Mitigation Panel

Students in the School of Nursing and Midwifery may need to go to a Mitigation Panel if they fail a reassessment.

 

At Keele, students have two attempts at each assessment (except in cases where Exceptional Circumstances have been accepted). Nursing and Midwifery students who fail an assessment twice are given the opportunity to submit a case to the Mitigation Panel, where the School will decide whether to give a third attempt.

You will only be given this opportunity one time during your course, so it's really important you make use of the Exceptional Circumstances process when your work is being affected.

 

What is the process for a Mitigation Panel?

You will be sent a form to fill in and submit, along with evidence, by the given deadline. You can only make a case on the grounds of Exceptional Circumstances (ECs) that affected your work and caused you to fail.

 

Your submission will then be decided by a Mitigation Panel. You do not need to attend this meeting, and most students don't, but you can request attendance if you would like to make your case in person. In rare cases you may be asked to attend if they find your case particularly complex and want to ask questions.

How do I fill in the form?

ASK can help you with the form if you're having any problems. This guide is designed to help you get started; you're welcome to email us a draft of your form for advice on whether there is anything else you could include.

 

After you've answered basic questions about yourself (name, student number etc.) in the form you will need to answer four questions about how your work was impacted:

a) Describe the problems you were facing while working on your assessment. It's helpful to make it clear when everything happened so they can match it with what was happening in your course at the time and be satisfied it would have affected your work in that assignment. If you were unwell, remember to describe your symptoms.

b) List the dates of each of your attempts.

c) Here you will need to go on to say how those problems impacted you and affected your work - for example, if a personal problem was taking you away from your studies or left you unable to concentrate, or if you weren't well enough to study.

d) Explain what steps you've taken to work on your ECs and how you can assure them this won't affect future studies - what would be different if you were given another attempt? If you had personal issues, is there anything different that would mean they wouldn't affect you the same way again?

e) Explain whether you submitted an EC claim at the time. If you did submit a claim, was it rejected or was it accepted but you needed more time? If you didn't submit a claim, why didn't you?

 

There is then space for you to list the evidence you're including - please see our evidence question below for suggestions.

 

There is then a supplementary information box, which can be left blank if you have nothing more to add. You may wish to write something here about your commitment to the course and the profession, what it means to you, and highlight any particular achievements.

Do I need evidence?

Your case cannot be considered without evidence. Include as much evidence as you can and if your case is based on several ECs, try to give proof of each aspect. Some examples of evidence would be:

 
  • Medical evidence is needed if your ECs are medical, such as a letter from a GP or specialist. For mental health you may also get a letter from a counsellor.
  • Letters from professionals and other impartial third parties, for example, if you’ve spoken to a counsellor or a tutor about your problems.
  • You can include evidence from friends and family but this evidence carries less weight as it could be biased, so try to get independent evidence where possible.
  • Messages you sent and/or received at the time and which show you were having difficulties, for example, emails, texts, social media screenshots.

I'm unhappy with the outcome, what can I do?

If you're not happy with the outcome, you have the right to appeal within 10 days of your outcome letter. Please see our Appeals page for information about appealing.

What happens if I fail an assessment but I've already had a Mitigation Panel?

Unfortunately, you will only have one opportunity to submit a case to Mitigation Panel. If you fail another assessment after two attempts and haven't been granted a further attempt through ECs, you would not be able to pass the module but you may be offered a repeat year if you haven't already repeated.

 

You have the right to appeal against your results - the deadline for appealing is 10 days from your official results and you must use the approved appeal form and be able to meet one of the appeal grounds. We have more information about appealing on our Appeals page.