or if it appears that they have not made sufficient attempts to attend, the hearing may take place in their absence.

The secondary appeal hearing is not a rehearing of the original academic appeal, but rather a consideration of the specific areas with which the student is dissatisfied in relation to the original academic appeal. The chair of the panel may therefore confine discussion of those specific areas, rather than reconsider the whole matter afresh.

The secondary appeal panel will hear all or part of the previous hearing depending upon the nature of the appeal. The panel has the scope to:

Uphold all or part of the previous decision
Not uphold the previous decision.

If the secondary appeal panel decides either to uphold only part of the previous decision or not to uphold the previous decision, it may at its discretion substitute an appropriate remedy of its own choosing.

Within seven working days of the secondary appeal the panel will record the decision and hand it to the student wherever possible otherwise it will be posted directly by recorded delivery. The college will accept the decision of the secondary appeal panel.

Any recommendations made by the panel will be communicated to the appropriate Individuals and committees. (Indicator -6, Chapter –B9)

The decision of the secondary appeals panel is final.

The formal “Completion of Procedures Letter” is issued to the student within 21 calendar days after the final decision is made. If the student is still dissatisfied with the outcome, he/ she may apply for a review of the complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) for higher education.

The complaint should be received by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) (www.oiahe.org.uk) within twelve months of the date of the “Completion of Procedures Letter”

5. Date of adoption:

Date of next planned revision:

Annex 1:

Format of the formal academic appeal / secondary academic appeal hearing (Indicator -4, Chapter B9)
The panel shall be responsible for the proper conduct of the hearing, which shall be conducted on a formal basis.

The chair of the panel will conduct the introductions of those present and confirm the names of any witnesses who may be called. The chair of the panel will ensure that all parties understand the nature of the academic appeal and ask the student who is bringing the academic appeal to say how they think it should be settled.

The panel shall order the proceedings as follows:

Ask the student to present their case, allowing the investigating officer or respondent to ask questions after the presentation has been completed.
The student may call witnesses or refer to documents previously circulated and necessary for the hearing
While the student making the appeal will be given every opportunity to explain their case fully, they should confine their explanation to matters that are directly relevant to the academic appeal.
The chair of the panel will intervene if he/she thinks that the discussion is straying too far from the key issue(s).
The chair may also intervene to ensure that the meeting can be completed within a reasonable timeframe, depending on the nature and the complexity of the academic appeal
Ask the investigating officer or respondent to respond to the case, allowing the student to ask questions after the presentation has been completed.
The investigating officer or respondent may call witnesses or refer to documents previously circulated and necessary for the hearing.
The panel may ask questions on points of clarification at any time and may call witnesses. Questions shall be put to each party after it has presented its case.
If either party wishes to present evidence not previously circulated the hearing may be adjourned to allow the other side to consider it.
Allow the student and then the investigating officer or respondent the opportunity to sum up their cases. Neither party may introduce new matters in their summing up.

The academic appeal panel adjourns to consider its decision, which shall be given as soon as possible after the hearing, but in any case within three working days of the hearing.

At the same time the student shall be advised of their right to make a secondary appeal against the original appeal decision.

Annex 2: Guidance for appeal documentation

Student
Management
Grounds of appeal
Response to grounds of appeal
Case statement, which should include, as appropriate:
An introduction explaining the reasons for appealing
Summary of course
The outcome sought
Appendices

Case statement, which should include, as appropriate:

Introduction, background to the case, processes followed on calling the original hearing, how the decision was arrived at

Summary of course
Recommendations

Appendices

If papers are presented in this way it should be possible for the secondary appeal hearing only to hear any specific comments or particular aspects of the case, rather than a repetition of the original hearing.

Indicator -7, Chapter –B9:
The policy is reviewed and approved by Academic/ Quality Assurance Board annually for enhancement purpose.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
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1. Introduction

Mont Rose College of Management and Sciences is very strict about punctuality and regularity of the students. These qualities of punctuality and regular are highly valued by employers. Therefore, the college tries to inculcate these qualities among the students.

The Student Services Department keeps a record of each student’s attendance on a daily basis. The Student’s Disciplinary Policy treats the breach of Attendance Policy as a serious offence.

Our aim is to be the first choice for students and to meet this challenge we not only implement the attendance policy but develop the ways it can be achieved.

2. Policy Aim

This policy applies to all students enrolled in any course offered by the college. The aim of the policy is to ensure that all the students should understand that they need to attend all the classes and tutorials to get the maximum benefit from their course of study.

Mont Rose College of Management and Sciences encourages 100% attendance. Exceptions can only be made where there is medical evidence or proof of extenuating circumstances.

3. Policy Standard

If the student has a disability or caring responsibilities etc and it is not possible for him/her to be punctual and attend regularly in class then this should be discussed in advance with the course leader. Once an arrangement has been approved students should adhere to it.
Students are allowed to take time off only in case of illness, bereavement or family emergencies.

4. Authorised (Planned) and Unauthorised Absences

It is the student’s responsibility to provide the reason with evidence to the Student Services Administrator for an authorised absence. Absences are unauthorised unless proven otherwise. Attendance will be marked by the lecturer no later than 15 minutes after the start of each session.

The attendance register will be completed by the lecturer at the start of each class. He/She will mark the student either: –

P - Present (signature of the student)
I - Authorised Absence
A – Unauthorised Absence
SL - Sick
T– Tardy (those who appear after the start of the class, but within the first 15 minutes of the start of a session)
H – Holiday / Annual Leave

When a student is absent, late authorisation of such absence is only possible if a justified reason is provided.

5. Absence due to illness

If a student is ill and needs to stay at home, then they have to inform the Student Services administrator no later than 9:30 am on the first day of their absence otherwise they will be marked as ‘unauthorised’ absent. Medical evidence will only be required if the illness lasts for more than 3 days.

In case a student falls ill or has an accident while in the college and needs to go home, the student must report the illness or accident to the course tutor or the Student Services department to get an authorised absence.

Absence due to an appointment

Students are advised to book any appointments after the college hours to avoid interruption to their programme of study. If due to any valid reason they cannot do so, then they should inform the Student Services Department or the course tutor at the time of leaving.
If a student is unable to provide justifiable reason and evidence of the absence, then the absence will be treated as unauthorised.
The college will inform students on the Induction Day about the standards they need to meet while on their course of study and also about the consequences they will face if they fail to do so. The implementation of the attendance policy will be monitored by the Student Services Department and Course Tutor.

6. Non-Compliance with attendance Policy

Non-compliance with attendance policy will result in a disciplinary action being taken against the student. If the attendance is below 85%, then the college will issue the first non-attendance warning letter / text or email to the student regarding their absence. The student has to contact the Student Services department within 5 working days to provide reasons for unauthorized absence.

If the student fails to do so, then a second non-attendance warning letter / text or email will be sent mentioning that they have 5 more working days to inform the office of their unauthorised absence. If the student again fails to contact the Student Service department, then a suspension letter will be issued to the student mentioning that the student’s name has been withdrawn from the college record and the college has also informed the UK Border Agency (UKBA) or other educational establishment’s partners if required.

After receiving the Suspension letter if the student still wishes to continue his/her studies, then they have to provide a valid reason for their absence and if that has been accepted by the Student Services department the student will be able to resume classes in the next semester and not within the current semester.

Attendance and punctuality are not only important for student success and progression in the course of any study but are also required to fulfil the condition of their student visa if required and to enable a student to remain in the UK

The College is required by law to inform the UK Border Agency (UKBA) about the attendance of international students. The College will report non-attendance in the following circumstances:

Attendance drops below 80%, including absence due to lateness
Failure to enroll on a course or withdrawal from a course
Any other significant issues which may affect their visa conditions

7. Authorised & Unauthorised Absences

The following would be considered suitable reasons for an authorised absence:

Medical appointments which could not be made outside of College hours
Visits to University/College Open Days.
Funeral or wedding of a close family member
Severe travel disruption
Genuine family emergencies
Religious Holidays

The following would be considered unacceptable reasons for authorizing absence:

Holidays during term
Part or full-time work which is not part of a programme of study
Leisure activities
Birthdays or family celebrations
Babysitting

Withdrawing from or suspending study:

If you are considering withdrawing from the College or interrupting your studies for any reason, please consult your tutor and the Student Services department and seek advice if you have a particular problem. If a student is absent due to illness and /or pregnancy he/she needs to provide a medical certificate to obtain authorised leave from the College.

If you decide to suspend or withdraw from your course, you must inform the Student Services department who will complete the appropriate forms on your behalf. It is very important that the correct procedure is followed, should you decide to re-enter higher education at a later stage.

You must not, under any circumstances, withdraw from the College without notifying the Student Services department, as failure to do so may carry financial implications in terms of tuition fees, repayment of the student loan and visa issues.
STUDENT COMPLAINT POLICY
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1. Purpose and scope of the procedure

In all cases the college will abide by the QAA Quality Code. The purpose of the complaints procedure is to ensure that, as far as possible, complaints are dealt with and resolved informally through discussion between the aggrieved student and staff. Complaints and concerns or problems raised by a student or students and may be made in writing or orally. (There is a separate procedure for student academic appeals.) Before using the complaints procedure, it is expected that a student will try to resolve the complaint informally. The formal stage of the procedure should only be used when the informal stage has failed to resolve the issue or is not making progress at reasonable speed. (Indicator -2, Chapter B9)
In appropriate cases the college may offer facilities for mediation.
This procedure applies to all students.
This procedure takes account of the ACAS code of practice on complaints procedures and will be reviewed periodically in line with developments in best practice. Indicator -1 & 7, Chapter B9)

2. Principles of the procedure

The procedure is based on the following principles:

A student has the right to be accompanied by a colleague or friend at every stage of the formal procedure.
Any complaints, to become formal, must be made in writing as soon as possible, it is only possible to hear complaints that are within the power of the college to remedy.
In all cases, reference to informal resolution in advance of formal complaint is recommended.
All proceedings, whether informal or formal, should, so far as is practicable, remain confidential.
A formal record of any hearing will be available to the student. The hearing will be recorded and a copy given to the student.
The timescales set out may be extended with the agreement of the parties where more than one student has lodged a complaint relating to the same, or substantially the same, issue. The complaints may be dealt with together in the interests of fair and consistent decision-making.
Where a complaint concerns an apparently trivial issue the relevant staff member will discuss this informally with the student to determine whether there is a real need to pursue the matter through the complaints procedure.
If the student and a member of staff are unable to agree, the student will be entitled to submit the complaint formally together with any further evidence or explanation that throws new light on it, and demonstrates that a substantive complaint is in fact being made.
If the student’s complaint restates a complaint that the college is already dealing with, or that it has dealt with in the past, the student will be asked to explain how the new complaints differs from the previous one, and either what new incident has occurred or what new evidence has come to light. Where it is clear that there is nothing new being raised, the college can reject the complaint without a hearing or committee meeting.
Deliberately false or malicious complaints will be treated as matters of misconduct and will be investigated in line with the Disciplinary policy and procedure. Complaints raised while a student is subject to disciplinary proceedings will be heard when the disciplinary process has been completed. If the complaint has any bearing on the disciplinary proceedings, it can be raised in the course of those proceedings. (Indicator -3, Chapter -9)

3. Informal stage

If the matter remains unresolved, the student may request a meeting with a relevant staff member or in a relevant college committee, and efforts made to resolve the issue. Any informal meeting with staff should be held within 10 working days of the submission of the request. Many student complaints are likely to take the form of suggestions for improvement (e.g. more library books, changed teaching hours) and can be dealt with informally or, more formally but without a complaints panel hearing, in a regular committee meeting of the College and using the normal and routine student voice and student representative processes of the College.
If, after any action to resolve the complaint has been taken by staff, the student is still dissatisfied, they may proceed to the formal stage of the procedure. (Indicator -2, Chapter -9)

4. Formal stage

If the complaint has not been resolved at the informal stage and the student wishes to proceed to the formal stage, the student may do so and the complaint will be heard by a panel or in a relevant college committee meeting (e.g. Academic Board, Senior Management Team meeting). The student must set out in writing the nature of their complaint and the reasons why they are dissatisfied with the outcome of the informal stage. The student should explain how they think it should be settled. This must be submitted to the Principal. Complaints raised against the Principal should be submitted to the company Board. In all cases a copy of the complaint should be sent to the Principal.
Should the complaint relate to a process or decision, the Principal will appoint another person as investigating officer who will be asked to provide a full written report together with any relevant documents. The investigation should be conducted as quickly as possible while allowing for all relevant information and evidence to be gathered. A timescale for this will be agreed between the student and the Principal.
Should the complaint be against a named individual or individuals, the Principal will give them a copy of the complaint at the earliest opportunity. The individual will present their response at the hearing and it would not normally be necessary to conduct an investigation. Complaints about named individuals will not be dealt with in routine committee meetings of the College.
The panel will consist of two nominees of the Principal. Where possible, there should be a gender balance on panels. The college will make every attempt to ensure that the hearing will be held within 14 working days of receipt of the investigating officer’s report, or within 14 working days of the complaint being received if it is against an individual. The student will be given five working days’ notice that the hearing is to be held. The student may request an alternative date to allow up to an additional five working days if their representative is unavailable. If following a reasonable attempt to rearrange the hearing, the student is still unable to attend, they may send an authorised representative (the letter of authorisation should be received prior the meeting), or the hearing may be held in their absence. (Indicator -5, Chapter B9)
The complainant should ensure that they attend the meeting at the specified time. If they are unable to attend because of circumstances beyond their control, they should inform the Principal and/or the chair of the panel if the complaints are against staff, as soon as possible. If they fail to attend without explanation, or it appears that they have not made sufficient attempts to attend, the hearing may take place in their absence.
Any relevant written information or evidence must be made available to all parties at the earliest opportunity and, in any case, two working days before the hearing.
All parties involved will be allowed to attend and make representations at the meeting. Witnesses may be called.
Refusal of either party to attend shall not invalidate the proceedings.
The panel, in seeking to resolve the complaint, may adjourn the meeting or defer a decision if more information is required.
The decision of the panel, the reasons for that decision and any redress will be communicated to the student who has made the complaint. Where the complaint is against an individual, both parties will be given a copy of the decision. This will be handed to the student whenever possible or posted directly by recorded delivery to the student within ten working days of the hearing and to the student representative, where applicable.
Failure to meet the requirements of redress, set out by the panel will result in the invocation of the Disciplinary policy and procedure, unless an appeal has been lodged.
The formal stage should be completed within 30 calendar days and the student is provided with the written outcome of the formal stage. (Indicator -4 & 5, Chapter –B9)

5. Right of appeal

Should the complainant wish to appeal against the decision of the panel they must do so, in writing, to the Principal (or to the Chair of the Board if the complaint was heard by Board members) within five working days of being informed of the decision.

A request for an appeal must specify the grounds of the appeal, preferably under one or more of the following headings: .

The nature of any redress.
The finding of the hearing on a point of fact which is pertinent to the decision of the hearing.
A failure to adhere to the published procedure.
If the material evidence was not provided for valid reasons during the formal stage.

The appeal will be considered within 14 working days and the ‘Completion of Procedure Letter’ and related correspondence will be issued confirming the summary of the complaint procedure and outcomes. If the settlement is offered, the ‘Completion of Procedures Letter’ will be issued confirming the settlement. If the student rejects the offer, the Completion of Procedures Letter will be issued showing a summary of proposals.

The formal “Completion of Procedures Letter” is issued to the student within 21 calendar days after the final decision is made. If the student is still dissatisfied with the outcome, he/ she may apply for a review of the complaint to the Office of the Independent adjudicator (OIA) for higher education. (Indicator -4 & 5, Chapter –B9)

The complaint should be received by the Office of the Independent adjudicator (OIA) (www.oiahe.org.uk) within twelve months of the date of the “Completion of Procedures Letter”

Annex 1:

Format of the formal complaints / complaints appeal hearing (Indicator -3, Chapter B9)

The panel shall be responsible for the proper conduct of the hearing, which shall be conducted on a formal basis.

The chair of the panel will conduct the introductions of those present and confirm the names of any witnesses who may be called. The chair of the panel will ensure that all parties understand the nature of the complaint and ask the student who is bringing the complaint to say how they think it should be settled.

The panel shall order the proceedings as follows:

Ask the student to present their case allowing the investigating officer or respondent to ask questions after the presentation has been completed.
The student may call witnesses or refer to documents previously circulated and necessary for the hearing.
While the complainant will be given every opportunity to explain their case fully, they should confine their explanation to matters that are directly relevant to the complaint. The chair of the panel will intervene if he/she thinks that the discussion is straying too far from the key issue.
The chair may also intervene to ensure that the meeting can be completed within a reasonable time frame, depending on the nature and the complexity of the complaint .
Ask the investigating officer or respondent to respond to the case, allowing the student to ask questions after the presentation has been completed.
The investigating officer or respondent may call witnesses or refer to documents previously circulated and necessary for the hearing.
The panel may ask questions on points of clarification at any time and may call witnesses. Questions shall be put to each party after it has presented its case.

If either party wishes to present evidence not previously circulated, the hearing may be adjourned to allow the other side to consider it.
The student and then the investigating officer or respondent will be given the opportunity to sum up their cases. Neither party may introduce new matters in their summing up.

The panel adjourns to consider its decision, which shall be given as soon as possible after the hearing, but in any case within three working days of the hearing.

At the same time the student shall be advised of their right to appeal against the decision.

Indicator -7, Chapter –B9:

The policy is reviewed and approved by Academic/ Quality Assurance Board annually for enhancement purpose.
Annex 2: Guidance for appeal documentation

Grounds of appeal.
Response to grounds of appeal.
Case statement, which should include as appropriate:
An introduction explaining the reasons for appealing.
Summary of appeal.
The outcome sought.
Appendices.

2 Case statement.

This should include as appropriate:

Introduction.
Background to the case.
The process followed on calling the original hearing.
How the decision was arrived at.
Summary of appeal.
Recommendations.
Appendices.

If papers are presented in this way it should be possible for the appeal hearing only to hear any specific comments or particular aspects of the case, rather than a repetition of the original hearing.
PREVENT POLICY
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This policy has been drawn up and implemented in order to satisfy the Government and regulators such as OFS that the College is fulfilling its duty under the Counterterrorism and Security Act 2015 (the Act) to have due regard to the need to prevent people being drawn into terrorism (the Prevent duty).
The College affirms and promotes education as a place of life-enhancing free expression and enquiry. It deplores the expression and cultivation of views and actions which tend to limit or destroy the life of others, however intense or sincere such views or actions may be.
The College regards itself and will sustain itself as a locus of democracy, ethical and rigorous enquiry, social and individual improvement, due process, peace, individual liberty, respect and tolerance.
The College recognises the UK government view that preventing people being drawn into terrorism requires challenging extremist ideologies. This document is drawn up following the current UK official definition of extremism as ‘vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs’. The College affirms and promotes the Fundamental British Values, which underpin what is to be a responsible citizen in a diverse Great Britain. The College promotes respect for democratic processes and tolerance of different faiths and respect for how the law is made and applied in the UK, support for equality of opportunity for all and liberty to know, understand and exercise the rights and personal freedoms.
College members, and UK citizens more generally, do not have the right not to be offended by the views of others, but they all have the right not to be subject to the threat or acts of terrorism. The College will accordingly operate its Prevent duties with energy and diligence.
All other policies and procedures of the College (e. Equal opportunities, anti-bullying and harassment) should be understood as implicitly if not explicitly embodying and operationalising the Prevent duty.
College's implementation of this Prevent Policy must not involve covert activity.
Themes to be considered in implementation include necessity and proportionality; consent; the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the Human Rights Act 1998.
The College will provide OFS and any other relevant regulator with any information required for monitoring compliance with the Prevent duty.
The College will work to the reporting requirements and submission dates set by OFS or any successor body.
This policy is linked to the two sets of statutory guidance:
- Revised Prevent Duty Guidance: for England and Wales (which includes general guidance for bodies in all sectors covered by the duty) - 'General Guidance '
- Prevent Duty Guidance: for higher education institutions in England and Wales - the 'HE Guidance'.

The College acknowledges that a key element of the UK government’s Prevent strategy is to encourage institutions to address risks of radicalisation. The Counterterrorism and Security Act 2015 (the Act) introduced a package of measures aimed at countering the risk of terrorism and radicalisation. Part 5 of the Act puts hitherto voluntary elements of the Prevent strategy onto a statutory footing. The College became subject to the Prevent duty on 18 September 2015.
The College will respect the freedom of speech duty implicitly applying within higher education. It will respect the importance of academic freedom when issuing guidance. It will implement the two sets of UK government guidance:
- Revised Prevent Duty Guidance: for England and Wales (which includes general guidance for bodies in all sectors covered by the duty) – the ‘General Guidance’
- Prevent Duty Guidance: for higher education institutions in England and Wales – the ‘HE Guidance’.

The College will assess the level of risk that College members may be drawn into terrorism, and it will have policies and procedure to mitigate those risks.
The College has taken into account the OFS advice note at www.hefce.ac.uk/reg/prevent/framework/. The College will maintain the following:
- Prevent risk assessment
- Action plan
- Policies and procedures for managing and mitigating the risks around external speakers and events on campus and institution-branded events taking place off campus. Such policies will reflect the institution’s duty to ensure freedom of speech on campus and its arrangements to protect the importance of academic freedom.

The College will pay particular attention to:
- Senior management and governance oversight of the implementation of its Prevent duty obligations and engagement with Prevent partners.
- Engaging with and consulting students on the institution’s plans for implementing the Prevent duty.
- Training appropriate staff about Prevent.
- Sharing information internally and externally about vulnerable individuals.
- Sharing information about external speakers with other institutions, where legal and desirable.
- Ensuring sufficient pastoral support for all students (including arrangements for managing prayer and faith facilities).
- The use of the institution’s computer facilities (hardware, software, networks, social media), to include consideration of filtering arrangements and of academic activities that might require online access to sensitive or extremism-related material.
- Engaging with student organisations, which are not subject to the Prevent duty, but are expected to cooperate with the College.
- The UK ‘Channel’ programme. (‘Channel’ is an early-intervention, multi-agency process designed to safeguard vulnerable people from being drawn into violent extremist or terrorist behaviour. Channel panels chaired by local authorities bring together multi-agency partners to collectively assess the risk for an individual and can decide whether a support package is needed.)

The College will attend to:
- An annual report from the governing body on the implementation of the Prevent duty in the previous operation or academic year, including any significant developments up to the date of the report.
- Regulatory body assessment on a multi-year cycle.

Any serious incident in the Prevent area will lead the College to review its approach to the Prevent duty: risk assessment, action plans, training, management and governance oversight.
The College will inform OFS, or any successor body, of any serious adverse event or serious reportable incident in the Prevent area. The College recognises that reporting an incident to OFS is not a substitute for reporting it to the police or other appropriate authority – for example, if criminality is suspected.
External speakers and events on campus will be subject to approval by the Principal, and will not go ahead if the risks cannot be fully mitigated. Information about the speakers will be shared with other institutions where appropriate and legal.
Senior management will engage with partners, including the police, the Prevent coordinators, and students.
Risk assessment will consider how and where students might be drawn into terrorism (including violent and non-violent extremism). It will consider whether student, staff welfare and other similar policies cover these issues. The College will scrutinise whether policies and procedures for events held by staff, students and third parties are effective.
The Prevent action plan will mitigate identified risks.
For the sharing of information about vulnerable people the internal mechanism is to immediately report the matter to the Principal. External agreements for the sharing of information about vulnerable people will be drawn up and operated. The default position of the College is that, within the domain of legislation concerning disclosures, the central point for the transfer of information on Prevent themes is the Principal.
In the context of Prevent duties, the College will apply its welfare policies and procedures and its general preference for open-door consultation.
The College has set aside a room for prayer, meditation or general thoughtfulness. It upholds the principle that the room should be equally available to those of any or no faith, including for the storage of religious books and other articles. At the same time, it acknowledges that some faiths favour certain days, times and practices, and it asks and expects other members of the College to respect such preferences. Any competition for or dispute over the use of such a room shall be immediately referred to the Principal, whose decision will immediately apply, pending any further discussion within the formal College processes. The College upholds the principle of transparency in its academic and social life: no person of another or no faith will be excluded at any time from room set aside for prayer, meditation or general thoughtfulness.
Operating that part of the UK tradition which represents tolerance and openness, the College respects the right of College members to express the religious beliefs. However, the expression of belief must not breach UK law, must not amount to bullying or harassment, and should respect the right of other College members to study and learn what they wish and how they wish within the law and within the conventions of UK higher education. Given their position of authority and influence, College staff are required to be particularly careful in their expression of belief of any kind and to take great care in any expression of political/ religious faith, either personal or that of others, within the academic setting.
No part of the College’s estate or equipment may be used for illegal purposes. The College will keep records of student attendance, performance, library use, and use of College IT and other electronic equipment.
The College may choose to designate certain web sites as ‘privileged’, meaning that they may be accessed on the College premises and/or using College equipment only with the written permission of the Principal after formal written application by the student/staff member. Permission to use such web sites will normally be given only where the applicant has made a good case that access is required for the purposes of research or other forms of scholarly activity. The College will publish a list of such ‘privileged’ web sites. The general policy of the College is that, on College premises and/or using College equipment, College members should not access without formal permission of the Principal any web site, whether designated or not as ‘privileged’, which may reasonably be considered to be promoting terrorism or promoting any other illegal activity or displaying security-sensitive materials. The College may choose to install automatic IT filtering arrangements.
Student groups and societies may meet on-campus for social and academic purposes with the written permission of the Principal. All such meetings must be arranged with the issue of an invitation to attend as observer for the Principal or the Principal’s representative(s). No meeting shall be held which may reasonably be considered to be promoting terrorism or extremism (as defined in this document) or promoting any illegal activity or any other activity contrary to college rules. The Principal may refuse permission for a meeting.
Any external speaker invited to the College or to College activities by staff or student must be approved in advance by the Principal. Application, with a description of the intended guest, must reach the Principal at least two weeks before the intended visit. The Principal may refuse permission for the inclusion of the intended guest.
The use by non-College groups of College premises and/or equipment for events and/or activities are subject to the requirements of the two immediately preceding paragraphs.
The College will evaluate its performance of this policy on an annual basis.

EXTERNAL SPEAKER CODE OF CONDUCT

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This code of conduct exists to ensure that all speakers taking part in an event hosted or run by Mont Rose College act in accordance with the MRC’s External Speaker Code of Conduct.

The College will assign a person responsible for the event, who will be ensuring that:

This Code of Conduct is communicated to all external speakers (once approved and confirmed via the External Speaker Booking Process)
That all reasonable steps are taken to ensure that the requirements within it are upheld during the running of the event or activity.

Freedom of speech and academic freedom

Free speech is fundamental to the role of Mont Rose College.

As a matter of law, educational institutions in England and Wales have a statutory duty to secure freedom of speech, reflecting their mission as places where new ideas can be advanced and where open and free debate can take place. The Education Act (No 2) 1986 requires the educational institution to take such steps as are reasonably practicable to ensure that freedom of speech within the law is secured for its employees, students and visiting speakers. Mont Rose College therefore requires all employees and students to tolerate and protect the expression of opinions within the law.

However, whilst the law promotes and protects freedom of speech, it also require to ensure the public order and safety. The College recognises that it has a legal responsibility to create a balance between minimising the possibility of extremism or unlawful conduct and ensuring that it meets its legal obligations in relation to securing freedom of speech.

Academic Freedom is to be able to teach and conduct the research in an academic environment without the influence of religion, politics or other factors.This is very important for students and staff at Mont Rose College.

Legal Context

Private Rights – Protection from harassment, defamation and unlawful breach of human rights, unfair treatment.
Criminal Law – Harassment, breach of the peace and terrorism all come under criminal law.
Public law – Freedom of Speech and some duties under the Equality Act.

Conduct

Mont Rose College expects external speakers to act in accordance with the law and not to breach the lawful rights of others.

Invitations to external speakers play a central role in the College’s life, not least in terms of allowing students to be exposed to a range of different beliefs, to challenge other people’s views and to develop their own opinions.

During the event at which the speaker participates, he or she shall not:

Act in breach of the criminal law.
Express hatred or violence or any breach of the criminal law.
Promote any acts of terrorism or individuals, or groups that support terrorism.
Discriminate against or harass any person or group on the grounds of their sex, race, nationality, ethnicity, disability, religious or other similar belief, sexual orientation or age.
Defame any person or organisation.
Raise funds for any external organisation or cause without express permission of the College

The MRC reserves the right to not permit an external speaker to speak at or attend an event, to refuse to permit an event at any time if it reasonably considers there may be a breach of the External Speaker Policy or of any legal obligation.

The External Speakers/Referrers could request the” External Speaker Form” by emailing to: ort@mrcollege.ac.uk Alternatively, the form could be downloaded from our website.

The completed form should be submitted for consideration to: ort@mrcollege.ac.uk

To comply with the Mont Rose College policies, this form should be completed not later than two weeks prior to the event and forwarded to ort@mrcollege.ac.uk

Name of Visiting Speaker:
Name of Organiser:
Contact Email:
Contact telephone no.

Please confirm that you read and understood The Mont Rose College External Speaker Code of Conduct

Signature ………………………………………..

Event details

Title of Event:		Date of Event:
Expected Attendance

Speaker details: (This should include name, position and organisation the speaker is related to, the subject he/she will be speaking about and any other information we need to be aware of. Please provide relevant web links where possible)

For Office Use Only

Date entered on spreadsheet_________________________________________

Approved by______________________________________________________

EQUALITY POLICY
Mont Rose College’s commitment to maintaining high standards in education and student support is coupled with its aim of eliminating discrimination and promoting equal opportunities.

Notwithstanding individual differences in students and their needs, Mont Rose College asserts its belief that all members of the college staff and students are to be treated equally regardless of their gender, ethnic origin, age, ability, or disability, faith, sexual orientation or any other attribute.

The working culture in the College does not tolerate any form of discrimination, victimisation or harassment.

We will:

Take all steps necessary to implement legislation relevant to Government equality policy.
Ensure that publicity materials contain a statement of our commitment to equality of opportunity.
Prepare, publish and update literature such as the Student Charter and Student Handbook that describe our facilities.
Explain service standards and set our various complaint procedures and performance indicators to monitor matters relating to equality of opportunity.
Write and regularly update a code of conduct describing the types of behaviour that the college considers as incompatible with Mont Rose College's ethos of promoting equal opportunities and detail disciplinary actions that can be taken against those acting in violation of the code of conduct.
Ensure high levels of awareness of the contents of the code of conduct and the consequences of violating it among students and members of staff.
Take steps regularly to monitor and evaluate and review the college policies dealing with equality of opportunity.

Self-actualisation through striving for higher ideals – Mont Rose College Vision and Code.
FEE POLICY
- This document is the Policy of Mont Rose College of Management and Sciences (The College), which outlines the actions and procedures that will be followed with regards to student fees/debts and sanctions applied in the event of non-payment.
- If a student is expecting a refund or compensation, he/she should refer to the Refund and Compensation Policy.
- All students are treated equally and fairly in relation to the payment of fees and other procedures stated in this document.
- ‘Tuition Fees’ are defined as a charge for tuition and use of academic facilities and payable to Mont Rose College.
- A Student is defined as any person, currently or previously enrolled at Mont Rose College on a study programme which may or may not lead to an award or qualification.
1. Self-Funded
- Each student is personally liable for the payment of their tuition fees, registration and other sundry expenses.
- Sundry charges are any fees owed to the College, other than tuition fees. Examples of sundry charges are charges for lost books, computer printing, and registration fee (Students Handbook).
- Any student experiencing difficulties paying tuition fees, must speak with the College’s Finance Department immediately to avoid being suspended for non-payment. In exceptional cases, instalment plans could be agreed, depending on circumstances and the College’s discretion.
- Students who contact the Finance Department before the payment due date and have reasonable grounds for requesting more time to pay, may at the sole discretion of the College be given an extension.
- The College reserves the right to use a debt collection agency or take other legal actions to pursue any debt outstanding and will continue to do so for as long as required.
- If for any reason a student withdraws or is withdrawn/suspended by the College, the College will charge the fees for the time the student was on the course. If the student is eligible for a refund or compensation, he/she needs to refer to the Refund and Compensation Policy.
- If the student or the person who pays the tuition fees on the student’s behalf, changes their mind regarding continuing their course, they should submit a written withdrawal request to the Admission Manager Mr. Jodat Sheikh j.sheikh@mrcollege.ac.uk within 14 days from the start of the course. The fees paid for the first term will be refunded to the student/sponsor/SLC (Student Loan Company) in full within 10 working days from the date the written withdrawal request was received. (Ref. The Refunds and Compensation Policy.)
- A student becomes liable for a fixed amount of tuition fees depending how much of the semester they have already attended:
  
  Liability periods:
  - Term 1- 25% of an annual tuition fee will be payable.
  - Term 2- 25% of an annual tuition fee will be payable.
  - Term 3- 50% of an annual tuition fee will be payable.
2. Payments by a Third Party
- Students applying to Mont Rose College have the option to apply for a student loan through the Student Loan Company (SLC).
- A student wishing to take out a loan has to provide a loan eligibility letter prior to enrolment. In some cases, if a student has not received the SLC loan eligibility letter, he/she should contact the College’s Finance Department, who will liaise with SLC and carry out an assessment to understand if the student is likely to receive the loan. Based on the assessment, the College will decide either to allow a student to start now or advise a student to wait until the next course intake starts.
- If a student has been withdrawn/suspended, his/her loan will also be suspended. The SLC will recalculate the amount of the loan for which the student is eligible, taking into account the date of suspension/withdrawal. If there are any overpayments, the SLC will contact a student and request to arrange the repayment of debt.
- If any re-assessment of a student loan entitlement occurs during the course and SLC will no longer pay for the student’s tuition fees or withdraw full funding, previously paid to the College, then the student in question will themselves have to ensure that his/ her tuition fees are paid.
- Where a student is sponsored by their employer, a letter confirming the sponsorship should be provided to the College prior to the start of a course. Sponsors will be invoiced prior to the start of the course and payment must be made in full by the sponsor within 30 days from the date of invoice. Instalment plans are not offered to sponsors.
- If a sponsor does not make a payment for a student’s tuition fee within the given period, the student will be held liable for payment personally.
- A student becomes liable for a fixed amount of tuition fees once he/she attend the semester:
  
  Liability periods:
  - Term 1- 25% of an annual tuition fee will be payable.
  - Term 2- 25% of an annual tuition fee will be payable.
  - Term 3- 50% of an annual tuition fee will be payable.
3. Sanctions for non-payment of Tuition Fees
- A student who does not pay the tuition fees owed to the College, or whose third party payments are overdue, will be withdrawn/suspended and the debt recovered through debt collecting agencies.
- A student whose fees are overdue will not be eligible for re-admission to another course of study at Mont Rose College without first settling the outstanding debt.
- The College reserves the right to pass the student’s outstanding debt to a debt collection agency and to take further legal action through the courts if required. The College does not accept any liability (save for liability that cannot be excluded by law) for any consequential losses that actually result or may result from any breach of this policy.
4. Student Advice

Mont Rose College:
Student Support imran@mrcollege.ac.uk

External
Student Loans Company; www.slc.co.uk
Aimhigher; www.aimhigherwm.ac.uk
National Union of Students; www.nus.org.uk
National Association of Citizen’s Advice Bureau; www.nacab.org.uk
CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT 1987
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To ensure compliance with the Consumer Protection Act 1987 and Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, Mont Rose College of Management and Sciences (The College)

Will provide the candidates with the information they need to make an informed decision before they apply for admission, for example (but without limitation):
- Introduce to course content and structure (Offer letter, Induction package, Students’ handbook).
- Information about the tuition fees and if there will be any additional fees associated with the course, like registration fees, equipment or other fees (Offer letter, Induction package, Students’ Handbook).
- Information about course transfer procedures.
- Introduction to rules and regulations that students are bound by, like Attendance Policy; the Rules of Withdrawing or Suspending Studies; Teaching, Learning and Assessment Policies; Academic Ethics and Integrity Policy; rules with regards to disabled people; Disciplinary Policy; Anti-bullying policy; Prevent Duty, etc.(student handbook, Mont Rose College website)
- Introduction to all other relevant policies and processes, like the Student Welfare Policy , Students chaplaincy arrangements ,etc. (student handbook, Mont Rose College website)
- Information about all available facilities (student handbook, Mont Rose College website, open/ induction days).
- Information provided to prospective and current students is accurate, clear, unambiguous and timely.
- Information concerning any changes to course information and costs, cancellation rights, course or institution transfer procedures or complaints handling before, or at the latest when, offering an admission.
- Notice of candidates' 14 day right to cancel. The withdrawal form should be completed and submitted to the Admissions Department within 14 days from the start of the course in order for the student to be eligible tor a refund.
- Full access to the College's rules and regulation, and that all changes, implied by Law or the College's Management will be reflected in the College's policies and available to students.
- Full information about changes after an offer is accepted will be provided to the student promptly, so that the student can agree to this or be advised how to proceed if not happy about the change.
- Where any contractual term allows changes to the pre-contract information, will ensure that it is fair and balanced under unfair terms legislation.
- Fair and transparent transparent complaints handling and processes. The Students Complaints’ policies and the Students’ Academic Policy are continuously accessible through Mont Rose College website and Students’ Handbook.
- Information that students have a right to escalate a complaint to an external scheme such as OIA, if they are not happy with the outcome of the complaint.
- Fully trained staff who are aware of their roles and responsibilities according to the College's Policies and Procedures.
- Compliance with the Consumer Protection Act 1987 and Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. Mont Rose College of Management and Sciences will not apply in any way academic sanctions for the purpose of obtaining monies from a student owed to MRC, which are not tuition fee debts.
For the purpose of the above undertaking:
- “Academic sanctions” includes preventing graduation and suspension, progression, withholding a student’s results, refusing tuition or access to facilities that are critical to study.
- The College may apply or recommend any term in any contract with students which requires the student to incur additional course costs a which the student has not been notified in their offer letter.
- The College will restrict access to Student Complaint Policies and Procedures for those students, who are in debt to the College for tuition fees.
- The College does not accept any liability (save for liability that cannot be excluded by law) for any consequential losses that actually result or may result from any breach of this policy
TRANSFER PROCEDURES
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At Mont Rose College we are dedicated in supporting and assisting our students in realising their full potential. We have processes in place which ensure the provision of transparent and accurate information for our students. The processes below give information on internal course transfers, institutional transfers as well as other relative information e.g. funding and student disability advice.

The processes below give information on internal course transfers, institutional transfers as well as other related information e.g. funding and student disability advice.

1. Internal course transfer procedures
- The course transfer request should be submitted within 2 weeks of the commencement of the course, ensuring that the student is eligible to start another course in the same term. In this case the change will not affect the student financially.
- If the student decides to transfer after two weeks from the start of the course, he/she will not be able to join the new course in the same term. The student will have to wait until the start of the next term. In this case the change will affect the student financially. He/she will be liable to pay for the period studied before the transfer.
- The student will be informed about course transfer procedures.
- The course transfer approval is subject to the availability of any remaining spaces on the desired course.
- The Admissions Manager is responsible for progressing any transfer applications made and exchanging any information with other relevant departments as required.
2. Procedures of evaluating the programme transfer requests
- Academic Registrar liaises with the Admission Manager regarding transfer applications and all relevant documentation.
- The Admissions Manager confirms if there are spaces available for the course in question.
- The Admissions Manager liaises with the Academic Manager to understand if there are any academic issues to contemplate or different entry requirements for the course that the student wants to transfer to.
- The student will be provided with all relevant information about the course and if there are any financial implications. If the student has reported any special needs or other related requirements in the past, he/she is advised to see a Welfare Officer, who will assist the student during the transfer process and provide all required help and advice.
3. Process of Transfer from another Institution
- Students wishing to transfer from another institution will be informed if there are any spaces available.
- If space is available, the students will be invited to make an application.
- Students will have to meet the College’s enrolment criteria and be eligible for funding or have sufficient financial resources to pay for the course in order to be offered a place (Ref. Mont Rose College Tuition Fee Policy).
- Students will have to demonstrate that they hold the required education/ relevant documents, including academic transcripts from previous institutions.
- If a student reports special needs requirements, he/she is offered an opportunity to see the Welfare Officer, who will guide and help in the transfer process.
4. Process of transfer to another institution
- Students, wishing to transfer to another institution are advised to complete the course withdrawal form. The forms are available at the College’s main receptions.
- Once the withdrawal form has been submitted, the student needs to get in contact with the Student Services Department to discuss the reasoning behind the request. The student is offered guidance and advice regarding transfer procedures. If the student reports any special need requirements, he/she is, offered an opportunity to see a Welfare Officer, who can provide all help and advice regarding transfer process.
- The student is advised to request an academic transcript.
- The Finance Department is requested to confirm if that there are no outstanding balances on the student’s account and to inform Student Loan Company (if required) that the student has withdrawn from the course.
5. Advice for disabled students

Any students who declare a disability or learning difficulty at the time of admission are advised to see a Welfare Officer if they face any difficulties with their course. The Welfare Officer is available to discuss any student issues and arrange extra support if needed.

The Welfare Officer will advise, guide and provide assistance if the student decides to transfer to another course or institution.
REFUND AND COMPENSATION POLICY
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Consultation: Student Union and Student Representative Committee: Frequency of review annually.
- Purpose
- Objectives
- Refunds
- Compensation
- Welfare fund
- Links
1. Purpose

The purpose of this Policy is to ensure that students are aware of the procedures that they have to follow in case they become eligible for a refund or compensation. The policy also sets the eligibility criteria and outlines those circumstances where students might become eligible for refunds/compensation.

Mont Rose College of Management and Sciences (the College) will provide all required information about the course, timetables, location to applicants at the time of enrolment and prior to the start of each academic year. The College plans course programmes well in advance to ensure that there will be no disruption to students.

Students are advised to refer to the Student Protection Plan (available on the College’s website after OFS approval) to understand what measures the College puts in place to ensure course continuity.

In very rare cases the College may have to make changes (as for example- to programme content, campus relocation). If the students concerned are adversely affected by such changes, they may be eligible for a refund of their tuition fees or/and compensation for any extra costs incurred.

2. Objectives

The College has an obligation to ensure that it complies with the requirements of the Office for Students (OFS), Designated Quality Body (DQB), Student Loan Company (SLC), the HE Quality Assurance regulator, Pearson, Buckinghamshire New University (partner university), the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) and other regulators.

This policy applies to:
- Students paying the tuition fees themselves.
- Students in receipt of tuition fees from the SLC.
- Students whose tuition fees are paid by a sponsor.
3. Refunds

Once an unconditional offer of a place at the College has been accepted and the student starts the course, he/she becomes liable for the tuition fee payments. For further details regarding tuition fee liabilities, the student should refer to the Students Fee Policy on Mont Rose College’s website. (https://mrcollege.ac.uk/mrc-policies/)

If the student or the person who pays the tuition fees on the student’s behalf, changes their mind regarding continuing the course, they must submit a written withdrawal request to the Admission Manager Mr. Jodat Sheikh j.sheikh@mrcollege.ac.uk within 14 days from the start of the course. In this case the fees paid for the first term will be refunded to the student/sponsor/SLC in full within 10 working days from the date, written withdrawal request was received. No further claim is required.

If the student withdraws/ suspends after 14 days of starting the course, the tuition fee liability will apply as follows:
- Withdrawal/Suspension in term 1- 25% of an annual tuition fee will be payable.
- Withdrawal/Suspension in term 3- 100% of an annual tuition fee will be payable. (after attending the first class of the 3rd term).
If the student paid full tuition fees in advance, any overpayments will be processed directly (no claim required):
- Withdrawal/Suspension in term 1- 75% refund of an annual tuition fee.
- Withdrawal/Suspension in term 2- 50% refund of an annual tuition fee.
- Withdrawal/Suspension in term 3- 0% refund of an annual tuition fee.
The refunds will be paid:
- To the student, if the tuition fee was paid by the student.
- To SLC, if the payment for tuition was received from SLC.
- To an employer/parent/ sponsor, if the payment was paid on behalf of a student.
If the College decides to close a programme or campus, students will be offered the opportunity to transfer to other campuses or modified programmes.

Tuition fees will not be refunded if the programme’s closure is due to a force majeure beyond the College’s control (e.g. (But without limitation) flood, epidemic diseases, war etc.)

If a student leaves the course voluntarily or has been suspended prior to the date of a change, they will not be eligible for a refund.

No refunds will be made for payments made for learning materials or to third parties on the student’s behalf (e.g. registration fees; materials, printings).

If the student believes that he/she is eligible for a refund (excluding automatic refunds as per paragraph 3.2 (written request of withdrawal within 14 days is required)), he/she should refer to the College’s Student Complaint Procedures (https://mrcollege.ac.uk/apply-online/) and submit a claim. The claim will be reviewed according to the College’s policies and procedures. If a decision is made to refund the tuition fees to a student, the refund will be processed within 10 working days of a decision being made. Any refunds will be processed as per clause 3.5.

4. Compensation
- The College will make it a priority to ensure that all courses offered are delivered as initially described and advertised.
- A student may be eligible for compensation if, as a result of College’s decisions, the student has to transfer to another campus/ provider, resulting in increased travelling, maintenance or other costs.
- The affected students will be offered the opportunity to apply for compensation after the change takes place.
- The students will have to prove the material extent of any financial disadvantage (lost time, increased costs) incurred as a result of any change.
- If students are notified prior to enrolment to their programmes that the College will be relocating or planning to relocate, by accepting these conditions such students will not be eligible for compensation.
- Students are referred to the Student Protection Plan (available after OFS approval).
- After assessing the student’s claim (if found valid), the compensation amount and the compensation release plan will be decided and conveyed to the student.
- If the student is unhappy with the College’s decision regarding compensation, he/she can request a review of the decision. If the student is still not happy, he/she can refer to the College’s complaints procedures (https://mrcollege.ac.uk/mrc-policies/) and submit a claim.
- Any compensation will be paid directly to the affected student’s account.
- If a student has any queries regarding the release of compensation funds, he /she should send a query to renata@mrcollege.ac.uk.
5. Links

The following College documents related to this policy are available at https://mrcollege.ac.uk/mrc-policies/
- Student Fee policy.
- Student Complaint procedure.
- Academic Appeals Procedure.
- Admissions Policy.
- Equality and Diversity Policy.
- Student Protection Plan (available after OFS approval).

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REFUND AND COMPENSATION POLICY

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