Annex 8 Guidance on Student Absence Due to Illness

							                                                              Approved by Education Committee – September 2009


                      Code of Practice for the Assessment of Students on Taught Programmes

                                                    Annex 8

                                 Guidance on Student Absence Due to Illness

The following is a guide to students indicating what to do if absence through illness occurs. Students
should ensure that they also meet any departmental or programme requirements concerning notification of
absence.

1. General absence due to illness
            Duration                                    Form of Notice
            Up to and including 5 term-time days
     1.1                                                Student Self-Certification form only
            (excluding Saturdays and Sundays)
            More than 5 term-time days (excluding       Student Self-Certification form AND
     1.2
            Saturdays and Sundays)                      the University’s Medical Certificate Form*

2.     Inability to submit a coursework assignment by the agreed deadline
The Department should normally be notified of the need for an extension due to illness BEFORE the
assignment deadline.
            Duration                                    Form of Notice
            Up to and including 5 term-time days
     2.1    illness during the assessment period        Student Self-Certification form only
            (excluding Saturdays and Sundays)
            More than 5 term-time days illness during
     2.2                                                Student Self-Certification form AND
            the assessment period (excluding
                                                        the University’s Medical Certificate Form*
            Saturdays and Sundays)

Please note that deadlines are set well in advance and already allow for the possibility of illness. Students
who are ill for a period of time during the assessment period, whether close to the deadline or not, should
submit work on time unless an extension has been agreed by the Department. Normally Departments will
not accept late submission without penalty where no extension has been granted.

3.     Absence during the examination period
Students should consider carefully the implications of attending a summative examination if they
feel that their illness will significantly affect their performance. They are recommended to seek the
advice of their faculty or department / school.
Students who are ill but still decide to attend any summative exam must complete a self-
certification form and present it, by hand, to a Departmental representative PRIOR to the
summative examination, in order for the potential impact of the illness on the performance of the
student to be determined by the relevant Board of Examiners.
If a student is absent from any summative exam due to illness then the following will apply:
           Occurrence of illness    Form of Notice                    Instruction
                                    Student Self-Certification form   Students must attend an
           Within the 24 hours      AND                               appointment with the Doctor PRIOR
 3.1       prior to the                                               to the summative examination and
           examination              the University’s Medical          inform the department of their non-
                                    Certificate Form*                 attendance.
                                    Student Self-Certification form   Students who are ill during an
                                    AND                               examination should report it to the
 3.2       During the examination                                     invigilator and then make an
                                    the University’s Medical
                                    Certificate Form*                 appointment to see a Doctor.

In all cases of absence due to illness, the forms should be submitted by the student to the student’s
department within TWO working days of the end of the period of absence.

* The student should complete the Self-Certification form and then present it and the University’s
Medical Certificate form to their doctor and ask him/her to complete. Students must attend an
appointment with a Doctor whilst they are ill as retrospective diagnoses are not able to be made.
                                                            Approved by Education Committee – September 2009

Information on reasons for absence from examinations, the potential impact of illness on
examination performance, and non-submission of coursework assignments may be considered by
the relevant Board of Examiners.

This information will be held by the University and processed by staff in departments and Faculty Offices in
order to keep a record of student absences through illness. Departments will monitor the frequency of self-
certified absences and will inform students of their procedures to follow up multiple instances. A Head of
Department may request that the student provides a doctor’s medical certificate in multiple and sustained
instances of self-certified illness. Information will be recorded and processed in accordance with the Data
Protection Act.

The Faculty will decide if it is necessary to notify a student’s absence to their LEA or sponsor.

The associated forms are available from departmental offices and online at:
http://www.bris.ac.uk/esu/assessment/annex/8studentillness.html

Approved by Education Committee, September 2009.




Extract from the University Examination Regulations (available at
www.bristol.ac.uk/secretary/studentrulesregs/examregs.html)


10 Information for Boards of Examiners

10.1 Information before Board of Examiners meets
Boards of examiners shall establish a committee to consider any relevant matters, for example personal
matters such as illness or bereavement, that may have affected a student’s performance in assessment. If
a student wishes a board of examiners to take any such matters into account, he or she must so inform the
chair of the committee before the meeting of the board at which the student’s examination performance is
to be considered. A written record must be kept of such matters. Any such matters which could have been
raised before the meeting of the board, but without good reason were not raised, will not be considered in
the event of an appeal.
10.2 Evidence
If the student claims to have been adversely affected by illness, he or she should submit a written report to
the chair of the committee, before the meeting of the board at which the student’s examination performance
is to be considered. The committee may require a student to submit such other evidence as it deems
necessary to substantiate any matter raised by the student.
                                                                                 Approved by Education Committee – September 2009




                                                 Student Self-Certification Form
Completing the forms:
To notify absence of up to and including five term-time days (excluding Saturday and Sunday) due
to illness and also to notify illness during the examination period (where the examination will be /
has been attended), students should complete the student self-certification form ONLY.
To notify absence of more than five term-time days (excluding Saturdays and Sundays) or absence
from any summative examination due to illness, students should complete the student self-
certification form and present it and the Medical Certificate form to a doctor, who should complete
the latter.
Please refer to the “Guidance on Student Absence Due to Illness” available at:
www.bris.ac.uk/esu/assessment/annex/8studentillness.html when completing these forms.

Student name                                                                            University No.

Degree programme                                                                        Faculty

Personal tutor                                                                          Year of study

Period of absence (both dates inclusive)
From ________________________________ Until ________________________________

Please explain fully the nature of the illness and the effect on your attendance or performance in an
examination or coursework (if you require extra space, please attach continuation sheet). Please list all
areas of work affected. If you do not wish to disclose the nature of the illness on the form please submit
such information in a sealed envelope, attach it to this form and tick this box.




Teaching missed / Coursework affected /                                        Type of teaching or assessment
Examination missed or affected (please select which)                           (e.g. lecture, tutorial, examination, fieldwork)




This information will be held by the University and processed by staff in departments and Faculty Offices in order to
keep a record of student absences. Departments will monitor the frequency of self-certified absences and will inform
students of their procedures to follow up multiple instances. A Head of Department may request that the student
provides a doctor’s medical certificate in multiple and sustained instances of self-certified illness. Confidentiality will be
respected and any requests to keep information confidential will be complied with.

I agree to the University of Bristol recording and processing this information about me. I understand that the
information will only be used for the purpose(s) set out above and my consent is conditional upon the
University complying with its duties and obligations under the Data Protection Act.

Student Signature..................................................................               Date.............................

For notifying general absence: please deliver/send this form to the departmental office within TWO
working days of the end of the period of absence.
For notifying illness during the examination period (where the examination will be attended): please deliver
the form by hand to a departmental representative PRIOR to the summative examination.
                                                                 Approved by Education Committee – September 2009




                                          Medical Certificate Form

This form should be used in addition to the Student Self-Certification Form to notify absence of more than
five term-time days (excluding Saturdays and Sundays) or absence from any summative examination
due to illness. It should be completed by the student’s doctor.

Please refer to the “Guidance on Student Absence Due to Illness” available at:
www.bris.ac.uk/esu/assessment/annex/8studentillness.html when completing these forms.

To the Doctor:

Thank you for assisting the University by certifying this student’s illness. The student should have stated
the effect of this illness on his/her academic performance on the attached Student Self-Certification form.
We would be grateful for any comments you are able to make on this statement. Please could you return
the completed form to the student.



Student name


Doctor's name

Surgery



Nature of illness / clinical diagnosis:




Please comment on the likely impact of the illness on the student’s performance:




Please attach a separate letter if you think it is appropriate



 Doctor’s signature:                                                                                Practice stamp


  Date:



To the Doctor: If you would prefer to certify this illness in the form of a letter to the University please do so
(providing a copy to the student to present to the University) and tick this box


To the Student: Please deliver/send this form together with the completed Student Self-Certification form
to the department office within TWO working days of the end of the period of absence