By improper treatment is meant treatment that is unfair, contravenes regulations, shows a lack of respect, or is experienced as unpleasant or detrimental in some way by the student. The ombuds officer has a fully independent position within the university and a duty of confidentiality, which means your complaint will be dealt with in strict confidence. 

Any student who feels they have been improperly treated by a university staff member or body can request that their complaint be dealt with. You can also submit a complaint after you have ended your studies provided that the incident took place whilst you were a student. In all cases the issue in question must have occurred no longer than twelve months ago.  

Impartial judgement

How staff and students should treat each other is laid down in our rules and regulations. However, in an organisation as large as a university things can occasionally go wrong. An independent ombuds officer is able to deal with a complaint in an impartial way and issue advice on how to avoid similar problems in the future. The ombuds officer also plays an important role in drawing attention to frequently occurring issues within the university and making suggestions for improvement.

Submitting a complaint

Refer to our ‘complaints’ webpage for information on how to submit a complaint.

You can also find the complaints procedure in the ‘regulations relating to the ombudsperson’. 

Annual report

For an overview of the types of complaint dealt with please refer to the ombuds officer’s annual report, which can be found in the organisational structure.