Student Policies and Regulations

Fitness to Practise

Please read this procedure if you are an applicant, student or learner on a qualification where registration with a Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body is required in order to practise your profession, or where you are required to comply with a Code of Ethics and professional standards. It also covers applicants and students on the Counselling programme, who are members of professional counselling bodies and registered on their Accredited Voluntary Register (AVR).

Undergraduate and postgraduate students, students on work-based placements and learners studying for professional apprenticeships are included. The professions include social work, nursing, non-medical prescribing, advanced clinical practice, teaching via PGCE (Wales), policing and counselling.

Fitness to Practise describes your ability to meet professional standards. This includes your character, professional competence and health. The Open University is responsible for confirming your professional suitability or fitness to practise for training and education, registration and/or employment with a Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body (PSRB) or with a professional counselling body (as applicable) along with sponsors, employers or Independent Route Hosts, who make decisions on your enrolment on professional programmes and suitability or fitness to practise as a professional.

This procedure allows us to consider your fitness to practise in relation to academic and professional competence.

This Fitness to Practise Procedure is available in an alternative format, please contact the Student Support Team via http://www.open.ac.uk (phone +44 (0)300 303 5303), or your dedicated Student Support Team via StudentHome if you are a current Open University student. A Welsh language version of the procedure is available.