Student Protection Plan

NSPC will make all reasonable efforts to deliver the programmes as detailed on the website and in the student handbook.

However, there may be circumstances when changes are necessary in which case NSPC reserves the right to vary arrangements due to exceptional circumstances which are outside our control. Examples of this are:

• Where numbers recruited to a course and/or module/unit are so low it is not possible to deliver the appropriate quality of education for the students enrolled on it.
• The unexpected absence or departure of a key member of staff and where no suitable replacement can be found in time.
• Acts of God, flood, earthquake or other natural disaster, including pandemics.
• Fire, explosion or accidental damage.
• Collapse of building structures and interruption of services such as power, gas or water.

In these cases NSPC will endeavour to minimise the impact to students by

• Delivering a modified version of the course
• Changing the delivery method of the course

Scenario A: the Partner Institution as a whole is no longer able to operate or no longer intends to operate

In the event that NSPC were no longer able to operate as a whole, Middlesex would teach out all programmes until all enrolled students were able to graduate. To facilitate this, NSPC will provide all Moodle access, course lists, student records, syllabi, handbooks and any other documentation that should reasonably be supplied to facilitate this. Library books would also be donated to the University.

Scenario B: the partnership with the University comes to an end

In the event that the partnership with Middlesex were to come to an end, NSPC would seek partnership with an alternate University or consider applying for degree awarding powers with the OfS. The school have a track record of doing this in the past, having previously partnered with the University of Sheffield before Middlesex.

Scenario C: one or more of the locations at which the Partner Institution delivers courses to students is no longer available

In the event that the NSPC premises were no longer available, the school would provide as much training as possible online and seek temporary accommodation where needed. There is a precedent for this already established, having delivered all courses online for over a year during lockdown in 2020, and having established temporary accommodation at the Swiss Cottage Library whilst moving premises previously. Any alternative locations would need to be fully accessible for disabled students.

Scenario D: the Partner Institution is no longer able to deliver courses to students in one or more subject areas and/or departments

The likely reason for this would be loss of professional accreditation on one or more programme. If this were to happen, NSPC would seek to help all students register via the independent route and work with the professional bodies to reinstate accreditation.

Scenario E: the Partner Institution is no longer able to deliver one or more courses to students, particularly if course closures are likely in the next three years

NSPC would continue to teach out current students. A precedent has been set for this in the past when closing the Sheffield accredited MA programme.

Scenario F: the Partner Institution is no longer able to deliver material components of one or more courses, particularly if there are areas of vulnerability, such as single person dependencies for teaching

We have no such single dependency and cannot foresee a possible scenario in which this would occur. We have moved to a blended learning mode of delivery so the majority of the content for all of our courses, whether they are usually taught in person or online is now on Moodle. This protects our content and means that we are not reliant one a single person.

Scenario G: the Partner Institution is no longer able to deliver one or more modes of study to students, particularly if withdrawal of a mode of study is likely

NSPC would teach out current students on said study mode and indeed a precedent has been set for this with a previous Thursday cohort. Courses are designed with various study mode options to prevent this from happening.

Scenario I: the Partner Institution is no longer able to recruit or teach a particular type of student.

The only foreseeable example of this would be loss of BAC accreditation meaning that international students would no longer be able to attend in person on student study visas. Given the established capacity to teach online this would not pose an insoluble problem.

Scenario J: the Partner Institution makes changes to a qualification or course title

There is precedent for this with several courses, where a change in title and content has been agreed at revalidation. In such cases, all current students remain on the old structure and title until they have completed, and new students are enrolled on the revalidated programme. Some students have been allowed to transfer to the new programme where requested, using the normal mechanisms for claiming any relevant prior learning.

Scenario K: the Partner Institution makes changes to course fees

Changes to course fees would only be applicable to new students. We post the fees for the next academic year on our website to ensure applicants are fully aware of the costs associated. We do not charge any fees for ancillary services.

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