WSET Policies

Complaints and Appeals

Sydney Restaurant Group Wine Academy always strives for high standards and aims to deal with complaints and appeals quickly and efficiently.

1. Contact – please email info@srgwineacademy.com.au or call Amy Malcolm on 9460 0048 with any complaints.

2. Confidentiality – we guarantee all communication will be confidential and that the complaint will not prejudice the student in any way.

3. Content of complaint – All complaints need to include the student’s full name, address and contact details. All details of the complaint must be included and any necessary supporting documentation. Including any details of previous attempts made to resolve the problem,

4. Dealing with the complaint – the student will be contacted by the course director within 72 hours of receiving the complaint. The student will receive a response within 7 days of receiving the complaint.

5.Appeals – If the student receives a response and they are not satisfied they need to email ben@sydneyrestaurangroup.com.au for a further review. Confirmation of receiving the appeal will be made within 72 hours and a final review of the complaint will be then be undertaken. The student will receive a response within 7 days of receiving the appeal.

6. Referral to WSET – If the above steps have all been completed and the student is still not satisfied they may wish to file a complaint with WSET. All information and necessary documentation should be referred to WSET’s Quality Assurance Team qa@wsetglobal.com.

Conflict of Interest

Definition of Conflict of Interest

A Conflict of Interest exists where an individual has interests or loyalties that could adversely influence their judgement, objectivity or loyalty when conducting activities associated with WSET qualifications at the SRG Wine Academy.

Examples of Conflicts of Interest include:

The undertaking of any assessment of candidates by an individual who has a personal interest in the result of the assessment for any or all individuals concerned;

The undertaking of any moderation of assessment of candidates by an individual who has a personal interest in the result of the assessment for any or all individuals concerned;

The tutoring of candidates by an individual involved in the assessment process;

The undertaking of a WSET qualification by any individual employed by an APP;

The undertaking of a WSET qualification by any individual employed by WSET Awards;

The invigilation of a WSET assessment by any individual involved in the delivery of training leading to the assessment;

The employment by an APP of individuals engaged in the delivery of taught programmes or in the role of Internal Assessor in another APP;

The investigation of a non-compliance incident by someone who is unable to act impartially.

Some of these Conflicts of Interest can be managed and are therefore acceptable. For example, the marking of WSET Level 3 tasting assessments by Internal Assessors is verified by WSET Awards to mitigate the risk of a Conflict of Interest. Similarly, where an employee of one of its APPs undertakes a WSET qualification, measures can be put in place to maintain the integrity of the assessment, provided this has been notified to WSET Awards in advance.

Some Conflicts of Interest cannot be managed and are not acceptable.

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 Nominated Educator at SRG Wine Academy. If this Conflict of Interest can be managed and therefore acceptable, the Nominated Educator will document the situation and change any procedures that could be deemed a conflict of interest and put in place additional steps to ensure the integrity of the delivery of the WSET Awards. They will inform the Head of Quality and Compliance (HOQC) at WSET Awards in writing immediately. Conflict of Interest declarations will be recorded by WSET Awards. Please send your Conflict of Interest declaration via written submission to info@srgwineacademy.com.au and this will be sent to the Nominated Educator.

Malpractice and Maladministration

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:

• Maladministration, where non-compliance is accidental rather than intentional; and
• 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 e.g. through failure to implement corrective measures, repetition of the incident, or subsequent attempt at non- disclosure or misrepresentation. A malpractice incident may be deemed to be maladministration if there are extenuating circumstances. Whether a situation is maladministration or malpractice will be determined by WSET Awards following an investigation. Malpractice or maladministration may include:

• Failure to adhere to the terms of Centre Agreement or WSET Policies and Procedures;
• Failure to comply with the APP Code of Conduct;
• Failure to carry out course or assessment delivery in accordance with WSET Awards requirements;
• Failure to adhere to WSET Awards’ candidate registration and certification procedures;
• Late student registrations;
• Fraudulent claim for certificates/fraudulent use of certificates/reproduction or forgery of certificates;
• Withholding of information from WSET Awards which is critical to maintaining the rigour of quality assurance;
• Insecure storage of assessment materials;
• Submission of false or inaccurate information to gain a qualification;
• Cheating, including the use of unauthorised devices or materials;
• Disruptive behaviour in an examination;
• Plagiarism of any nature by students;
• Impersonation (including forgery of signatures);
• Any action likely to lead to an adverse effect;
• Breach of confidentiality;
• Microsoft Word – Malpractice and Maladministration.docx
• Failure to a disclose 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 report changes in ownership/personnel/location/facilities;
• Denial of access to information, documentation, workforce, facilities;
• 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;
• Infringement of WSET copyright, trademarks, intellectual property rights and brand identity;
• Use of unqualified and/or unregistered educators or internal assessors;
• Misleading advertising/publicity.

Data Protection & Privacy Policy

1. What personal information we collect

(a) Your name, date of birth, gender and contact details (this could include your postal address, telephone numbers and email address);

(b) Purchases and orders made by you to SRG Wine Academy;
(c) Your payment card details (which are encrypted) when you purchase any products or services (should you pay f

for one of our products or services over the telephone or using one of our payment forms, your card details will not be retained and will be securely destroyed);

(d) Your correspondence with us;

(e) In certain situations, information relating to health which may be required to support applications for reasonable adjustment and/or special consideration in the context of examinations for WSET qualifications;

2. Why we collect your personal data

We use your personal information for a number of different reasons, which we set out below.

(a) To register you as a candidate with WSET Awards and enable you to sit examinations for WSET qualifications.

(b) To administer and conduct your examination, including making arrangements for reasonable adjustments and/or special considerations.

(c) To communicate with you and issue your examination results and qualification certificate as appropriate.

(d) To provide you with post-results services such as enquiries against results and appeals and solicit feedback from you on WSET qualifications.

(e) To process your registration for any WSET-hosted courses or events so that we can deliver these services to you.

(f) To send you information regarding the course or event for which you are registered (or which you have registered interest in).

(g) To process sales of products or services you have purchased from us. (h) To verify your identity.

(i) To carry out research to better understand your requirements on the relevant products and services.

(j) To personalise, report on and improve the services and products we provide to you, and to provide you with a best-in-class customer service experience.

(l) To send you marketing communications including information about our qualifications, upcoming events and links to our blogs.

3. Consent

We will ask for a Candidate’s consent for use of their personal information for a specific purpose. We require consent so that we can register Candidates for exams. You always have the right to withdraw your consent however you will not be able to sit the exam.

4. Data Protection

Data protection law recognises certain categories of personal information as sensitive and therefore requiring more protection. These categories of data include information about health, ethnicity, and political opinions. SRG may collect and/or use special categories of data in connection with the provision of our services, for example in order to make adjustments for any disabilities or dietary requirements you may have. We will only process these special categories of data if there is a valid reason for doing so and where the data protection laws allow us to do so.

SRG Wine Academy has appropriate measures in place to ensure the data held on our systems is secure. In the event of an unauthorised use of data or data loss, the individuals concerned will be notified and a recovery plan implemented. This will include a risk assessment and review of operating procedures.

This policy will be made available to candidates upon request. For further information, including data subject access requests, please contact The Nominated Educator Ben Cummings at ben@sydneyrestaurantgroup.com who will refer the matter to WSET’s designated Data Protection Officer.

5. Marketing communications – Opt-in and Opt-out

In general, SRG will not send you any marketing information unless you have requested to receive e-mail/text/social media message updates from us. However, if you have made a purchase from us in the past or contacted us in relation to one of our qualifications, we may contact you in the future about similar items or qualifications. We will always provide you with an opportunity to opt out of any further communication, as discussed more below.

If you (whether an individual or a legal entity) wish to be removed from our direct marketing list and do not wish to receive any further information from us (opt-out) you can inform us of this by clicking on the link at the bottom of each email communication you receive from us. Once this information is received, we will remove you from our direct marketing database.

6. Sharing your personal information with third parties
We 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 we may disclose your personal information to the prospective buyer or seller of such business or assets;

(b) if substantially all of our assets are acquired by a third party, personal information held by us may be one of the transferred assets;

(c) with our professional advisors e.g. lawyers, where necessary to protect our interests; (d) if we are under any legal or regulatory obligation to do so; and

(e) in connection with any legal proceedings or prospective legal proceedings, in order to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights.

(f) WSET and its approved third parties

If we share your information with any other third party, we will let you know in advance.

7. How do we keep your personal information secure?

SRG are committed to maintaining the security of your personal information. We conduct a data security review of any third party we are required to share your personal information with to ensure that they meet our high security standards.

Every company we work with is required to have a contract with us that clearly describes how your personal information is kept secure.

We will only ever share data specific to its intended use.
Specific details of what data we have shared are available to you on request.

8. Data retention – how long do we hold your personal information?

We will not hold your personal information for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this policy. If, however, you have completed one of our qualifications we will retain your information for a longer period, in order to comply with our regulatory obligations.

9. Your rights
You have several rights under data protection law, these are summarised below.

• The right to be informed
• You have the right to total transparency on how we are using your personal information, we will endeavour to make this clear by ensuring that this document is regularly reviewed and updated,
  
  10. Candidate right of access
  
• Candidates have the right to know what information SRG hold about them and how it is processed. If you wish to access your personal information, contact Ben Cummings at ben@sydneyrestaurantgroup.com.au at SRG Wine Academy. If we are satisfied that you have a right to see this personal information and we are able to confirm your identity, we will, except in very limited circumstances provide you with this personal information.
  
  11. The right to erasure
• Candidates reserve the right to ask us to delete your personal information; however, this is not an absolute right. We can refuse to erase personal information which we need to keep in order to comply with legal obligations
• When you ask us to delete your personal information, we may clarify with you as to whether instead you no longer wish to hear from us again. If this is the case, we may retain limited information about you to make sure you are removed from all future marketing lists.

Reasonable Adjustments

WSET Awards seeks to assess all candidates in a way that puts them at no disadvantage, or advantage, over other candidates.

A reasonable adjustment is any action that helps to reduce the effect of a disability or difficulty that places the candidate at a substantial disadvantage in the assessment situation. Reasonable adjustments are approved by WSET Awards and put in place before the assessment activity takes place; they constitute an arrangement to give the candidate 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 must not give unfair advantage over candidates for whom reasonable adjustments are not being made, or affect the reliability and validity of the assessment outcomes as detailed in the applicable Specification.

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. Further guidance on how candidates qualify for reasonable adjustments and the arrangements that may be put in place is published
  in the APP Guide to Reasonable Adjustments and Special Consideration, available on the APP Global Campus. For further information, please contact the Assessments Manager. Applying for a reasonable adjustment SRG Wine Academy must identify at the time of enrollment any special needs which may require a reasonable adjustment at the time of the examinations, this must be no later than 6 weeks before the examination date.
  The specific arrangements for the examination process itself, or for marking, will be agreed in each case between WSET Awards, and will vary according to individual circumstances. WSET Awards reserves the right to seek the advice of independent agencies as appropriate in coming to a decision on specific arrangements. Please note that SRG Wine Academy may not offer reasonable adjustments to any candidate until this has been agreed with WSET Awards. Candidates and their advisors should be aware that it is not appropriate to make requests for reasonable adjustments where the candidate’s particular difficulty directly affects performance in the attributes that are the focus of the assessment. SRG Wine Academy will keep records of all reasonable adjustment applications. All data collected by SRG Wine Academy will be dealt with in accordance with the SRG Wine Academy Data Protection Policy which is available online. Any personal data provided by students/candidates will be handled in accordance with our data protection policy.

Special Considerations

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 candidate 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 examination room conditions;
• Alternative assessment arrangements which were agreed in advance of the assessment proved inappropriate or inadequate; Applying for special consideration: Candidates must apply for Special Consideration to the SRG Wine Academy Nominated Educator within 4 working days of the assessment date. This must be a written submission including WSET Candidate number and the extenuating circumstances as to reasons why special consideration would be given to the Candidate. Eligibility can only be considered if accompanied by supporting independent documentation. Please send your written submission to info@srgwineacademy.com.au and this will be sent to the Nominated Educator. The application of special consideration would not mislead the user of the certificate as to the candidate’s attainment. Please note that WSET Awards does not offer awards unless all assessment requirements of WSET qualifications have been met. SRG Wine Academy will keep records of all applications for special consideration. Special Consideration can also be given if a Candidate has to miss scheduled classes due to temporary illness, injury, indisposition or adverse circumstances at the time of the classes. Candidates must apply for Special Consideration to the Nominated Educator of the SRG Wine Academy to be considered if they can join a subsequent class or alternative arrangements can be made to accommodate their learning. This must be a written submission including WSET Candidate number and the extenuating circumstances as to reasons why special consideration would be given to the Candidate. Eligibility can only be considered if accompanied by supporting independent documentation.

Diversity and Equality

WSET Awards is committed to upholding the principles of diversity and equality in all areas of its work, seeking to ensure that all APPs, candidates and other stakeholders are treated fairly and equally at all times.

This policy applies to all WSET Awards staff and to any individual acting on behalf of WSET Awards. APPs must have their own diversity and equality policy which complements the provisions set out below.

WSET Awards assures equality of opportunity for candidates by:

• Promoting open access to WSET qualifications (having regard to the legal minimum age for the retail purchase of alcohol and assessment competence standards);
• Ensuring that the format and content of all specifications, examinations and other WSET Awards materials do not discriminate unlawfully against anyone on the grounds of disability, age, marriage and civil partnership, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation (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;
• Ensuring that this policy is taken into account during the development of new qualifications and other WSET Awards projects;
• Requiring all APPs to have a diversity and equality policy in place which promotes open access to WSET qualifications;
• Collating and monitoring data on candidate age, gender, ethnicity and access arrangements, which are reportable in a non-attributable format;
• Inviting feedback on diversity issues from APPs, candidates and other stakeholders;
• Working with relevant organisations as appropriate to develop measures to identify and prevent inequality of opportunity; and
• Reviewing this policy regularly to ensure it continues to meet legislative and organisational requirements and is fit for purpose. WSET Awards assures equality of opportunity for APPs by considering applications from any organisation or individual who can demonstrate that they meet our approval criteria. We do not give any one provider exclusivity to offer our qualifications in a defined territory or region. Candidates who are believe they may have been unfairly discriminated against by an APP should raise this with the APP concerned in the first instance. This policy must be made available to candidates upon request.

Cancellations and Refunds

• Cancellations must be advised in writing, more than 14 working days prior to course commencement are eligible for a full refund minus the $50 Administration Charge. No refunds are made for cancellations advised within 14 working days of the course commencement.
• Courses are run subject to demand. If there are insufficient numbers, courses may be canceled or deferred. If a course is canceled you are entitled to a full refund minus the $120 cost of the study pack if not returned within 14 working days.
• Course fees cannot be refunded to participants who are unable to attend classes for reasons beyond our control.