Both WSET and New Jersey Wine School want to make WSET assessments accessible for all students, so none are at an advantage or disadvantage based on a disability or differing ability. This policy and the reasonable adjustment process allows us New Jersey Wine School to work with you, our student, before an assessment to gather the information we need to submit a request to WSET and work with them to make arrangements that give students access to WSET qualifications.

A reasonable adjustment is any accommodation or arrangement that helps to reduce the effect of a known disability or difficulty that substantially disadvantages a student’s assessment. Using a reasonable adjustment does not impact how WSET grades your exam, or your result, but WSET cannot agree to reasonable adjustments where your particular difficulty directly affects performance necessary to complete the assessment outcomes (e.g. inability to smell or taste for a Level 3 Exam). The goal of a reasonable adjustment is to give you equal access to a WSET qualification, not to give unfair advantages over other students who take an assessment without the same adjustment, or to affect the overall reliability of the assessment outcomes that are explained in the course Specification.

Examples of reasonable adjustments may be:

· 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.

New Jersey Wine School will gather the information we need from you to submit a Reasonable Adjustment Application form to WSET. WSET must approve and arrange reasonable adjustments before the assessment activity takes place. Before completing enrolment with New Jersey Wine School, we will give all students access to this policy and the chance to identify any special needs that could require a reasonable adjustment. If a student identifies a special need, New Jersey Wine School will give the student the Reasonable Adjustment Application form as soon as possible and work with the student to gather the necessary information.

For any student seeking a reasonable adjustment, please contact Susan Hesleitner at 201-887-3233 with:

· Your full name;

· contact information;

· description of the special need, disability or differing ability that requires an adjustment; and

· supporting documentation.

You must submit this information at least 30 days before the exam date for Levels 1-3 qualifications and at least 2 months before the exam date for Level 4 Diploma. The information you submit will be shared with WSET and will be handled under WSET’s Privacy and Data Protection Policy.

New Jersey Wine School will keep records of all reasonable adjustment applications.

Special consideration is any adjustment given to a student who has temporarily experienced an illness or injury, or other event outside of their control at the time of the exam that significantly affects their ability to take the exam or their ability to show their knowledge and understanding in the assessment. Special consideration is only for things that happen immediately before or during an exam that have a material impact on your, the student’s, ability to take the exam or on your performance. To be eligible for special consideration, you must have completed the whole course and would have been fully prepared if not for the temporary illness, injury or other uncontrollable event. A special consideration may be for an individual (e.g. a student becomes ill the day of the exam) or a group of students (e.g. an exam is interrupted by a natural disaster).

You may be eligible for special consideration if:

· Your performance on the exam is adversely affected by an event outside of your control. This may include temporary illness, temporary injury, bereavement or exam room conditions;

· Reasonable adjustments which were agreed in advance of the exam proved inappropriate or inadequate;

· The application of special consideration would not make a passing result and certificate misleading about the student’s ability to satisfy the qualification’s assessment criteria.

If you have taken an exam, or your exam is immediately approaching, and you feel that you have a temporary injury or illness, or other uncontrollable event that has interfered with your ability to complete your exam, please contact Susan Hesleitner at 201-887-3233 as soon as possible. New Jersey Wine School will provide you with a Special Consideration Application Form, which must be completed and returned with supporting documentation within 5 working days after the effected exam. The information you submit will be shared with WSET and will be handled under WSET’s Privacy and Data Protection Policy.

If there has been serious disruption during an exam affecting a group of students, New Jersey Wine School will submit a detailed report of the circumstances and candidates affected to WSET to request a special consideration.

New Jersey Wine School will keep records of all applications for special consideration.

Both New Jersey Wine School and WSET have policies and procedures in place to protect WSET students and safeguard the integrity of WSET qualifications. New Jersey Wine School ensures compliance with New Jersey Wine School and WSET’s policies through this Malpractice and Maladministration Policy, which gives a framework for both us and you to identify, report and manage potential malpractice or maladministration.

Non-compliance with New Jersey Wine School or WSET Policies and Procedures can fall into two distinct, but related, categories:

1. Maladministration, where the non-compliance is generally unintentional, or the result of mistakes, carelessness,

inexperience or poor processes; and

2. Malpractice where the non-compliance is intentional or the result of a negligent or reckless action without consideration of the consequences of the action.

Context is important and the line between maladministration or malpractice is not always clear: for example, maladministration incidents may become malpractice (e.g. if you fail to implement corrective measures, repeat the same or similar incident, or attempt to misrepresent or hide information during an investigation); or there may be mitigating factors that turn potential malpractice into maladministration. Though malpractice and maladministration are distinct concepts, they can shade into one another. Malpractice and maladministration are always case, context and fact specific. Both APPs and students can commit malpractice and maladministration.

There are many ways that malpractice or maladministration could occur, including new ways we have not seen yet. But some  examples of malpractice or maladministration include: 

For APPs:

Ø Failure to adhere to WSET Policies and Procedures;

Ø Failure to follow WSET requirements for course delivery or exam regulations;

Ø Failure to follow WSET’s candidate registration and certification procedures;

Ø Late student registrations;

Ø Fraudulent claim for certificates/fraudulent use of certificates/reproduction or forgery of certificates;

Ø Withholding critical information from WSET quality assurance;

Ø Insecure storage of exam materials;

Ø Revealing or sharing confidential exam materials with candidates ahead of an exam;

Ø Intentional attempts to manipulate exam results so that they do not reflect the candidate’s actual exam performance;

Ø Issue of incorrect exam results/failure to issue results to students in a timely manner;

Ø Failure to timely respond to WSET;

For students:

Ø  Cheating, or facilitating cheating, including the use of unauthorised devices or materials;

Ø Disruptive behaviour in an exam;

Ø Plagiarism of any nature by students;

Ø Impersonation (including forgery of signatures);

Ø Unauthorised reading/amendment/copying/distribution of exam papers;

Ø Any action likely to lead to an adverse effect;

Ø Breach of confidentiality.

In general, we also expect that both New Jersey Wine School staff and our students should treat others and be treated professionally and respectfully at all times. We will treat inappropriate behaviour including verbal or physical abuse, persistent or unrealistic demands, or threats that cause stress to staff as misconduct and may report student misconduct to WSET as necessary.

As an APP, we aim to ensure compliance with WSET Policies and New Jersey Wine School policies and will keep records of potential or actual malpractice or maladministration by you, our students, or our staff.

We are required to notify WSET immediately of any non-compliance issues that could be malpractice or maladministration, so that WSET can investigate the non-compliance under their own Malpractice and Maladministration Policy.

We ask that you also raise any concerns or non-compliance issues that may be malpractice or maladministration with New Jersey Wine School as soon as possible by following the process outlined in our Complaints policy.

During WSET’s investigation, they may reach out to New Jersey Wine School or to you directly to request further information or conduct an interview. Please respond to any requests promptly and honestly.

If WSET identifies malpractice or maladministration, they will consider its impact and may apply sanctions. WSET will take all reasonable steps to ensure the sanctions do not disadvantage uninvolved students affected by malpractice or maladministration. However, in some cases, they may need to disallow or withhold results and/or certificates.

Potential sanctions may include: 

Sanctions Applicable to APPs:

Written Warning

A letter informing the Main Contact of the non-compliance incident and stating that further action will be   taken in case of recurrence/other non-compliance incidents.

Training

Training/re-training for APP staff, to be completed within a specified timeframe

Action Plan

A statement of specific actions to be implemented by the APP by a set date.

Use of Independent Verifiers/Observers/

Assessors/Invigilators

The   appointment for a specified period of time, at the APP’s expense, of   independent verifiers/observers/assessors/Invigilators to ensure that delivery of courses and assessments is

compliant with WSET Policies and Procedures

Invalidation of Results/Suspension of Certification

WSET may declare an assessment null and void. WSET may, for a period of time or until a specific matter has been rectified,   refuse to issue certificates to candidates from an APP

WSET will consider all relevant information on a case-by-case basis, balancing the facts with potential or actual effects, and against the seriousness of the sanctions against those effects. WSET records all malpractice and maladministration incidents for both APPs and students. If WSET determines that a student has committed malpractice or maladministration, they may apply one or any of the following sanctions:

Sanctions Applicable to Students:

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.

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

If you wish to appeal penalties or sanctions WSET has imposed due to Malpractice or Maladministration, please follow the procedures laid out in WSET’s Complaints Policy.

As an APP New Jersey Wine School is required to identify to WSET and assist in managing or monitoring actual, potential and perceived conflicts of interest (‘Conflicts of Interest’) involving both APP staff and students. This policy complements WSET’s conflicts of interest policy and works to safeguard the integrity of WSET qualifications and promote confidence in WSET and New Jersey Wine School processes and procedures.

This policy applies to all New Jersey Wine School staff and students and to any individual acting on behalf of New Jersey Wine School.

A Conflict of Interest exists where an individual has interests or loyalties that could adversely influence their judgement, objectivity or loyalty to WSET or New Jersey Wine School when conducting activities associated with WSET qualifications.

Examples of Conflicts of Interest include:

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

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

• 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 are manageable and therefore acceptable. For example, if family member of one of New Jersey Wine School’s educators or APP staff takes a qualification and exam through New Jersey Wine School or when an employee of New Jersey Wine School or of the WSET, takes a WSET qualification through New Jersey Wine School, we can notify WSET in advance and work with them to put in place measures to maintain the integrity of the exam.

Some Conflicts of Interest are not manageable and are not acceptable. For example, no mitigation efforts overcome the conflict created when an individual when a single individual serves as the educator and exam officer of an exam for a family member where an external invigilator is not available.

Any staff member or student of New Jersey Wine School who becomes aware of a Conflict of Interest must inform Susan Hesleitner at 201-887-3233 as soon as possible. Susan Hesleitner will inform the WSET of the possible conflict of interest and will work with WSET to put any protective or mitigating measures in place to manage the conflict on a case-by-case basis. If WSET and New Jersey Wine School determine the conflict is not manageable, Susan Hesleitner will inform any impacted APP staff or students.

Please note that the failure to declare a conflict of interest may have consequences for the student or New Jersey Wine School because we are required to report conflicts to WSET.

Complaints And Appeals

Students can notify the NJWS of a complaint by emailing: newjerseywineschool@gmail.comor calling Susan Hesleitner at 201-887-3233. All information will be kept confidential and will not prejudice the student.

Complaints need to provide: 

Ø Name, address and contact details

Ø Full details of the complaint or issue with any supporting documentation

Ø Details of any previous attempts made to resolve the problem.

Susan Hesleitner will deal with the complaint and acknowledge the problem in 3 working days. The NJWS asks for 20 working days from the acknowledgement date to respond to the complaint.

If the student receives a response and is still not satisfied, they should specify to newjerseywineschool@gmail.comtheir dissatisfaction and ask for further review. The NJWS requests 20 additional days from the appeal date to resolve the problem.

If the above steps have all been completed and the student is still dissatisfied, they may wish to file a complaint with WSET about the NJWS. Students may do so by contacting WSET’s Quality Assurance Team (QA@wsetglobal.com

New Jersey Wine School (NJWS) is committed to upholding the principles of diversity and equality in all areas of its work, seeking to ensure that all Candidates are treated fairly and equally at all times.

NJWS 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 New Jersey Wine School’s administrative and teaching methods 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 courses and exams without changing the demands of the assessment in line with our Reasonable Adjustment and Special Consideration policies;

· Inviting feedback on diversity issues from Candidates;

· 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 goals.

Candidates who believe they may have been unfairly discriminated against by the New Jersey Wine School initially should raise their concern with Susan Hesleitner at 201-887-3233 or by emailing newjerseywineschool@gmail.com.

If candidates are dissatisfied with the outcome of their complaint, they can after following the appeals process, contact WSET’s Quality Assurance Team at QA@wsetglobal.com.

Privacy And Data Protection

New Jersey Wine School (NJWS) shares your data with WSET.

Data includes Name(s), date of birth, gender, email address and documentation provided for reasonable adjustment or special consideration applications.  Purchases and orders made by you or on your behalf.  Your correspondence with us. 

Why we collect your personal information:  

• To register you as a Candidate with WSET and enable you to sit exams for WSET qualifications.  
• To administer and conduct your exam, including making arrangements for reasonable adjustments and/or special considerations.
• To communicate and issue your exam results and qualification certificate as appropriate.
• To provide you with post-results services such as enquiries against results and appeals and solicit feedback from you on NJWS.
• To process your registration for any WSET or NJWS hosted courses or events so that we can deliver these services to you.
• To send you information regarding the course or event for which you are registered (or which you have registered interest in).
• To process sales of products or services you have purchased from us.
• We can provide you with the relevant products and services.
• You can access relevant course materials.
• We can fulfill our services and communicate with you about them.
• To verify your identity.
• 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.
• To send you marketing communications including information about our qualifications and upcoming events.
• To investigate any potential maladministration, malpractice, or other non-compliance in connection with the delivery of NJWS & WSET qualifications.

Marketing communications-In general, we will not send you any marketing information uness you have requested to receive email/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 similiar items or qualifications.  We will always provide you with an opportunity to opt out of any further communication, by requesting it verbally, by email, by phone, or by unsubscribing from our newsletter database.  

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.

If we share your information with any other third party, we will let you know in advance.  We are committed to maintaining the security of your personal information.   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.

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.

All data passed to WSET will be handled in accordance with WSET's Privacy Policy.

Policy Update

We may update this policy from time to time to take account of any new business activity or to reflect any changes in law or best practice in relation to data protection. We will seek to make you aware of any significant changes to this policy by placing an update notice on our website.