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Malpractice

Soothing Touch Academy Malpractice Procedure

 

The malpractice procedure provides Soothing Touch Academy and its approved lecturers and invigilators / examiners with the process for dealing with malpractice on the part of candidates and staff involved in offering accredited qualifications.  For the purposes of this policy, malpractice is defined as the deliberate falsification of records and / or using unfair means during examinations in order to obtain a qualification or certificate.  

 

Examples include:

  1. Failure to keep assessment question papers secure before, during and after an assessment as required by the exam boards
  2. Failure to keep students' assessment scripts secure after an assessment.
  3. Knowingly allowing an individual to impersonate a student.
  4. Allowing a student to possess and / or use materials not permitted in the assessment room.
  5. Allowing students to communicate with each other during a formal assessment taken under exam conditions.
  6. Allowing a student to copy another student's work, or allowing a student to let his / her own work to be copied.
  7. Allowing students to work collaboratively during an assessment.
  8. Assisting a student with his / her assessment answers.
  9. Allowing a student to work beyond the allotted assessment time for external examinations unless special circumstances apply that have been agreed with the student beforehand.
  10. Damaging a student's work.
  11. Leaving students unsupervised during an examination.
   
 
Reporting Malpractice
 

Suspected cases of malpractice may be reported by students, lecturers or assessment invigilators.   Written reports should be submitted to the Principal within 24 hours of the suspected malpractice taking place and should include the following information:

  • the date and title of the assessment
  • the time the assessment took place
  • the student's name and candidate number, if applicable
  • the name of the member of staff in question
  • a full description of the suspected malpractice
  • relevant documentary and / or photographic evidence, if applicable
 

The Principal will then investigate the alleged irregularities and in all cases, notify the accreditation bodies, once malpractice has been proven.  The Principal will also indicate the proposed action and an estimated timescale for the investigation to the accreditation bodies.  The Principal has the power to reassess / disqualify candidates and dismiss staff where malpractice is proven.  Soothing Touch Academy will take legal action where gross malpractice is proven.  The Principal will inform the accreditation bodies of the outcomes of procedures and will cooperate with any follow-up investigations required by accreditation bodies and agree on appropriate remedial action if there is evidence that certificates may be invalid.