Complaints Policy

Company: Tyrogen Limited (16884876)
Owner: Operations / Customer Support
Approved by: Governing Body (or delegated authority per MD/GOVERNANCE/DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY)
Status: Draft (controlled policy)
Version: 0.2
Last updated: 2026-04-05
Next review: 2026-04-30

1) Purpose

This document is Tyrogen’s canonical policy source for the scope, route boundaries, fairness principles, response expectations, remedies framework, and records expectations that apply to complaints about Tyrogen’s services and operations.

Tyrogen has this policy so that expressions of dissatisfaction are handled through a clear and governable route that protects learners, supports openness and public confidence, distinguishes complaints from other formal routes, and produces auditable outcomes and improvement actions where needed.

This policy applies across Tyrogen’s current pre-awarding stage and any future regulated awarding activity.

1.1 Ofqual alignment

This policy supports Tyrogen’s wider regulatory and governance framework, including:

• D4 (responding to enquiries and complaints procedures),
• PR1 expectations of fairness, integrity, openness, and public confidence,
• D3 where complaints form part of the feedback and evidence Tyrogen must review when deciding whether its approach needs to change,
• A7 / B3 where a complaint reveals a wider incident, Adverse Effect, or matter requiring escalation,
• and I2 where the outcome of complaints or related external review may require Tyrogen to give due regard and take corrective action.

1.2 What this file owns

This file owns Tyrogen’s canonical position on:

• what a complaint is,
• who may complain and what can be complained about,
• the distinction between complaints, enquiries, appeals, malpractice reports, and other formal routes,
• the policy-level complaints stages and timescales,
• fairness, transparency, confidentiality, accessibility, and non-retaliation expectations,
• the high-level outcomes and remedies model,
• and the records, trend-review, and external-escalation expectations for complaint handling.

1.3 What this file does not own

This file does not own:

• enquiries workflow, which is owned in Enquiries Handling,
• appeals workflow and review of challengeable assessment decisions, which are owned in Appeals Policy and Appeals Process,
• malpractice or maladministration report handling, which is owned in Malpractice and Maladministration Policy and Malpractice Process,
• subject-access or other formal data-rights workflow, which is owned in DSAR Process,
• broader conduct and whistleblowing rules, which are owned in Code of Conduct and Ethics,
• or detailed incident / regulatory escalation mechanics, which are owned in Governance Change and Incident Management, Incident Response Playbook, and Ofqual Regulator Liaison.

Where those documents are relevant, this policy signposts them rather than duplicating their substance.

2) Definitions and route boundaries

• A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about Tyrogen’s services, systems, processes, staff conduct, communications, or the aspects of centre operations within Tyrogen’s control.
• An enquiry is a request for information or clarification routed under Enquiries Handling.
• An appeal is a request to review a result or other challengeable assessment-related decision routed under Appeals Policy.
• A malpractice / maladministration report is an allegation of wrongdoing, process failure, or assessment-integrity breach routed under Malpractice and Maladministration Policy.
• A formal data-rights request such as subject access is routed under DSAR Process.

If a matter is submitted as a complaint but is better handled under another route, Tyrogen redirects it promptly and informs the complainant.

Tyrogen distinguishes complaints from enquiries, appeals, malpractice reports, and formal data-rights requests so that dissatisfaction is handled through the complaint route while challengeable decisions, wrongdoing allegations, information requests, and statutory rights requests go to their true owner processes. Where a matter overlaps categories, Tyrogen connects the relevant controls rather than forcing the issue into the wrong route.

3) Scope

3.1 Who may complain

This policy applies to complaints raised by:

• learners,
• centres and providers,
• employers,
• invigilators or proctors where applicable,
• and other stakeholders who receive services from Tyrogen or are affected by Tyrogen’s operations.

3.2 What may be complained about

Complaints may relate to any aspect of Tyrogen’s operations within its control, including:

• customer support and service delivery,
• platform availability, access, and usability,
• administrative processes and communications,
• assessment-delivery arrangements,
• the conduct of Tyrogen staff or contractors,
• and the operations of an approved centre where the matter falls within Tyrogen’s approval, monitoring, or assessment-delivery responsibilities.

Where a complaint primarily concerns a centre or employer, Tyrogen may require that the centre or employer’s own complaint route is used first before Tyrogen considers the matter within its own remit.

Tyrogen defines a controlled complaints route for learners, centres, employers, and other affected stakeholders to raise dissatisfaction about matters within Tyrogen’s control, including service delivery, communications, administrative handling, and relevant centre-related matters.

4) Policy position and principles

Tyrogen’s policy position is that complaints must be handled fairly, consistently, promptly, transparently, and in a way that protects learners and supports continuous improvement.

Tyrogen applies the following principles:

• Fairness and impartiality — outcomes should be based on evidence and recorded rationale.
• Timeliness — complaints should be acknowledged and progressed within defined response expectations.
• Transparency — Tyrogen explains the outcome and any remedy clearly, subject to confidentiality and legal limits.
• Confidentiality and lawful handling — information is shared only on a need-to-know basis and in line with applicable legal duties.
• Accessibility — Tyrogen takes reasonable steps to support complainants who need help accessing the route.
• Non-retaliation — a complainant should not be disadvantaged for raising a complaint in good faith.
• Improvement and learning — complaints are used to identify repeat issues, control weaknesses, and opportunities to improve services and assessment delivery.

Tyrogen’s complaints framework is designed to provide a fair, accessible, and auditable route for dissatisfaction about matters within Tyrogen’s control, while also ensuring that upheld complaints lead to proportionate remedy and that recurring issues feed back into service and control improvement.

5) When Tyrogen may decline or close a complaint

Tyrogen will not normally investigate complaints:

• that are being, or have been, considered by a court, tribunal, or similar body,
• submitted more than 30 calendar days after the matter complained about unless there is a clear and justified reason for delay,
• that are vexatious, malicious, abusive, or frivolous,
• or where the complainant is actually seeking review of an assessment-related decision that should be progressed as an appeal.

Where Tyrogen declines to investigate or closes a complaint on that basis, Tyrogen records the decision and the rationale.

6) Complaints model and timescales

Tyrogen operates a complaints model with:

1. Informal resolution (Stage 0) where a quick and proportionate resolution is appropriate,
2. Stage 1 complaint investigation and response,
3. Stage 2 escalation or review by a more senior or otherwise independent reviewer where appropriate.

Tyrogen normally expects:

• acknowledgement within 2 working days,
• a Stage 1 written response within 10 working days unless an updated target date is required,
• and a Stage 2 written outcome within 20 working days unless complexity requires an updated target date.

At policy level, Tyrogen’s complaints route is structured as an informal-resolution stage where appropriate, a Stage 1 investigation and response, and a Stage 2 escalation or review route, with defined acknowledgement and response expectations so complaints are not handled informally without record or timetable.

7) Outcomes and remedies

Where a complaint is upheld in full or in part, Tyrogen may provide proportionate outcomes and remedies, including:

• explanation and apology,
• correction of records or administrative errors,
• service improvement or process change,
• staff guidance, retraining, monitoring, or follow-up review,
• and where relevant, steps to correct or mitigate impact on affected learners.

Where a complaint reveals a wider issue, Tyrogen may also route the matter into other governance, incident, malpractice, regulatory, or operational controls.

8) Confidentiality, accessibility, and non-retaliation

Tyrogen handles complaint information in line with applicable data-protection requirements and internal access controls.

Tyrogen takes reasonable steps to support complainants who need help accessing the route, including alternative formats or other reasonable assistance where applicable.

Tyrogen does not knowingly permit retaliation against a person who raises a complaint in good faith.

9) Records, reporting, and external escalation

Tyrogen retains a complaints record set sufficient to show:

• the complaint and its category,
• ownership and status,
• the evidence considered,
• communications and responses,
• the outcome and rationale,
• any remedy, corrective action, or follow-up,
• and any trend, escalation, or closure record required.

Complaint trends are reviewed periodically so repeated issues can feed into service, control, or qualification-delivery improvement.

If a complainant remains dissatisfied after Tyrogen’s internal route is exhausted, there may be a right to refer the matter to an external body where appropriate to the subject and regulatory framework.

Tyrogen retains a complaints record set that is sufficient for auditability, service review, and external scrutiny, and uses complaints trend information as part of its wider monitoring and improvement model.

10) Related documents

• Appeals Policy
• Malpractice and Maladministration Policy
• Reasonable Adjustments Policy
• Data Retention Policy
• Document Control
• Code of Conduct and Ethics
• Enquiries Handling
• DSAR Process
• Governance Change and Incident Management
• Incident Response Playbook
• Ofqual Regulator Liaison

11) Change log