Assessment & Appeals Policy

Organisation: Evolve and Inspire Solutions Ltd
Assessment Coordinator / Lead Assessor: Barbara HM Bochenek (Trainer; Founder; Director)
Email: info@evolveandinspiresolutions.com
Phone: 07843785547
Applies from: December 2025
Version: 1.0
Next review date: December 2026

1. Policy statement

Evolve and Inspire Solutions Ltd is committed to fair, valid, reliable, and transparent assessment practices. This policy explains how we assess students, how we maintain assessment quality, and how students can appeal assessment decisions.

We aim to: – Assess students fairly, consistently, and without bias – Ensure assessments are fit for purpose and aligned with course outcomes – Provide clear information about assessment requirements and criteria – Give timely and constructive feedback – Handle appeals fairly and efficiently – Maintain the integrity and credibility of our certifications

2. Scope

This policy applies to: – Students on assessed programmes delivered by Evolve and Inspire Solutions Ltd – All forms of assessment we use (including written and practical assessment) – All staff involved in assessment (note: assessment decisions are made by the Lead Assessor) – Appeals against assessment decisions

Assessed programmes covered: – NLP Practitioner – NLP Master Practitioner – Timeline Resourcing® – Strategies Master Class

Attendance-only programmes: – Any future masterclasses delivered as attendance-only (not assessed) will be clearly labelled as such at the time of booking.

3. Legal and regulatory framework

This policy is informed by:

– Equality Act 2010 (fair access and reasonable adjustments)

– Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR (confidentiality of assessment records)

– Consumer Rights Act 2015 (transparency and fairness)

– Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) guidance on consumer fairness and transparency

– IRNCH accreditation standards (where applicable)

4. Roles and responsibilities

4.1 Assessment Coordinator / Lead Assessor

Name: Barbara HM Bochenek
Email: info@evolveandinspiresolutions.com
Phone: 07843785547

Responsibilities:

– Oversee assessment processes and decisions

– Ensure assessments are fair, consistent, and fit for purpose

– Maintain assessment records

– Provide feedback within stated timescales

– Manage assessment appeals

– Identify and respond to suspected malpractice

4.2 Assessors

At present, assessments are conducted by Barbara HM Bochenek only.

4.3 Students

Students must:

– Complete assessments honestly and to the best of their ability

– Submit work by deadlines (or request an extension in advance where possible)

– Follow assessment instructions

– Not engage in malpractice (including plagiarism or using AI tools to generate answers)

– Request reasonable adjustments as early as possible if needed

– Use the appeals process appropriately

5. Assessment principles

Our assessments are designed to be:

Fair: consistent criteria and reasonable adjustments where required

Transparent: students understand what is required and how decisions are made

Authentic: work submitted must be the student’s own

Sufficient: enough evidence is gathered to confirm competence

6. Types of assessment we use

Assessment methods may include:

Open-book tests

Practical demonstrations / role plays

Live observation during training

We may also use other methods where appropriate. Any course-specific assessment requirements will be explained to students.

7. Assessment information for students

Students will be given clear information about:

– What they must complete to be certificated

– Deadlines and submission instructions

– How feedback will be provided

– Reassessment opportunities

– Reasonable adjustments

– The appeals process

Assessment information is typically provided:

– At enrolment and/or in the Welcome Letter

– At the start of training and throughout the programme

Pre-study materials are provided via Opt2Learn after the deposit is paid (where applicable).

8. Assessment outcomes and certification standard

8.1 Outcomes

Our assessment approach is Pass / Refer (resubmission).

Pass: you have met the required standard and demonstrated competence.

Refer: you have not yet met the required standard; you will be asked to resubmit and/or repeat elements.

8.2 Certification requirements (summary)

To be eligible for certification, students must meet the course requirements, which may include:

– 100% attendance (as stated in the programme requirements)

– Completion of pre-study where required

– Completion of required assessments

– Participation in exercises and implementation of feedback

– Demonstration of competence in practical skills

Certificates and payment:

– An electronic certificate may be issued on successful completion.

– An original certificate will only be issued once full payment has been received.

9. Submission and deadlines

9.1 Submission method

Unless we confirm otherwise in writing, assessed work must be submitted by email to: info@evolveandinspiresolutions.com.

We will confirm receipt of assessment submissions within 2 working days.

9.2 Typical deadlines

Deadlines are set out in the Welcome Letter and/or assessment brief.

For example, the Open Book Test is normally requested one week before training starts. In practice, where appropriate, we may accept submission during the programme (for example, before later modules). Any course-specific deadlines will be communicated.

10. Late submission, extensions, and mitigating circumstances

10.1 Extensions

If you need extra time, you must request an extension by email as early as possible.

Extensions are granted case-by-case. Where possible, we ask for 7 days’ notice.

10.2 Mitigating circumstances

Mitigating circumstances are exceptional events outside your control that affect your ability to complete assessment work.

Examples may include:

– Serious illness or sudden health issues

– Bereavement or a close family member’s funeral

– Family emergency

Examples that are not normally accepted include:

– Holidays

– Friends’ or family birthdays

– Poor time management

Evidence: We may request evidence where reasonably available.

11. Feedback

We will normally provide feedback within 15 working days of submission (unless we tell you otherwise in advance).

Feedback may be provided:

– During training (including feedback after exercises)

– In writing (where appropriate)

– In a one-to-one call where something serious needs to be addressed

12. Reassessment (resits/resubmissions)

If you are referred, you will normally be given an opportunity to resubmit.

  • Number of opportunities: typically up to 2 attempts, and in some cases up to 3.
  • Timescales: if training is already running, we normally expect resubmission within 7 days, but we may allow longer in exceptional circumstances.
  • Fees: all reassessments are currently free of charge.

13. Reasonable adjustments (Equality Act 2010)

We will make reasonable adjustments for disabled students where required.

To request adjustments, contact the Lead Assessor as early as possible:

– info@evolveandinspiresolutions.com

We may request appropriate evidence where needed, but we will discuss needs confidentially.

Examples of adjustments we may offer where reasonable:

– Extra time

– Alternative assessment format (for example, oral instead of written)

14. Assessment malpractice and academic integrity

Students must submit work that is their own.

Malpractice includes (but is not limited to):

– Plagiarism

– Cheating or collusion

– Fabrication of evidence

– Impersonation

Using AI tools to generate answers for assessments

If we have concerns about authenticity, we may request a short viva/oral check to confirm understanding.

Consequences may include:

First offence: resubmission required

Repeated or serious offence: fail of the assessment and/or removal from the programme (in line with our Terms & Conditions and conduct expectations)

15. Right to appeal

Students may appeal an assessment decision on specific grounds.

Valid grounds include:

– Procedural irregularity (process not followed)

– Mitigating circumstances not considered (or new evidence)

– Bias or discrimination

– Administrative error

Appeals are not upheld solely because a student disagrees with academic judgement, unless there is evidence of error, bias, or procedural irregularity.

16. Appeals procedure

Stage 1: Informal review

  • Contact the Lead Assessor within 10 working days of receiving your result.
  • We will respond within 5 working days.

Stage 2: Formal appeal

  • Submit your appeal within 15 working days of receiving your result.
  • Submit by email to: info@evolveandinspiresolutions.com
  • Include:
    • The grounds for appeal
    • Any supporting evidence
    • The outcome you are seeking

We will acknowledge your appeal within 2 working days and aim to provide an outcome within 20 working days in total.

Possible outcomes:

– Clerical/administrative error corrected

– Reassessment opportunity without penalty

– Mitigating circumstances accepted

Stage 3: Final appeal

If you remain dissatisfied after Stage 2, you may request a final appeal within 10 working days of the Stage 2 outcome.

Stage 3 will be reviewed by an independent reviewer appointed by the Director at the time, who was not involved in the original assessment decision.

The Stage 3 decision is final within our internal process.

17. External escalation

If you have exhausted our internal appeals process and remain dissatisfied, you may contact:

IRNCH (where applicable): info@irnch.com | 0203 576 3927 | www.irnch.com

You may also seek independent advice.

18. Assessment records

We keep records of:

– Assessment requirements/briefs

– Submitted work

– Feedback and outcomes

– Any mitigating circumstances submissions

– Appeals and outcomes

Records are stored securely and confidentially in line with UK GDPR and our Privacy Policy.

Retention: We retain assessment and appeals records in line with our data retention approach (typically 7 years after training ends, unless we are required to keep records longer).

19. Quality assurance

We review our assessment approach through:

– Ongoing observation of student performance during training

– Review of assessment outcomes and any appeals

– Updates required by accreditation standards (where applicable)

20. Links to other policies

This policy should be read alongside:

– Terms & Conditions

– Privacy Policy

– Equality & Diversity Policy

– Student Conduct Policy

– Complaints Policy

– Refund & Cancellation Policy

21. Policy review and approval

This policy will be reviewed annually, or sooner if required due to:

– Changes in law or guidance

– Changes in accreditation requirements

– Significant assessment or appeals issues

Approved by: Barbara HM Bochenek (Trainer; Founder; Director)
Date approved: December 2025
Next review date: December 2026