Work and attendance regulations
Students are not permitted to be absent from their course without the knowledge or prior agreement of their Programme Director.
The University monitors postgraduate student attendance weekly throughout the programme via Programme Directors. This is for your benefit and helps to ensure you are coping with the work. You are expected to attend lectures and tutorials for all course units for which you have registered. You must also attend seminars that are scheduled as part of the programme. Please be aware that failure to attend lectures/scheduled classes strongly correlates with poor academic performance. Attendance at examinations is obligatory. You are also expected to call into the Student Support Office on a monthly basis to sign a register. The Student Support Office will contact you about this at the beginning of the year.
In practice, only a small number of students contravene these regulations and are called to account for their actions. If your work or attendance gives cause for concern you will, in the first instance, be asked to explain your position to your Personal Advisor. If you continue failing to meet the work and attendance requirements, you will be issued with a written warning from the Education Board informing you that should your work and attendance not come up to the required standard, you will not be allowed to sit University examinations or other assessments and you may be excluded from the programme.
On receipt of a warning letter you will be given the opportunity of meeting with the Deputy Senior Advisor to explain your position. If you are refused permission to sit an examination or assessment you have the right to appeal. Information on Academic Appeals can be found at http://www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/basic-guide-academic-appeals/.
Permitted absences
If for any reason you cannot report to the Student Support Office you must supply documentary evidence to the Student Support Office strongly supporting your reasons for absence. If you are granted leave of absence your attendance will be recorded as a permitted absence.
Attendance and religious observance
If religious observance affects your attendance at normal teaching and learning activities including any assessments in ways that will cause problems, you should discuss the issue with the Senior Advisor. The School will give sympathetic consideration to your problems and will try to make reasonable adjustments. However, adjustments can only be made provided they maintain the standard of your degree (e.g. you will not simply be excused from parts of the programme affected by your religious observance or from satisfying overall attendance requirements). If religious observance means that you miss a lecture or other class, supporting material may be provided via Blackboard. However, if you want further notes from the lecture you must make your own arrangements to copy them from another student. Similar principles apply if religious observance affects your attendance at assessments (e.g. presentations or practical tests). Because lectures, practicals and assessments for the semester are scheduled in advance, you must notify the Senior Advisor of your requests for allowances for religious observance by the Thursday before the start of teaching each semester, and the School will use its best efforts to reschedule the assessment to accommodate your needs (e.g. by changing your scheduled slot in a programme of assessed presentations)..
Deadlines for handing in assessed work will not normally be extended to allow for religious observance, and you must therefore schedule your work accordingly.
For guidance on the University’s examinations and religious observance policy please see http://www.exams.manchester.ac.uk/exam-timetable/#religious-observance where you can also download an Examinations & Religious Observance form.
Guidelines on ill health
You should register with a local General Practitioner who is willing to provide evidence in the form of letters, or comments and a signature on a self-certification document. A list of GP practices can be obtained from the Student Occupational Health Services, any University Hall of Residence and some pharmacies. According to guidance issued by the General Medical Council it would not be regarded as good practice for a family member to be the registered GP or to offer treatment, except in the case of an emergency.
You should always consult your GP (or for emergencies the Accident and Emergency Department of a hospital) if your illness is severe, if it persists, or if you have any concerns about your health. Your Personal Advisor or the Senior Advisor will give you guidance on the effect of any absence from your studies and your options if you consider your illness has affected your studies. If you have repeated episodes of ill health that are affecting your attendance and/or studies, the School may refer you to the Student Occupational Health Services.
Absence due to illness affecting attendance at compulsory classes/tutorials
If you are unwell and feel unable to attend the University to take a compulsory class or attend a tutorial then you must inform the Student Support Office immediately and they will complete a Notification of Absence form for you. You can inform the office in person, through a friend or family member*, by telephone (0161 2751487) or by email (studentsupportoffice.sbs@manchester.ac.uk).
There are inherent risks in communicating sensitive personal data by email such as the possibility of misdirection or interception by third parties. Therefore if you do correspond with us by email, we will take this to mean that you understand and accept this risk.
If you send an email you must ensure that you keep a copy of both the email itself and the confirmation of reading the email, as there may be serious implications of being absent and consequences for your academic progress. You must do this as soon as possible, so that all options can be considered, and certainly no later than the day and start time of your compulsory class.
If you do not do this then you will normally be considered to have been absent from the class without good reason in which case you will be recorded as having an unauthorised absence. Until your return to University you must also inform us of any further missed compulsory classes.
* If you are so unwell that a friend or family member has to contact the Student Support Office on your behalf it will only normally be possible for them to provide information for you – they will not be able to learn of the implications of your absence on your academic progress, which you must discover for yourself on your return to health. School staff will not engage in any dialogue with third parties regarding your studies without your explicit, written consent.
On your return, you must report to the Student Support Office to complete a Self Certification Form. This MUST be completed within 7 days of your initial absence.
If illness keeps you away from the University for more than 7 days including weekends, you must consult your GP. If you do consult a GP and he/she considers that you are not fit for attendance at the University, then you should obtain a note from the doctor to that effect or ask him/her to complete Part III of the University form ‘Certification of Student Ill health’ copies of which are available at local GP surgeries. You should hand this certificate to the Student Support Office as soon as you return to University and no later than 7 days after your return. The use of the “Certification of Student Ill Health” form by GPs, as described above, has been agreed by the Manchester Local Medical Committee. A GP may make a charge for completing the form.
Absence affecting submission of written work
If, as a consequence of illness or other mitigating factor, you wish to seek an extension to a deadline for submitting written coursework for a course unit or a tutorial assignment, you must submit an Assessed Coursework Extension Request form with appropriate supporting evidence to the Student Support Office (or your Academic Advisor in the case of tutorial work). The application for extension must be made BY 10:00 THE DAY BEFORE THE DAY OF THE DEADLINE and NOT retrospectively. Forms are available from the Student Support Office or can be downloaded from the Student Support Forms page on the Faculty intranet.
You should not assume that an extension has been approved until you receive written (e.g. email) confirmation from the Student Support Office. If you have been granted an extension to a deadline it is normally not possible to claim further mitigation for this work unless it is for a different reason.
Absence from examinations due to ill health
You should make every effort to attend all examinations If necessary (e.g. contagious diseases), special arrangements can be made to take the exam in isolation from other candidates; if you cannot write (e.g. due to a broken arm), it may be possible for someone to write for you. If you feel you might experience any examination difficulties, you must inform the staff in the Student Support Office at the earliest opportunity.
If you are so ill you are unable to take an exam you must contact the Student Support Office as soon as possible, and certainly no later than the day and start time of your examination. You should complete a Mitigating Circumstances Form which must be accompanied by appropriate independent third-party supporting or collaborative documentation such as a Doctor’s note or letter signed by your GP or a letter from your health care professional. If the information is of a highly confidential nature, you may submit your evidence in a sealed envelope, marked for the attention of the Chair of the Mitigating Circumstances Committe. Students who attend a hospital Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department must obtain written confirmation of attendance either from the hospital or subsequently from their GP confirming their attendance and stating the nature of the emergency. A hospital attendance card alone will not be accepted as appropriate evidence of illness. Submission must be made to the Student Support Office by 17:00 of the Monday immediately after the end of the January examination period or by noon of the day immediately after the end of any other exam and the resit examination period Requests for mitigation submitted after this date for the end of an examination period cannot be considered without a credible and compelling explanation as to why the circumstances were not known or could not have been shown beforehand (and in no circumstances after results have been released).
If you miss a unit examination through illness, you will be required to take the examination again in the resit examination period provided that you have followed the procedures described above, this re-examination will normally be counted as your first attempt and the resit fee will be waived.
Mitigating Circumstances Forms are available from the Student Support Office or can be downloaded from the School intranet at https://app.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/education/studentsupport/supportforms/default.aspx
Illness not resulting in absence from examinations
You may be unwell but able to proceed with an examination, but feel that your performance will have been impaired. If you wish this to be taken into account you must follow the same procedures as in Section Absence from examinations due to illness (Undergraduate) (Postgraduate Taught). Note that long-term chronic conditions or suffering from stress, anxiety or feelings of panic would not normally be considered a mitigating circumstance. If you anticipate or experience any of the latter problems you are strongly encouraged to contact the counselling service (see Section Counselling and see further information available in the Crucial Guide Live at https://my.manchester.ac.uk/d/crucial-guide/personal-life/emotional-problems/).
Absence from examinations due to PhD interviews
In exceptional circumstances where students cannot attend an examination due to a clash with a PhD interview and it is established that the interview cannot be moved, such students will be permitted to sit a replacement paper in the summer. The decision on whether to grant such a mitigation rests with the Chief Examinations Officer and the Director of Undergraduate Studies. If you believe you are in this position, you should notify the Assessment & Progression Team as soon as possible by either reporting to the Student Support Office (G.483) and asking to speak with a member of the team or by emailing studentsupportoffice.sbs@manchester.ac.uk.
Mitigating Circumstances Committee
In reaching their decision on academic results, the Board of Examiners may take account of certain circumstances brought to their attention. For the University’s Mitigating Circumstances Policy please see http://www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/policy-on-mitigating-circumstances/
A small School Mitigating Circumstances Committee considers all such mitigating circumstances. The Committee meets before the Board of Examiners and will make recommendations to the Board of Examiners on appropriate compensation.
It is your sole responsibility to submit a request for consideration of mitigating circumstances.
All requests must be submitted on the Mitigating Circumstances Form (available at https://app.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/education/studentsupport/supportforms/default.aspx) and must be accompanied by appropriate independent, third-party supporting or collaborative documentation contemporaneous to the event.
Requests received after the published deadline will not be considered.
Please read carefully the rules and guidelines for submission of mitigating circumstances cases at http://www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/policy-on-mitigating-circumstances/
The committee will not normally accept circumstances that indicate the problem is of a long-term nature or where support is being provided by the Disability Advisory and Support Service (DASS). Your Personal Advisor will give you guidance on the effect of any absence from your studies and your options if you consider your illness has affected your studies. If you have repeated episodes of ill health that are affecting your attendance and/or studies, the School may refer you to the Student Occupational Health Services.
You will be notified of the outcome of your submission during February for Semester 1 and May for Semester 2.
If you are found to have been deceitful or dishonest in completing the School Self-Certification form or the Mitigating Circumstances form you will be liable to disciplinary action under the University’s General Regulation XVII: Conduct and Discipline of Students (http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/DocuInfo.aspx?DocID=6530).
Academic Appeals
Students have the right of appeal against a final decision of an Examination Board, or a progress committee, or a graduate committee or equivalent body which affects their academic status or progress in the University.
Students thinking of appealing should first discuss the matter informally with the Deputy Head of School Operations (Teaching, Learning and Support), kelly.osgood@manchester.ac.uk, in order to better understand the reason for the result or decision.
Should you wish to proceed to a formal appeal, this must be submitted within the timeframe outlined in the Academic Appeals Procedure to the Faculty Appeals and Complaints Team, Room 3.21, Simon Building, University of Manchester, M13 9PL (e-mail: FBMHappealsandcomplaints@manchester.ac.uk).
The full Academic Appeals Procedure (Regulation XIX) and associated documents, including the form on which formal appeals should be submitted, can be found at www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/academic.