Change to Enquiries & Appeals Procedure

With the introduction of the new Foundation in Dance Instruction and Certificate in Dance Education, some of the units within them have written examinations and assessments. As a result, we have had to make further amendments to the Enquiries and Appeals procedure, to ensure that we have a fair and clear policy for these types of examinations. The full revised policy is printed below.

Enquiries & appeals procedure
The ISTD endorses the principle of the right to appeal against a result. Appeals will be dealt with swiftly and fairly.

Performance Examinations (Including Units 4 & 5 of the Foundation in Dance Instruction and Units 6 & 7 of the Certificate in Dance Education)

1. Enquiry concerning a result
A charge of £15 per candidate, or £50 per group of 4 candidates, is made to the teacher for this stage of the procedure.

If, after receiving the results from a session, a teacher wishes to make an enquiry concerning the reasons for marking of a candidate, or a group of candidates, it should be put in writing to the Customer Services & Quality Assurance department within 14 working days of the result being issued. The information should include:

• The date of the examination
• The examiner’s name
• ISTD examination session reference number
• Candidate name
• Reasons for the enquiry

A copy of the report form for each candidate must be enclosed.

The information is passed to the examiner for a report, and notified to the appropriate Faculty Chairperson, who liaises with the examiner.

A response will be provided under normal circumstances within 40 working days.

2. Stage 1 appeal
A charge of £25 is made to the teacher, per candidate, for Stage 1 of the procedure.

If a teacher is not satisfied with the outcome of an enquiry, further evidence is requested, i.e. unedited videotape of the candidate, which can be used as a point of reference. The appeal and evidence must be received by the ISTD within 10 working days of the date of the response to the enquiry, and will be acknowledged within 5 working days.

Consideration is given with regard to the published criteria for the examination; statistical information relating to the record of the examiner; and the result history of the teacher whose candidate is the subject of the enquiry.

The Faculty Committee decides if the appeal should be upheld, in which case a re-test may be offered free of charge. A reasoned response to the teacher will be provided within 40 working days.

3. Stage 2 appeal
A charge of £50 is made to the teacher, per candidate, for Stage 2 of the procedure.

If the teacher is not satisfied with the outcome in Stage 1, they may appeal within 14 working days of the date of issue of the previous decision, to a panel consisting of the Chairperson of the ISTD, the Chief Executive, other members of Council, and an independent member, constituting the independent review required. The panel will consider all the previous evidence. This will be acknowledged within 5 working days. A response will be given within 40 working days. This is the final stage of appeal

If the appeal is upheld, a re-test will be offered free of charge.

If a teacher/candidate is not satisfied with the way the appeal has been conducted, they may complain to the Regulatory Authorities, who will consider the complaint and investigate where appropriate.

4. Group appeals
An appeal made on behalf of a group of candidates will follow the same process as in Stages 1 and 2. The fees for Stages 1 and 2 will apply as appropriate up to a maximum of £250.

In the event of an enquiry or appeal being upheld at any stage the appeal fees will be refunded.

Written Examinations (Including Units 2, 3 & 6 of the Foundation in Dance Instruction and Units 4, 5 & 8 of the Certificate in Dance Education)

Please note: Approved Dance Centres and private candidates may request the return of marked scripts for purposes of checking progression and further learning. However, once scripts have been returned by the ISTD, no enquiry or appeal will be accepted concerning a result.

1. Enquiry concerning a result
A charge of £15 per candidate is made to the Approved Dance Centre (or private candidate if registered at ISTD HQ) for this stage of the procedure. If, after receiving the results from a session, a tutor wishes to make an enquiry concerning the marking of a candidate, it should be put in writing to the Customer Services & Quality Assurance department within 14 working days of the result being issued. The information should include:

• The date of the examination
• The candidate’s name
• The name and level of examination
• The reasons for the enquiry

The examination paper will be clerically re-checked and re-marked by a different experienced marker. The second result will be that recorded as attained by the candidate.

A response will be provided under normal circumstances within 40 working days.

2. Stage 1 Appeal
A charge of £25 is made to the teacher, per candidate, for Stage 1 of the procedure. This can only be accepted if the enquiry process has been completed.

If the tutor, or private candidate, is not satisfied with the outcome of the enquiry then they can request an appeal. This will be conducted by the Chief Examiner who will give due consideration to the two sets of marking and confirm the marks.

A response will be provided to the Approved Dance Centre or private candidate, under normal circumstances within 40 working days.

3. Stage 2 Appeal
A charge of £50 is made to the teacher, per candidate, for Stage 2 of the procedure.

If the tutor, or private candidate, is not satisfied with the outcome in Stage 1, they may appeal within 14 working days of the date of issue of the previous decision, to a panel consisting of the Chairperson of the ISTD, the Chief Executive, other members of Council, and an independent member, constituting the independent review required. The panel will consider all the previous evidence. This will be acknowledged within 5 working days. A response will be given within 40 working days. This is the final stage of appeal.

If a teacher/candidate is not satisfied with way the appeal has been conducted, they may complain to the Regulatory Authorities, who will consider the complaint and investigate where appropriate.

In the event of an enquiry or appeal being upheld at any stage the appeal fees will be refunded.

Appeal against withdrawal of registered teacher status
Withdrawal of registered teacher status may be made by a Faculty after consistent poor results (more then 25% failure), visits by senior Faculty examiners, and thereafter, failure to improve, over a period of at least three years.

An appeal may be made against this decision to a panel consisting of the Chairperson of the Faculty, the Chairperson of the Theatre Faculties Board, the Chief Executive, and an independent member, constituting the independent review required. This must be received within 10 working days of the receipt of the notification to remove registered teacher status. The panel will give their decision within 40 working days.

Further appeal may be made within 10 working days of the notification of their decision to Council, to be heard at the next due meeting, and their decision will be notified within 7 working days of that meeting.

If the teacher is not satisfied with the way the appeal has been conducted they may complain to the Regulatory Authorities, who will consider the complaint and investigate where appropriate.

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