POLICY AND PROCEDURES

Appeal Procedure

Supervisors will hold a student conference with students who score less than 100%.

Students who are dissatisfied with the outcome may bring up any appeal during the student conferences.

If the appeal is on an error in scoring (marking), the Supervisor is to check the student’s PACE Test against the standard PACE Test Key. If there is an error, the Supervisor rectifies the score accordingly.

If the appeal is on an error in computation of the assessment marks, the Supervisor is to recalculate and affirm the discrepancies before amendments can be made to the assessment marks.

The Supervisor will inform the student of the outcome within 3 working days from the date of the appeal and amend the Supervisor Progress Card.

Dispute Resolution Policy

Handling of Feedbacks and Complaints

• The School accepts both written (emails / letters / Feedback Forms) and verbal communications (meetings / telephone correspondences) for ease of providing feedback.
• The School is to seek feedback from its key stakeholders and external partners for continual improvement of its systems and processes.
• All feedbacks and complaints must be properly recorded and /or documented. Any correspondence (including actions taken) between the School and the student must be annexed as evidences. This is to ensure that any staffs handling the case are kept aware of the progress / outcomes.
• In the event of any appeals for retention, suspension, expulsion and awards, the School’s Dispute Policy and Process shall follow.
• It is the responsibility of the Administration Department to notify relevant departments of any feedbacks and complaints.
• Students must be kept informed of the status of their feedback / complaints.
• Administration Department is to respond to respective students within 3 to 7 working days of receipt of the feedback / complaint.
• All feedbacks / complaints must be resolved within 21 working days. In the event that the deadline is not adhered to, respective students must be notified and the reasons with regards to the delay must be made known.
• All feedback and complaints are to be evaluated, and improvements to be made in response to them. Such improvements are to be documented for re-evaluation after its implementation, and the complainant/person giving feedback will be informed.

Alternate Remedies in Dispute Resolution

• In the event that the School and the student cannot come to an agreement or the student does not accept the final decision made by the School’s Management Team, they will be referred to Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC) or Singapore Institute of Arbitrators (SIArb).

Feedback/ Dispute Resolution Procedures

1. Fill in the Feedback Form and submit it to the Admin Executive/Manager
2. The Admin Executive/Manager will acknowledge your feedback/complaint within 3 to 7 working days
3. The Admin Executive/Manager will explain the propose solution to you and you should acknowledge the situation within 14 working days, regardless of whether you accept or is satisfied with the proposed solution.
4. Should you not be satisfied with the resolution, the matter will be escalated to the Principal
5. Should the final resolution still be unsatisfactory, you will be referred to the Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC) or Singapore Institute of Arbitrators (SIArb)
6. The entire process should not take more than 21 working days

Refund Policy

The School’s Management Team shall ensure a fair and reasonable refund policy is detailed for any payments made.

Time taken to process all refund requests will be done within 7 working days.

Computation of the refund amount is to be communicated to the students.

The school is to maintain a List of Refunds, which is to be updated within 3 days after processing of the refund.

The refund policy and procedure is to be reviewed at least once a year by the Independent Internal Auditor during the IPRAA.

The School adopts the Refund Policy as per the Standard Student Contract as set out by CPE.

This Policy will act as a framework in guiding the implementation of detailed refund processes and procedures in the following areas:-

Refund for Withdrawal Due to Non-Delivery of Course

Refund for Withdrawal Due to Other Reasons

Cooling off Period

School Refund Policy as per clauses in the Standard Student Contract: –

Refund for Withdrawal Due to Non-Delivery of Course:
The PEI will notify the Student within three (3) working days upon knowledge of any of the following:

• It does not commence the Course on the Course Commencement Date;
• It terminates the Course before the Course Commencement Date;
• It terminates the Course before the Course Completion Date;
• It has not ensured that the Student meets the course entry or matriculation requirement as
  set by
• the organisation stated in Schedule A of the standard student contract within any stipulated
• timeline set by CPE; or
• The Student’s Pass application is rejected by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

The Student should be informed in writing of alternative study arrangements (if any), and also be entitled to a refund of the entire Course Fees and Miscellaneous Fees already paid should the Student decide to withdraw, within seven (7) working days of the above notice.

Refund for Withdrawal Due to Other Reasons:
If the Student withdraws from the Course for any reason other than those stated in Clause 2.1 of the standard student contract, the PEI will, within seven (7) working days of receiving the Student’s written notice of withdrawal, refund to the Student an amount based on the table in Schedule D of the standard student contract.

Refund during Cooling-off Period:
The PEI will provide the Student with a cooling-off period of seven (7) working days after the date
that the Contract has been signed by both parties.

The Student will be refunded the highest percentage (stated in Schedule D of the Standard Student Contract) of the fees already paid if the Student submits a written notice of withdrawal to the PEI within the cooling-off period, regardless of whether the Student has started the course or not.

Refund Table:

Non-Refundable Fees:

• FPS Fee
• Fees reflected in Schedule C of the Standard Student Contract

Notes:
Conditions where a course may be cancelled:

• The intake does not meet a minimum enrolment of 10 students
• The teacher is suddenly hospitalized and a substitute teacher cannot be found.

Refund Procedures

1. Fill up Refund Request Form and submit to the School
2. The Admin/Finance Executive/Manager will meet up with the student within 2 working days to acknowledge the refund request and to work out if any refund is eligible. Computation of such an amount will also be explained to Students / Parents / Guardians and stated in the Refund Request Form.
3. Any refund amounts will be subjected to the school’s Management approval.
4. The Admin/Finance Executive/Manager will inform you of the outcome of the refund request.
5. Should you be eligible for refund, the Admin Executive will inform you when to collect the refund.
6. Student / Parents / Guardians is to acknowledge receipt of Refund Amount in the Refund Settlement Letter.
7. The whole refund process will not take more than 7 working days from date of application.

Withdrawal Policy

A student who withdraws from the School to enrol with another school (i.e. discontinues all its courses with the school) shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the School and the refund policy and procedures shall apply.

Conditions for Granting Withdrawal:
A student who intends to withdraw from the School must give a 30 days’ notice.

All outstanding fees must be settled prior to request for withdrawal Student to fill in Course Withdrawal Request Form, including submission of any supporting documents and adhering to the process as stated in the Course Withdrawal Procedures.

Conditions for Refund
The School’s Refund Policy shall apply for all qualified refunds. Students are to refer to the
School’s Refund Policy and the Standard Student Contract for further details.

Student’s Pass Status:

For Course Withdrawals
Student’s Pass holder is required to submit his/her passport and Student’s Pass to the School for cancellation of Student’s Pass with ICA.

Timeframe for assessing and processing withdrawal cases

The entire withdrawal process, from point of application to the final outcome, should not be more than 4 weeks. If the final outcome is not in favour of the applicant, respective staffs are to handle each situation according to the School’s dispute resolution policy and procedure.

Withdrawal Procedures

1. Student to fill in Course Withdrawal Request Form, including submission of any supporting documents.
2. For students under 18 years old, request for withdrawal must be accompanied by student’s parent/ guardian approval in written form.
3. Parent / Guardian will be invited to meet the Admin Executive/Manager to inform them of the following:-
   • Student Pass will be cancelled upon withdrawal from the School (if applicable)
   • Eligibility of Refund
   • Establish reasons for the application of a course withdrawal
   • Seek possible solutions for student retention
4. Request for withdrawal will only be considered for students that do not have any outstanding payments due to Heritage Academy.
5. A Letter to effect or Reject Course Withdrawal Request will be given to the student.

Deferment Policy/ Procedures

Deferment Policy
A student who requests for Deferment (i.e. delay or postpones the course) must either have their existing contract terminated or sign an addendum to reflect the changes.

All request must be made in writing. Verbal notice is not accepted.

For all terminated Student Contracts, a new student contract will be signed based on the procedures for executing student contracts. The Refund Policy shall apply unless as otherwise agreed between the School and the Student.

Any deferment would be addressed on a case by case basis and the School will have the final decision on whether the deferment is approved or rejected.

Submitting the request does NOT automatically result in an official deferment.

Students must ensure that they receive a formal notice / confirmation form the Institute regarding the outcome of their request for deferment.

Conditions for Granting Deferment
The School will have final say in all deferment cases. This will be based on availability of the Schedules and Classes.

Students can apply for deferment of up to 2 times per course. Extension of deferment period will only be considered should there be very valid reasons and additional supporting documents provided by the student.

In applying for deferment, student need to take note of the course completion timelines. Students must ensure that there is sufficient time for them to complete their studies according to the timeline.

Course Completion Timeline:
Students must complete their course within the following timeline from the date of class commencement:
Within 2 years for course duration up to 1 year
Offering of units / courses are subject to availability. The school reserves the right to offer similar unit(s) in replacement of discontinued unit(s).

Student’s Pass Status
For Student’s Pass holder, Deferments are subjected to ICA’s approval of the new Student’s Pass.
The School will inform ICA in the event of any Deferments. Student’s Pass will be cancelled.

Timeframe for assessing and processing Deferment
The entire Deferment process, from point of application to the final outcome, should not be more than 4 weeks. If the final outcome is not in favor of the applicant, respective staffs are to handle each situation according to the School’s dispute resolution policy and procedure.

Deferment Procedures

1. Students requesting for a Course Deferment will need to fill up the Course Deferment Form with supporting documents and submit the Form to the School.
2. For students under 18 years old, request for deferment must be accompanied by student’s parent/ guardian approval in written form.
3. The School will arrange for an interview session who will discuss with the student the academic implications of deferment. Student / Parents or Guardians of students holding Student Passes will be informed that deferment is subject to approval of their Student Pass from ICA.
4. Student is to sign off on the Course Deferment Form to acknowledge if they would like to retract or proceed with the course deferment.
5. Upon Approval from School, a Letter to effect the Course Deferment Request would also be issued to students.

Late Payment Policy

1. The School will ensure that all students that have applied for the course understand the School’s Late Payment Policy and acknowledge this by signing on the Student Contract.
2. As per the Student Contact (with reference to Section 1 Course Information and Fees), the School will consider payments made 7 days after the scheduled due date(s) included in Schedule B in the Student Contract as late payments.
3. Students who pay after the scheduled due dates may have a late payment fee of $108 (GST inclusive) imposed on them. Students are required to pay this extra fee in addition to their current payment.
4. Students that do not comply with this policy will be considered for withdrawal from the course.
5. The School reserves the final discretion to impose the late payment fee.

Student Support Services

1. The core list of support services are:
(a) Student handbook is given out to all newly enrolled students to orientate them on important information of the School

(b) Medical Insurance coverage in accordance with the guidelines by CPE is provided to all enrolled students, via NTUC Insurance. There can be an exemption for Singaporean/PR if they are already covered by their own medical insurance plan (proof must be shown to the School to be able to opt-out).

(c) The Admin department that handles / processes all student requests.

(d) Feedback form is easily available for students to provide valuable insights into helping the School to continually improve the student experience.

1. List of Comprehensive Services Available in the School:

(a) For all new students

The School will advise on the following services when needed to ensure that students make a smooth transition to Singapore: –

• Accommodation
• Medical Screening
• Bank Account Opening
• Visa / Student Pass Application
• Student Orientation Programme

For all Current & Enrolled Students

The School aims to provide all students with an academic education of the highest standards through the provision of these services:

• Certified Counsellor
• Students’ Outings and Activities
• Educational Tours
• Personalize updates to parents on admission matters / students’ progress which may include:
  – Informing parents on student admission matters / services (transport, accommodation, etc.)
  – Informing parents on student issues (attendance rate, behavior, academic performance, etc.)
• Student Progress Reports
• Principal – Student dialogue sessions

For enhancing overall Student Experience
In ensuring that the School provides for an exceptional student experience, it undertakes to provide the following services:

• Review of students’ attendance
• Student Evaluation Surveys (Student Satisfaction Survey / End of Year Evaluation Survey /Pre-course Counselling and Orientation Satisfaction Survey)
• Feedback forms
• Dispute resolution process

Programmes to develop students holistically

1. Various models and frameworks would be created and continually reviewed to ensure that the School has sufficient programmes to develop students holistically
2. The School’s Continual Improvement Cycles and its elements, including the annually done Continual Improvement Work Plan would also act as a platform to incorporate the need and objective to develop students holistically.

To note: This comprehensive list of student support services is not meant to be exhaustive. The School undertakes the responsibility to continually improve on ensuring that all students’ welfare and needs are well taken care of and will do so by school-student engagements through the various student touch points as listed.

PDPA

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