Appeal Reporting
Appeals can be made when a Centre or candidate wishes to challenge a decision made by FireQual. They can relate to any of the following:
- Organisations appealing a decision relating to a Centre approval application
- Centres appealing an application to deliver certain FireQual qualifications
- Centres or candidates appealing assessment decisions and the decision to award a unit and/or qualification
- Centres and/or candidates appealing the conduct of assessment and quality assurance practices. This relates to the implementation of policies and processes rather than the professional conduct of FireQual staff members which is covered by the Complaints policy
- Decisions relating to the application of reasonable adjustments and/or special considerations in the delivery and assessment of FireQual qualifications
- Decisions relating to actions taken in relation to Centres and/or candidates following the outcomes of quality assurance activities, eg. the application of sanctions or the altering of grades
- Decisions relating to the conducting of investigations relating to complaints and/or maladministration and/or malpractice
Please note that appeals relating to assessment decisions, qualification awards or grades, may result in:
- A change in the decision to award a unit and/or qualification, including withdrawal of a previously-awarded qualification
- A change in the grade awarded for a unit and/or qualification, including lowering or raising of the grade
Before submitting an appeal, Centre and candidate must agree that an appeal should be submitted and confirm there is sufficient evidence to support their reasons for appeal as the outcome may not be the expected or intended one.
All other situations requiring clarification or further information should be treated as enquiries and submitted by email to FireQual rather than as an appeal.
FireQual will only consider appeals once the Centre’s appeals process has been exhausted and the candidate is not satisfied with the outcome.
Appeals submitted without all relevant details may not be processed due to insufficient information or evidence.
Appeals are considered in three stages
Stage 1 Appeal
In the first instance, FireQual will work with the candidate’s submitting organisation to determine whether the appeal can be resolved as an enquiry through the provision of further clarifications or information.
Stage 2 Appeal
A Stage 2 Appeal can be submitted once Stage 1 has been completed.
If Stage 1 has not been completed, the submission will be considered under Stage 1 before progressing to Stage 2.
Stage 3 Appeal
A Stage 3 appeal can be raised where the candidate believes FireQual has:
- Not given due regard to a particular piece of information or evidence
- Not followed the relevant FireQual policy appropriately
- Acted in a way that is contrary to our regulatory duties
- A Stage 3 appeal cannot be used to request reconsideration of an assessment decision that has already been dealt with through a Stage 2 appeal.
A Stage 2 appeal must be submitted before a Stage 3 appeal can be considered