In this article:
- What the Support for Study Policy & Procedure is and how it works
- Support for students going through Support for Study
- Further Questions about Support for Study
What is the Support for Study policy & procedure?
The Support for Study Policy & Procedure is a three-stage process we use to support you if we have concerns about your health and academic engagement.
For example, we would be worried if your health, appearance and/or attitude had significantly deteriorated. Similarly, we’d be concerned if you were unable to attend classes, meet deadlines, progress academically or participate in student life.
We use the Support for Study Policy & Procedure to ensure you can access relevant support and information from your faculty, our Student Support Services and the wider King’s community. This process also helps university staff make fair and informed decisions about how best to support students who are struggling.
What happens at each stage of the Support for Study process?
You’ll be emailed an invitation to a Support for Study meeting. Usually, you'll be told who you will be meeting with, as well as their roles, the concerns that have been raised and the options for support which will be discussed. If you have any queries about this, please do email the staff member who has contacted you.
There are three stages to the Support for Study process. Depending on your needs and the issues you’re facing, we might move you through each stage in sequence, or we might place you directly into Stage 2 or 3.
Stage 1
A Stage 1 meeting takes place between you and a member of your faculty staff, usually your personal tutor or supervisor.
They’ll call the meeting if you disclose mild to moderate concerns about your wellbeing, for example if you’re struggling to adjust to student life, feel isolated or don't know how to improve your circumstances.
Alternatively, members of staff in your the faculty may call a Stage 1 meeting if they have mild concerns about your engagement with your studies and/or life at King’s.
What happens at a Support for Study Stage 1 meeting?
Your personal tutor or supervisor will discuss with you the support you may already have in place and signpost you to relevant support services within King’s.
They’ll also discuss options around your academic studies such as:
- Alternative study options, such as going part time;
- A break from your studies;
- Signposting you to ask for extensions or deferrals or academic appeals through the relevant processes;
- A transfer to another programme within King’s or external to King’s;
- A potential withdrawal from the university.
They will agree an action plan with you and, if appropriate, review it with you later.
Stage 2
A Stage 2 meeting takes place between you and the senior member of staff within your department or faculty. Sometimes members of the university support service may attend, such as Faculty Wellbeing Advisers.
A Stage 2 meeting may be called if:
- Staff have moderate or serious concerns about your wellbeing, for example if you’ve lost your accommodation and are falling behind as a result.
- Staff have concerns that your behaviour is having a detrimental impact on the King’s community.
What happens at a Support for Study Stage 2 meeting?
Your personal tutor or supervisor will discuss with you the support you may already have in place and, where appropriate, refer you to a relevant support service at King's.
A member of staff from Student Services might also join to help with the discussion about what support is available to you.
They’ll also discuss options around your academic studies, such as:
- Alternative study options, such as going part time;
- A break from studies;
- Signposting you to ask for extensions, deferrals or academic appeals through the relevant processes;
- A transfer to another programme within King’s or externally;
- A potential withdrawal from the university.
Important to know: At this Stage it is more likely that staff will refer you to a support service rather than signpost you. This means that, rather than giving you the information to contact another service, the staff member will contact them on your behalf.
Stage 3
Stage 3 of the Support for Study Policy & Procedure is for very serious concerns, where continuing to study may put you or others at risk of serious harm.
For example:
- Staff may call a Stage 3 meeting if they are concerned that continuing to study may pose a serious threat to your mental health. This could include a situation where studying is highly likely to interfere with the treatment or management of a severe mental health condition.
- If your behaviour is having a seriously detrimental impact on the King’s community, you could also be asked to attend a Stage 3 meeting.
Who will be present at a Support for Study Stage 3 meeting?
A Stage 3 meeting takes place between you and a panel of senior staff. As well as relevant people from your faculty, you’ll be supported by professional services staff and representatives from King’s support services including the Counselling & Mental Health Service.
Members of the Student Conduct & Appeals team will also be there to give advice and support about the process itself.
What happens at a Support for Study Stage 3 meeting?
You’ll discuss the same options as under Stage 1 and Stage 2.
Normally the meeting will be structured as follows (however this may vary with each individual case):
- Introduction to the meeting
- Your faculty will discuss how they have been supporting you in your studies and their concerns about your health and wellbeing
- University support staff will discuss their concerns and any previous interactions they've had with you
- You’ll be given the opportunity to discuss your position and the support which you may require
- A discussion between the university support staff, academic staff and you about how best to support you including the options
- Outcome and conclusion with any follow up actions agreed
Important to know: The structure of the meeting may vary slightly with each individual case.
What happens if I don’t want to go to my Stage 3 Support for Study meeting?
We recommend that you attend if at all possible. The purpose of the meeting is to support you, and attending means you’re able to ask questions directly and let university staff know your preferred outcomes. We aim to address all issues that need to be raised as sensitively as possible.
If you’re nervous about attending, we’re happy for you to bring someone to support you. This could be a family member, a friend or a KCLSU Advice Caseworker who can represent you.
If you decide not to attend your review meeting, we can consider a written statement from you instead.
What happens when I receive my Stage 3 outcome?
You’ll learn what decision was made about your studies from your Stage 3 outcome. It may include recommendations or conditions for your continued study or return to study following a mandatory interruption.
Recommendations are suggestions from the panel about the support they think would best help you. You’re not required to fulfil them to continue or return to study.
Conditions are requirements from the panel about the support and/or actions you must take. You have to meet them in order to continue or return to study.
If you’re unsure what your outcome means, please contact the Support for Study team who will liaise with your Faculty and other relevant staff.
Taking a break or 'interruption' in your studies
An interruption is a temporary break in your studies, usually until the next academic year. If all other support options have been exhausted, staff may decide it’s in your best interest to interrupt you for a period of time. They will only do this if they have very serious concerns that they don’t believe can be addressed through the support structures you currently have in place, both at King’s and externally.
We will interrupt you only if we believe it would be detrimental to you and/or other members of the King’s community if you were to continue studying.
In certain circumstances, you may appeal a decision to interrupt you from your studies under the Support for Study process. To learn how to do this, please read our article How can I appeal the outcome of my Stage 3 Support for Study meeting?
Withdrawing from your studies
In very exceptional circumstances the panel may decide to withdraw a student from study at King’s.
This will only happen where all other options have been exhausted, including interruption, or where an independent medical professional recommends it as in the student’s best interests.
In certain circumstances, you may appeal a decision to withdraw you from your studies under the Support for Study process. To learn how to do this, please read our article How can I appeal the outcome of my Stage 3 Support for Study meeting?
When and why might my case be escalated to the next stage of Support for Study?
Cases are escalated under Support for Study in the following circumstances:
- You're unable or unwilling to engage with the process.
- Concerns have escalated about your wellbeing and/or the impact of your behaviour on the King’s community. For example, if concerns about your mental health move from mild to serious, we would move you from Stage 1 to 2.
Important to know: If there are very serious concerns about your health and wellbeing, we might place you in Stage 2 immediately.
What support will I receive under the Support for Study Policy & Procedure?
The types of support will vary with each individual situation. We’ll consider what support you already have in place externally and/or within King’s. If we think you might benefit from internal or external support, we might signpost or refer you to one or more of our student support services.
You can learn more about these by reading the following articles:
Important to know: Under some very specific circumstances, the university may contact your GP or refer you to external specialist services, such as a Community Mental Health team.
We will always endeavour to seek consent from you before we share information about you. However, where there are concerns are risk of harm to you or any other vulnerable groups then consent may not be sought.
For more information, please read our article When I share something with a student support service, is this kept confidential?
I’ve been invited to a meeting under Support for Study. What happens now & what should I do?
How can I prepare?
Make a list of the support you already have in place and bring this list to your meeting. If appropriate, write down what extra support might help you, both from the university and external sources.
You could also think about what actions (if any) you want to take and what actions (if any) you want the university to take.
For Stage 3 meetings, you may also be asked to submit evidence. For details of evidence, please see I've been asked to submit evidence for Support for Study, what do I do?
What reasonable adjustments can I request?
You can request adjustments to the process to support your engagement. These could include the following:
- breaks in a meeting
- meeting in person rather than on Teams or vice versa
- accessible rooms for mobility/wheelchair users
- taking notes in the meeting to give you time to formulate a response
- adjustments if you have social or communication issues, such as pauses in the meeting to allow you to respond
- a sign language interpreter if you're Deaf or hard of hearing
- requesting that any outcome be shared with you during a meeting, or at specific time when you are supported by an advisor
Please note this is not an exhaustive list. Reasonable adjustments can be discussed with Disability Support & Inclusion, who will then recommend them to the Student Conduct & Appeals team.
Any requests will be considered in line with the Support for Study Policy to check whether they can be accommodated.
Will my parents/guardians/next of kin be contacted about my Support for Study meeting?
Normally, we won’t contact your parents/guardians/next of kin about your Support for Study meeting unless you ask us to. However, in exceptional circumstances where there are serious safeguarding concerns, we may decide to contact them without consulting you.
For more information about this, please read our article I'm a parent, carer or guardian & I need information about support for students at King's
If you’re invited to attend a Support for Study Stage 3 meeting, you may be asked to submit evidence of your situation to Student Conduct & Appeals.
Types of evidence
You might be asked to submit one or more of the following:
- Independent medical evidence from a medical health professional
- Occupational Health reports
- Evidence from King’s Disability Advisors, King’s Inclusion Plans (KIPs) and/or Disability Assessments
- Independent evidence of hardship, such as issues around your housing, finances or visa status.
This will vary from case-to-case, and if necessary you’ll be told what kinds of evidence to submit.
How and when to submit evidence
Submit your supporting evidence by emailing us. Please provide this in advance of your meeting.
Submitting evidence after an interruption
You may also be asked to submit evidence following an interruption under Support for Study.
Details of what evidence is appropriate, and who it should be shared with, will be provided in your outcome letter following a Support for Study Stage 3 meeting.
I've been interrupted under Support for Study; what support is available?
When you've been interrupted under Support for Study, the panel will take into consideration how this might impact you financially, your visa status and your housing status.
The support they give you will be tailored to your needs. It could involve:
- Check-ins with a Student Welfare Advisor or Wellbeing Advisor
- Help with accessing support from NHS and other external services
Will the Support for Study process be used if I am hospitalised?
If you're taken into hospital for in-patient treatment, the university will consider how to support you very carefully.
In some circumstances, you might need to take a short break from your studies. If this is the case, we’ll use other processes such as Mitigating Circumstances.
If you’re experiencing severe health concerns, including treatment requiring a stay in hospital for a period of three days or more, the university will interrupt you until such time as you’re deemed to have capacity to study by an independent medical professional.
How does Support for Study relate to other King’s policies and procedures?
What is the difference between Support for Study and Fitness to Practise?
Support for Study is for all students at King’s. It’s a process to help support you engage with your studies when your health or wellbeing may be affecting them.
Fitness to Practise only applies to students who are on certain professional courses. It relates to health, professionalism and behaviour that may affect your ability to practise your profession, including your attendance on placements.
What is the relationship between Support for Study and other King's processes?
Support for Study may be used in conjunction with other processes such as Student of Concern, Prolonged Lack of Contact and Failure to make Sufficient Academic Progress. The different circumstances of each case will determine which are the appropriate processes to support you and your situation.
Support for Study is intended to be used where there’s a medium to long term situation in relation to your health, whereas the Student of Concern process is intended to deal with short term serious concerns.
Our Prolonged Lack of Contact process may be used if you've not engaged with the university for some time: we want to establish what is happening for you. If we have welfare concerns, then the Student of Concern and/or the Support for Study processes will be used to help you.
The Failure to Make Academic Progress policy may be used if you’re not keeping up with your course. If we have welfare concerns following this process then the Student of Concern and/or Support for Study processes will be used to support you.
I feel overwhelmed; where can I get advice and support around Support for Study?
If you have queries in relation to Support for Study, please check this article to see if your question has been answered. You can also email the Support for Study team.
KCLSU Advice provides independent help with the process and may be able to attend a meeting with you if they have availability. You can contact them using the KCLSU Advice Online form.