Appeals

On this page, we provide detailed information about how to submit an NCFE appeal. You should read this alongside the JCQ Appeals Booklet.

What types of appeal will we accept?

A centre can submit an appeal in the following areas:

• Appeals against results following a review of marking, review of moderation, or review of external quality assurance (EQA)
• Appeals against decisions about access arrangements, reasonable adjustment and special consideration
• Appeals against malpractice decisions
• Appeals against our decision to terminate your approval.

You can find more detail on the types of appeal accepted in the JCQ Appeals Booklet, for assessment and malpractice decisions, and our EPA enquiries and appeals policy for End Point Assessment (EPA) decisions.

Who can appeal?

A centre can submit an appeal on behalf of a learner or a group of learners, with:

• the learner or group of learners’ explicit permission
• approval from the Head of Centre (not required for EPA appeals).

We cannot accept appeals directly from candidates, their parents or other third parties acting on their behalf.

When can an appeal be submitted?

Please submit your appeal within:

• 30 calendar days of receiving the outcome for:
  • Appeals against results following a review of marking review of moderation, or review of external quality assurance.
• 14 calendar days of receiving the outcome for:
  • Appeals against decisions about access arrangements, reasonable adjustment and special consideration
  • Appeals against malpractice decisions
  • Appeals against our decision to terminate your approval.
• 10 calendar days of receiving the outcome for:
  • Appeals against results following a review of marking, review of moderation, or review of external quality assurance for EPA.

Appeals received after these deadlines will not normally be considered.

How do I submit an appeal?

• For appeals against our decision to terminate your approval, you can submit your appeal by emailing [email protected] with the subject line: “Centre Termination Appeal”. Your email should include:
  • a clear explanation of the grounds for your appeal
  • any supporting evidence you wish NCFE to consider.
• For EPA appeals, please submit through EPA Pro (instructions can be found in the Operations Manual).
• You can submit all other appeals by completing the appeals formand emailing this to[email protected] within the required timescales.

Please use the email addresses above if you have any queries.

Next steps – appeals against our decision to terminate approval

Once we receive it, an NCFE panel not involved in the original decision will review your appeal. The panel will review all information provided and send you the outcome to you in writing.

Please note that the decision made following this review is final.

Next steps - all other appeals

Appeal acceptance

We decide whether to accept an appeal based on several factors.

We will notify you if we accept or reject your appeal:

• EPA – 3 working days from the date the appeal was submitted

• all other qualifications – 5 working days from the date the appeal was submitted.

Appeal timescales, review and outcomes

If we accept your appeal at the preliminary stage, we will aim to resolve it within:

• 10 working days for EPA
• 20 working daysfor T levels
• 42 calendar days for all other qualifications

We will send an appeal outcome letter within 5 days of the decision, either upholding or not upholding the appeal.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can submit an appeal to the Stage 2 appeal hearing.

A Stage 2 appeal must be submitted within 14 calendar days of the Stage 1 Appeal outcome.

If accepted at the appeal hearing stage, we aim to resolve a Stage 2 appeal within:

• 15 working days for EPA
• 20 working days for T levels
• 70 calendar days for all other qualifications

For further guidance on the Stage 2 appeal hearing process, please see section 4 of the JCQ Appeals Booklet.

If you disagree with the decision of the Stage 2 appeal hearing, you can express your dissatisfaction regarding our actions, products or services through ourComplaints Procedure.

Fees

Please refer to the current fees and pricing guide.

Changes to Appeals

From June 2023, the NCFE Appeals Policy is aligned with the JCQ Appeals Booklet for Summer 2023. This document provides a high-level overview of what the changes means for you.

Changes to Appeals

Appeals Policy

This policy sets out NCFE’s framework for dealing with appeals to ensure that we are outlining and applying our processes, procedures and policies in a fair and consistent way for our customers.

Appeals Policy

Appeals form

Please complete the appeals form and email it to [email protected] within the required timescales.

Appeals form

EPA appeals

For all EPA appeals, please complete the form within the required timescales.

Appeals form