Introduction:
Malpractice can be defined as non-compliance in which acts or incidents are intentional or the results of negligence, whilst maladministration can be defined as acts or incidents which are accidental without any real intentional cause. The boundaries between malpractice and maladministration are not clear-cut and some incidents may fall into either category depending on the wider context. The aim of this policy is to ensure the integrity of WSET qualifications and the interests of WSET students are protected and that Oslo Wine School fully complies with the WSET Policies and Procedures. All incidents of malpractice and/or maladministration have consequences and will be fully investigated by WSET Awards
Potential areas of malpractice or maladministration by an APP
- Failure to adhere to the terms of Centre Agreement or WSET Policies and Procedures
- Failure to adhere to the APP Code of Conduct
- Failure to report changes in ownership, personnel, location, facilities
- Denial of access to information, documentation, workforce, facilities.
- Failure to carry out course or assessment delivery in accordance with WSET Awards requirements
- Failure to adhere to WSET Award´s candidates’ registration and certification procedures
- Late student registration
- Fraudulent claim, use, reproduction or forgery of WSET certificates
- Withholding information from WSET Awards which is critical to maintain the rigour of quality assurance.
- Inadequate and insecure storage of assessment materials
- Breach of confidentiality
- Any other action likely to lead to an adverse effect,
- Failure to disclose any conflict of interest
- Issue of incorrect exam results, failure to issue results to students in a timely manner
- Unauthorised reading, amendment, copying, distribution of exam papers
- Failure to respond to WSET Awards in a timely manner
- Failure to return examination papers within the specified timeframe or to follow delivery and tracking regulations
- Use of unqualified and/or unregistered educators or internal assessors
- Misleading advertising or publicity
Potential areas of malpractice or maladministration by a student or candidate
- Submission of false or inaccurate information to gain a qualification
- Cheating, including sue of unauthorized devices or materials
- Disruptive behaviour during an examination
- Plagiarism of any nature by students
- Impersonation including forgery of signatures
- Breach of confidentiality
- Any other action likely to lead to an adverse effect,
- Failure to disclose any conflict of interest
- Unauthorised reading, amendment, copying, distribution of exam papers
- Denial of access to information or documentation required by WSET Awards
Responsibility of Oslo Wine School as an APP
Oslo Wine School is a serious provider of WSET courses who aims for excellence in all the services we provide. We are fully committed to offering a professional, quality driven services and adhering to the strict rules and regulations set out by WSET Awards.
In order to maintain the high standards of WSET Awards, we are committed to the following:
- Oslo Wine School is committed to the implementation of a quality management and reporting system to ensure compliance with WSET policies and procedures, which is review regularly to ensure they are fit for purpose.
- Oslo Wine School is committed to implementing a risk assessment system on how to best prevent, investigate and deal with any allegations of malpractice or maladministration.
- All incidents of any non-compliance will immediately be reported to WSET Awards in order to take corrective and preventative measures as required.
- All staff (including the Main Contact, Examinations Officer, Nominated Educator and Educators) must attend an introduction workshop to ensure they fully understand the rules and regulations set out by the WSET Awards and the standards of behaviour set out in the Code of Conduct
- All staff (including the Main Contact, Examinations Officer, Nominated Educator and Educators) are obliged to read the latest addition of the APP Handbook and sign a form that they have read it
- All staff (including the Main Contact, Examinations Officer, Nominated Educator and Educators) are required to sign a confidentiality and data protection agreement to ensure the safe handling of any information between Oslo Wine School, WSET Awards and students/WSET candidates
- Any staff (Main Contact, Examinations Officer, Invigilators and administration staff) involved with the handling of any course registrations, bookings, examination requests, application forms for Reasonable Adjustments and Special Considerations as well as any complaints, must be fully aware of the Oslo Wine School Critical Path procedures to ensure we meet all internal and external deadlines correctly.
- The Examinations team (Examinations Officer, Main Contact, Invigilators and admin staff) must have read and understood all information in the APP Handbook related to Running Exams, Examination Guidelines, Invigilation Arrangements, and the Exam Day Process prior to the actual day of examinations. In addition, the Examinations team agrees to meet for an exams orientation meeting in the 7 days prior to an examination to answer any questions.
- Prior to enrolment, potential students will be provided with adequate information so that they fully understand the commitment required by Oslo Wine School and WSET Awards
- Promote responsible consumption of wines, spirits and sake
Responsibilities of students and potential WSET Candidates:
- WSET certifications are professional qualifications regulated by Ofqual and offered globally around the world. Students are expected to respect the requirements of WSET Awards as an educational body and Oslo Wine School as a provider of these courses in Norway.
- Any students failing involved in malpractice risk having sanctions applied to them including a written warning, exam results being declared null and void, disqualification from a qualification or ultimately being disqualified from participating in any future courses or assessments leading to WSET qualifications.
- If Oslo Wine School fails to meet the standards expected or they feel maladministration or malpractice has led to them being disadvantaged, students are invited to contact us to discuss their complaints via telephone or email and should refer to the Complaints and Appeals Policy for further information on how to submit a complaint.
Commitment by WSET Awards:
- Any non-compliance incidents will be logged by WSET Awards and a case officer will be assigned to investigate. The investigation will be concluded within 30 working days of receipt of the allegation, unless in exceptional cases when a visit to an APP is required and under such cases an approximate timescale will be given.
- During the investigation WSET Awards may request further information from parties involved, conduct interviews, require an internal investigation by APP, report the non-compliance to the Regulator and/or arrange a visit to the APP involved
- If malpractice or maladministration is identified, WSET Awards will consider its impact and may apply sanctions accordingly, whilst taking 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.
- Any organisation or individual that wishes to consider appealing against penalties or sanctions imposed by WSET Awards, should follow the procedure laid out in the Policy on Appeals against WSET Awards Decisions.
