Student’s exam woe might end in court

A social work student is threatening legal action against his
university over its refusal to allow him to retake an examination.

After completing the two-year Diploma in Social Work course at
University College Chichester, West Sussex, Gary Norwood was told
he had not qualified because he had narrowly failed the first-year
module introduction to sociology and social policy.

Having missed the date for retaking the examination at the end of
his first year, Norwood won another chance to take the resit but
failed again.

Norwood’s appeal for a second resit on the grounds that he had been
unable to devote enough time to the first resit because of studying
second-year examinations was rejected by the university. This has
been referred to an independent adjudicator.

Promising to take legal action if the appeal fails, Norwood said:
“I will fight to be allowed to retake that module and sit the
exam.”

Clive Behagg, deputy principal at University College Chichester,
said it was reasonable to expect Norwood to retake the examination
in his second year. “The issue is whether we want standards to be
maintained for public services,” he said.