Wine House Complaints and Appeals Policy
In the event any WSET student that has chosen to study at Wine House is not happy with the level of service provided they should take the following steps:
1) In the first instance relay the complaint to Wine House by emailing courses@winehouse.com.au covering the following aspects:
- State student name and the course attended
- Outline the complaint
2) Wine House will reply withing 10 working days with a proposed resolution
3) If a student is not happy with the resolution they may escalate the complaint directly to WSET’s Quality Assurance Team qa@wsetglobal.com
Please note all complaints are treated confidentially and will not result in any prejudice toward the student.
Conflict of Interest Policy
As a regulated awarding organisation, WSET is required to identify, monitor and manage actual, potential and perceived conflicts of interest (‘Conflicts of Interest’). This is essential to safeguard the integrity of WSET qualifications and promote confidence in WSET processes.
A Conflict of Interest exists where an individual has interests or loyalties that could adversely influence their judgement, objectivity or loyalty to WSET when conducting activities associated with WSET qualifications.
Identification of Conflicts of Interest Any individual involved in the delivery of WSET qualifications who becomes aware of a Conflict of Interest must inform the Head of Quality Assurance (HQA) in writing immediately. Conflict of Interest declarations will be recorded by WSET on the Conflicts of Interest Register
Wine House will actively monitor for and report to WSET any conflict of interest whilst facilitating WSET courses. As an experienced approved programme provider for more than 10 years Wine House is well placed to manage any conflicts of interest as they arise.
Privacy and Data Protection Policy
Wine House is committed to protecting your privacy. At all times we aim to respect any personal information you share with us, or that we receive from others, and keep it safe.
What personal information we collect for WSET courses that relates to you:
- Your name, email address, gender and date of birth for registration with WSET
- Date of booking and course you attended
- All email correspondence for one year
- Your WSET candidate number
- Your Exam results
Your personal information is kept on secured databases at Wine House which are password protected.
Your personal information is not shared with any third party other than WSET.
Please also refer to wine House general Privacy Policy outlined on our website.
WSET may have occasion to share your personal information with third parties. For them to provide you with products and services, WSET on occasion share some of your personal information with certain approved third parties. These include course providers, examiners, suppliers (for example, our IT services provider) and regulatory bodies. WSET reserve the right to disclose your personal information to third parties: (a) in the event that we buy or sell any business or assets, in which case WSET may disclose your personal information to the prospective buyer or seller of such business or assets; (b) if substantially all of WSET assets are acquired by a third party, personal information held by WSET may be one of the transferred assets.
Diversity and Equality Policy
Wine House is committed to upholding the principles of diversity and equality in all areas of its work, seeking to ensure that all students are treated fairly and equally at all times.
Wine House assures equality of opportunity for all students by:
- Promoting open access to WSET qualifications (having regard to the legal minimum age for the retail purchase of alcohol and assessment competence standards)
- Allowing candidates with special educational needs, disabilities or temporary injuries to access WSET assessments without changing the demands of the assessment in line with our Reasonable Adjustment and Special Consideration policies
- Inviting feedback on diversity issues from students
- Reviewing this policy regularly to ensure it continues to meet legislative and organisational requirements and is fit for purpose.
Candidates who are believe they may have been unfairly discriminated against by Wine House should raise this directly with Wine House course Administrator at courses@winehouse.com.au concerned in the first instance.
Reasonable Adjustment Policy
Wine House seeks to assess all students in a way that puts them at no disadvantage, or advantage, over other students. A reasonable adjustment is any action that helps to reduce the effect of a disability or difficulty that places the student at a substantial disadvantage in the assessment situation. Reasonable adjustments are approved by WSET and put in place before the assessment activity takes place; they constitute an arrangement to give the student access to the qualification. The use of a reasonable adjustment is not taken into consideration during the assessment of a candidate’s work.
Reasonable adjustments may involve:
- Changing standard assessment arrangements, for example allowing candidates extra time to complete the assessment activity;
- Adapting assessment materials, such as providing materials in large text format;
- Providing access facilitators during assessment, such as a sign language interpreter or reader;
- Re-organising the assessment room, such as removal of visual stimuli for an autistic candidate..
Applying for a reasonable adjustment must occur at the time of student enrolment into a course with any special needs which may require a reasonable adjustment at the time of the exam. Students may do this by emailing courses@winehouse.com.au with their specific difficulties and requirements. requirements. All Reasonable Adjustment Applications must be made to WSET at least four weeks before the exam date in the case of WSET qualifications at Levels 1-3. This must attach supporting evidence. The specific arrangements for the exam process itself, or for marking, will be agreed in each case between the wine House Exams Officer and the WSET Exams Manager and will vary according to individual circumstances. WSET reserves the right to seek the advice of independent agencies as appropriate in coming to a decision on specific arrangements.
Special Consideration Policy
Special consideration is an action taken after an assessment to allow candidates who have been disadvantaged by temporary illness, injury, indisposition or adverse circumstances at the time of the assessment to demonstrate attainment.
Special consideration will not give unfair advantage over candidates for whom special consideration is not being applied or alter the assessment demands of the qualification as detailed in the applicable Specification.
A student may be eligible for special consideration if:
- Performance in an assessment is affected by circumstances beyond the control of the candidate. This may include recent personal illness, accident, bereavement or exam room conditions;
- Alternative assessment arrangements which were agreed in advance of the assessment proved inappropriate or inadequate;
- The application of special consideration would not mislead the user of the certificate as to the candidate’s attainment.
Please note that WSET does not offer aegrotat and that all assessment requirements of WSET qualifications must be met.
Applying for special consideration students must submit a Special Consideration Application Form to Wine House ( you can obtain this by emailing courses@winehouse.com.au) within 5 working days of the assessment date for which special consideration is being sought. Wine House must submit this to WSET within 7 working days of the exam. Eligibility will only be considered if accompanied by supporting independent documentation. In cases of serious disruption during the exam, the Exams Officer will submit a detailed report of the circumstances and candidates affected to WSET. This must be returned with the completed exam papers.
Malpractice and Maladministration Policy
The aim of this policy is to protect the interests of WSET students and safeguard the integrity of WSET qualifications by ensuring compliance with WSET Policies and Procedures. It provides a framework for the identification, reporting and management of any potential malpractice or maladministration and for the application of sanctions. Non-compliance with WSET Policies and Procedures generally falls into one of two categories:
1. Maladministration, where non-compliance is accidental rather than intentional;
2. Malpractice where non-compliance is intentional or the result of negligence.
The boundaries between maladministration and malpractice are not clear-cut. Some incidents may fall into either category depending on the wider context. Some maladministration incidents may become malpractice. Whether a situation is maladministration or malpractice will be determined by WSET following an investigation.
Malpractice or maladministration may include:
- Failure to adhere to the terms of wine House or WSET Policies and Procedures
- Failure to comply with the Wine House standards of Conduct
- Submission of false or inaccurate information to gain a qualification
- Cheating, including the use of unauthorised devices or materials
- Disruptive behaviour in an exam
- Plagiarism of any nature by students
- Impersonation (including forgery of signatures)
- Any action likely to lead to an adverse effect
- Unauthorised reading/amendment/copying/distribution of exam papers
Wine House will notify WSET immediately of any non-compliance issues.
WSET will log the non-compliance incident and will assign a case officer to investigate. WSET will conclude the investigation within 30 working days of receipt of the allegation.
If malpractice or maladministration is identified, WSET will consider its impact and may apply sanctions accordingly. WSET will take all reasonable steps to ensure that students who are affected by malpractice or maladministration through no fault of their own are not disadvantaged. However, in some cases, it may be necessary to disallow or withhold results and/or certificates.
Sanctions Applicable to Students/Candidates will consist of the following format:
- Sanction Description Written Warning The student is issued with a written warning that if the offence is repeated within a set period of time then further specified sanctions will be applied.
- Exam Result Declared Null and Void A student’s exam result is disallowed. This may include invalidation and recall of a certificate already issued.
- Disqualification from a Qualification The student is disqualified from participating in the concerned qualification with immediate effect and further excluded from participating in any further WSET qualifications for a period of 12 months. This includes access to WSET materials.
- Student Disqualification. The learner is disqualified from participating in any courses or assessments leading to WSET qualifications. This includes access to WSET materials.
- Disqualification from use of WSET certified logos and postnominals Actions bringing WSET into disrepute may result in the student or graduate being barred from use of WSET postnominals and WSET certified logos.
Appeals:
Any student that wishes to consider appealing against penalties or sanctions imposed by WSET should follow the procedures laid out on the WSET website at the following link:
https://winehouse.com.au/privacy-policy/