Rejected petition Issue a "no-detriment policy" across all universities for assessments

A no detriment policy means a student's lowest possible grade is their average from before campus closed. This enables students to improve their grades overall if they can, but means they don't suffer from the disruption of losing their learning space and resources so abruptly.

More details

Since the coronavirus outbreak, Universities have been forced to close and shift online. This disruption and closure of campuses means science students are without their labs, art students are without studios, and proper, interactive feedback cannot be obtained. While the pandemic is nobody's fault, students need concrete reassurance that the current situation will not hinder their assessments, degrees, and future careers. A blanket "no-detriment policy" is the best way to secure our futures.

This petition was rejected

Why was this petition rejected?

There’s already a petition about this issue. We cannot accept a new petition when we already have one about a very similar issue.

You are more likely to get action on this issue if you sign and share a single petition.

Decisions about the assessment of university courses are a matter for individual universities, not the UK Government or Parliament.

The Office for Students has published guidance for providers about quality and standards during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which sets out its expectations regarding teaching and assessments: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/guidance-for-providers-about-quality-and-standards-during-coronavirus-pandemic/.

If you have concerns about your university's arrangements for teaching and assessment you should raise these with your university or the Office for Students, which regulates the higher education sector.

We understand that the current situation is stressful for many people, including students. Student Minds, a mental health charity for students, is collating guidance and developing resources to support students experiencing stress as a result of the current situation, which you may find useful: https://www.studentminds.org.uk/coronavirus.html

We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.

Date submitted 6 April 2020
Get petition data (json format)

About petition data

The data shows the number of people who have signed the petition by country as well as in the constituency of each Member of Parliament. This data is available for all petitions on the site. It is not a list of people who have signed the petition. The only name that is shared on the site is that of the petition creator.