Student Services Centre

Statement of Service Levels and Performance Targets

1. Service Description

The Student Services Centre (SSC) provides a wide range ofservicesto current and past students, and to other occasional users.

Many of the Centre’s services are automated andavailable on LSEforYou or our website. The Student Services Centre website can be found at:

You are also welcome to visit the Student Services Centre to discuss your individual circumstances or requirements.

While most enquiries can be dealt with directly in the Centre, some may need to be referred to other service providers in the School. Please note that the Centre does not deal with accommodation, careers advice, or student counselling. A separate unit also exists for PhD students. You can find details about how to access these services on the School’s main website.

Opening times

SSC staff are available to take telephone calls and respond to written correspondence (including emails) between 9:30am and 5:30pm from Monday to Friday. The SSC is not open on weekends, public holidays or during School closures.

The Centre is open to personal callers at the following times:

Term Time:Vacation:
Daily: 10am - 5pmDaily: 10am - 4pm
Wed: 10am - 3 pmWed: 10am - 3pm

The SSC counter is also used by the Fees and Admissions offices for daily drop-in sessions. The times of the drop-ins are advertised in the Centre, and on the Centre’s website.

Access and provision for students with disabilities

The Centre is fully accessible for students using wheelchairs, and seating is provided for visitors with other mobility issues. The counter is also fitted with an induction loop for students with a hearing impairment. All of our forms can be found on the website, or provided electronically so that they can be viewed more easily by students with a visual impairment.

The Disability Office is located next to the Centre, and there are also ‘disabled toilets’ close by.

Please let a member of staff know if you need any specific assistance.

What you can expect from us

At all times our staff will provide services in a courteous, prompt and efficient manner, abiding by the School’s policies governing equal opportunities and diversity, data protection and freedom of information.

What we ask of you

We depend on you to help us deliver the most effective possible service. In order that we can meet the standards of serviceoutlined below, we ask that you keep your contact details up-to-date, use your LSE email address in all correspondence, and produce a valid ID card when requested. This acts as a safeguard for you and the School. We also ask you to complete the required forms in full, provide information where requested, and obtain relevant academic approval where necessary.

Please treat SSC staff with courtesy and respect; remember, we are here to help you.

2. Service Level Statement

The following is a summary of the core activities for which SSC staff are responsible:

Pre-arrival, induction and registration

Timetabling of lectures and classes

Counter and advice services

Financial support services

Examinations and assessment

Ceremonies

3. Performance Targets

Students can expect the following level of service from the SSC:

3.1Opening times

The Centre’s opening times appear on the SSC website, in leaflets, and on the plasma screen behind the SSC counter. We will provide at least two weeks notice of any variations to these times.

3.2General communication

Anygeneral enquirywill be acknowledged or responded to in full within two working days.

All telephone calls made during the SSC’s opening hours will be answeredunless diverted tovoicemail.

3.3Processing forms and other requests

Applications for the following will normally be processed within the number of working days specified. Because the Centre experiences peaks in demand at the start of the academic year, it may take a little longer than usual to respond to requests from mid-September to end-October.If for any reasonthe process is likely to takesignificantly longer than the times indicated below, you will be given a timetable for receiving a response and kept informed of progress. Please speak to a member of staff if your request is exceptionally urgent.

One working day

  • Applications for emergency financial assistance
  • Issuing a replacement ID card (up to three days during September and October)

Two working days

  • Special short-term exam arrangements

Threeworking days

  • Taking a ‘capped’ course (graduate students only)
  • Changing a class/seminar
  • Changing to/from full-time or part-time registration
  • Deferring an examination
  • Re-entering an examination
  • Taking an examination overseas
  • Interruption of studies(after final confirmation from student)
  • Withdrawal(after final confirmation from student)
  • Requesting a duplicate transcript
  • Confirming registration details and degree results for former students

Five working days

  • Dealing with complaints
  • Transferring degree programme (up to 10 working days for requests requiring Committee approval)

Ten working days

  • Applications to the Access to Learning Fund or the Student Support Fund (to receipt of payment)
  • Applications to the Postgraduate Travel Fund(to receipt of payment)
  • Checking exam marks (up to 20 days during vacations) Note:This is not the same as making an appeal; students should refer to the Appeal Regulations

3.4Student records

Students can access and change some of their own personal records, such as their contact details. Staff in the SSC maintain the primary records of students, such as status, progression, and awards and we will ensure that these records are accurate and up-to-date.

4. Performance monitoring

We will monitor our performance against the levels of servicedescribed in the previous section.

4.1SSC opening times

If we are unable to provide at least two weeks notice of any variations to the Centre’s opening times we will publish a full explanation on our website.

4.2General Communication

Emails and voicemail messages will normally be checked every day.

If staff are unavailable for more than one day, they will leave an “out of office message” which will explain when they are due to return, and provide alternative contact details.

At least once a term, generic email inboxes will be checked for the quality of response and for emails not responded to within the timescale.

4.3Processing forms and other requests

We will record the receipt of forms, which will be processed within the published timescale or acknowledged if they normally take more than five days to process..

We will record particular problems and review issues on a termly basis.

4.4Maintaining accurate student records

We will run termly reports to check data quality, and contact students as necessary to confirm details.

The Statement of Service Levels and Performance Targets will be reviewed on an annual basis to accommodate future changes.

Last Updated: May 2007

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