Complaints

The GSA’s Complaints Handling Procedure

Since August 2013, all Scottish Higher Education institutions have been required to implement the Model Complaints Handling Procedure, introduced by the Scottish Public Sector Ombudsman (SPSO). The SPSO published a revised Model Complaints Handling Procedure in January 2020, which The Glasgow School of Art (the GSA) implemented in April 2021.

The GSA’s Complaints Handling Procedure (CHP) reflects our commitment to valuing and supporting complaints. It is impartial and allows complainants to raise matters of concern without fear of disadvantage and in the knowledge that privacy and confidentiality will be respected.

We value complaints and use information from them to help us improve our services.

What is a complaint?

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about the GSA’s action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided by the GSA or on our behalf.

Who can make a complaint?

Anyone who receives, requests, or is directly affected by the GSA services can make a complaint to us. This includes the representative of someone who is dissatisfied with our service (for example, a relative, friend, advocate or adviser). If you are making a complaint on someone else’s behalf, you will normally need their written consent. 

How do I submit a complaint?

To submit a complaint, please complete all applicable sections of the Complaint Form below and return to complaints@gsa.ac.uk.

Please let us know if you would like us to help you find an independent advocate to help you through the process. The GSA can provide BSL interpreters on request, as well as alternative format copies of all our complaints documentation (including the procedure and guides).

Anonymous Complaints

GSA will consider anonymous complaints where there is enough information for us to take them forward. Alternatively, staff and students can make anonymous complaint through Report and Support. If reports are submitted anonymously, the GSA is limited in the action that can be taken and the support we can provide and the reporter will not receive any information relating to any potential action taken.

How long do I have to make a complaint?

Normally, you must make your complaint within six months of:

• the event you want to complain about; or
• finding out that you have a reason to complain.

In some circumstances, the GSA may be able to accept a complaint after the time limit. If you feel that the time limit should not apply to your complaint, please tell us why. We will apply these time limits with discretion, considering the seriousness of the issue, the availability of relevant records and staff involved, how long ago the events occurred and the likelihood that an investigation will lead to a practical benefit for the complainant or useful learning for the institution.

What are the timescales?

The GSA will always tell you who is dealing with your complaint. Our complaints procedure has two stages.

Stage 1: Frontline response

We aim to respond to complaints quickly (where possible, when you first tell us about the issue). We will give you our decision at Stage 1 in five working days or less, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

If you are not satisfied with the response we give at this stage, we will tell you what you can do next. If you choose to, you can take your complaint to Stage 2. 

Stage 2: Investigation

Stage 2 deals with two types of complaint: those where the complainant remains dissatisfied after Stage 1 and those that clearly require investigation, and so are handled directly at this stage.

When using Stage 2:

• we will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within three working days;

• we will confirm our understanding of the complaint we will investigate and what outcome you are looking for;
• we will try to resolve your complaint where we can (in some cases we may suggest using an alternative complaint resolution approach, such as mediation); and
• where we cannot resolve your complaint, we will give you a full response as soon as possible, normally within 20 working days.

If our investigation will take longer than 20 working days, we will tell you. We will tell you our revised time limits and keep you updated on progress.

What is not a complaint under the CHP?

An appeal about an academic decision is not a complaint and should be directed to academicappeals@gsa.ac.uk.

An appeal about an application and/or admissions is not a complaint and should be sent to admissions@gsa.ac.uk.

If you have a concern about the conduct of a student, please contact studentconduct@gsa.ac.uk.

For complaints relating to Data Protection issues, please contact dataprotection@gsa.ac.uk.

If you have a grievance relating to employment or staff recruitment, please contact Human Resources, HR@gsa.ac.uk.

Where someone is seeking financial compensation only, this is not a complaint.

Reporting and Monitoring

Annual complaints reports can be found on the documents and policies site.

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman

If a complainant has exhausted all of the stages of the GSA’s Complaints Handling Procedure and are dissatisfied with the way their complaint has been handled, they have the right to take their case to the SPSO. The SPSO can only consider complaints when they have been through all the stages of the Procedure. Further information can be found here: Home | SPSO

If you have any questions about the information above, please contact us at complaints@gsa.ac.uk.