Student Matters

It is usually best to approach your academic department or the relevant administrative department to resolve a concern about your programme of study or a service we have delivered to you. Your feedback is valuable to us and you will not be penalised or singled-out in any way for providing for it. However, if you feel uncomfortable taking this approach, perhaps because the matter is a potentially serious or sensitive one, you can contact the Head of Legal, Geraldine Ismail, or Senior Legal Counsel, Mariachiara Valsecchi for advice on your situation, including submitting a formal complaint. You should write to our School Secretary, Louise Nadal, if you wish to submit a formal complaint under our Complaints Procedure (PDF). Please note that the School has separate Appeals Regulations (PDF) to deal with appeals against the decision of an examination board. More information can be found on the School’s ‘Results’ webpage, or from the Assessment Regulations Team on ssc.appeals@lse.ac.uk.

The School makes clear in its Ethics Code (PDF) and Anti-Bullying and Anti-Harassment Policy (PDF), as well as your Conditions of Registration, that members of our community, regardless of their status, must treat one another fairly and with dignity and respect, and avoid causing harm or distress to another group or person.  Failure to do so is likely to be a breach of one of or more of these policies. Our main concern in the first instance is that you raise with another person any concerns that you might have with regard to the way you have been treated by another member of the School. You can contact the Head of Legal, Geraldine Ismail, or Senior Legal Counsel, Mariachiara Valsecchi for confidential advice in this area, or any other appropriate person whom you feel comfortable approaching. 

There are a number of people and places listed in Appendix A of the Anti-Bullying and Anti-Harassment Policy (PDF). Alternatively, you can report incidents of bullying or harassment to the School via our Report + Support webpage. All students can make formal complaints of bullying or harassment to:

(i) the School Secretary, Louise Nadal, if the matter concerns the behaviour of another student, or

(ii) the Director of Human Resources, Indi Seehra, if the matter concerns the behaviour of a member of staff.  

You should contact a member of our Security Team, or visit one of its members of any one of our reception desks, or approach the Police if you believe your personal safety is at risk.

The Student Protection Plan sets out the measures the School will take to deliver the expected student experience in the event that a material change occurs which potentially puts this at risk. This is updated on annual basis. 

Please find the Student Protection Plan here.

The Student Compensation and Refund Policy is reviewed annually, forms part of the School's Student Protection Plan and does not replace the Tuition Fee Policy. 

The Policy sets out the circumstances in which the School will refund tuition fees and other relevant costs incurred by students.

This Policy enables students to apply for a refund or compensation from the School where their complaint is upheld or, more rarely, where there has been a material breach of contract. The Student Complaints Procedure must be completed in full prior to any claim being submitted under this Policy. 

Please find the Student Compensation and Refund Policy here.

Section 18 of your Conditions of Registration (PDF) set out most of the standards of behaviour with which the School expects all of its students to comply. Our team administers cases and tries to resolve instances whereby one or more students is alleged to have failed to abide by these standards. We normally carry-out investigations of misconduct, including allegations of bullying and harassment by one or more students, under our Disciplinary Procdure for Students (PDF). The School Secretary, Louise Nadal, will oversee formal investigations. We encourage all members of our community to report instances of possible or actual misconduct. The Head of Legal, Geraldine Ismail, or Senior Legal Counsel, Mariachiara Valsecchi are well placed to provide on this subject.

Under the Higher Education 2004, universities in England and Wales are required to subscribe to an independent complaints scheme run by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA). You can approach the OIA to complain about your university, though usually only after you have exhausted or been through any relevant procedure within your university, such as an appeals, complaints or disciplinary procedure. You must normally approach the OIA with a Completion of Procedures Letter that confirms the final decision on your appeal, complaint, or other matter (which in some cases may be a decision not to look into the matter). You can contact the Head of Legal, Geraldine Ismail, or Senior Legal Counsel, Mariachiara Valsecchi for more information on the OIA, or visit the organisation’s website.

In addition to our team, there are a number of other people and places within the School whom you can approach for advice about legal matters or your welfare. They include:

1. Victoria Frost, Head of Student Services; v.l.frost@lse.ac.uk
   
2. Pete Mills, PhD Academy Manager; p.b.mills@lse.ac.uk
   
3. Martin Johnson, Assessment and Regulations      Manager; m.johnson@lse.ac.uk
4. Counselling Service; student.counselling@lse.ac.uk
5. Disability and Wellbeing Office; disability-wellbeing@lse.ac.uk
   
6. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce; edi.taskforce@lse.ac.uk
7. LSESU Advice Centre; su.advice-centre@lse.ac.uk
8. PhD Academy; phdacademy@lse.ac.uk.
9. Student Services Centre; ssc.advice@lse.ac.uk

You can also contact your academic department with concerns about your programme of study, or the Warden or Sub-Warden in your halls of residence for conerns about your accommodatin or general welfare.  If you have any kind of concern about your experience at the School, our advice is to worry less about approaching the right person than raising your concern early so we can help you deal with it.