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The University of Southampton
Quality HandbookExternal examiners

Procedures in the case of serious concerns

QAA Concerns scheme

Where an external examiner has a serious concern relating to systemic failings with the academic standards of a programme or programmes and has exhausted all published applicable internal procedures, including the submission of a confidential report to the Vice-Chancellor, he/she may invoke the QAA’s Concerns scheme or inform the relevant PSRB. The University will inform an external examiner at the point when all internal procedures have been exhausted.

Information on the QAA’s Concern’s scheme can be found at:

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/publications/information-and-guidance/publication?PubID=159#.WBG9Ny0rIdU

It should be noted that the scheme is concerned only with systemic failings in an institution’s management of standards or quality, and therefore should not be used in relation to one-off cases of ineffective practice.

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