Policies

Scroll down through the following sections:

Payments, Refunds, Low Enrollment, Admission and Responsible Drinking

Reasonable Adjustment

Special Considerations

Malpractice and Maladministration

Conflicts of Interest

Diversity

Equal Opportunity

Complaints

Data and Privacy Policy

Payments, Refunds, Low Enrollment, Admission, and Responsible Drinking

Payments in full are due at the time of registration for the course, payable through the website. Please contact us if you have circumstances that may preclude this, and we will attempt to make accommodations.

All courses are non-refundable, but you may transfer to another class up to three (3) weeks before the START of the course, and secure a spot in another course for no additional charge. All transfer requests must be received by email. Transfer requests received after this time will not be accepted.

Low Enrollment: On occasion we may have to cancel a class due to low enrollment or other circumstances. In the event that we cancel your class, you may transfer into the next session of class, space permitting, or you may receive a full credit or refund of the tuition, materials, and registration fees paid. If you transfer into a class that is more expensive than the cancelled one, you will be responsible for any difference in tuition or other fees. If the new class is less expensive, you may request a credit or refund of the difference. Students will be notified by email and telephone of the class cancellation.

Admission: All classes will involve the tasting of alcoholic beverages, so participants must be 21 years of age, and they should present identification on the first day of class.

Responsible Drinking: The class curriculum involves tasting alcoholic beverages and we strongly encourage spitting. In the event you feel you are not able to drive we will be happy to help you arrange transportation, at your own cost.

Policy for Candidates Requiring Reasonable Adjustments

Both WSET and Southeastern Beverage Education 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 Southeastern Beverage Education 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.

Southeastern Beverage Education 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 Southeastern Beverage Education, 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, Southeastern Beverage Education 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 Phillip Patti (phillip@sebeved.com) 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 working days before the exam date for Levels 1-3 qualifications. The information you submit will be shared with WSET and will be handled under WSET’s Privacy and Data Protection Policy.

Southeastern Beverage Education will keep records of all reasonable adjustment applications.

Policy for Candidates Requiring Special Consideration

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.

Applying for special consideration

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 Phillip Patti (phillip@sebeved.com) as soon as possible. Southeastern Beverage Education 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, Southeastern Beverage Education will submit a detailed report of the circumstances and candidates affected to WSET to request a special consideration.

Southeastern Beverage Education will keep records of all applications for special consideration.

Malpractice and Maladministration Policies

Both Southeastern Beverage Education and WSET have policies and procedures in place to protect WSET students and safeguard the integrity of WSET qualifications. Southeastern Beverage Education ensures compliance with Southeastern Beverage Education’s 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 Southeastern Beverage Education 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 this APP:

Failure to adhere to WSET Policies and Procedures;

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

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

Late student registrations;

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

Withholding critical information from WSET quality assurance;

Insecure storage of exam materials;

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

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

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

Failure to timely respond to WSET;

Unathorised reading/amendment/copying/distribution of exam papers;

Failure to report changes in APP ownership/personnel/location/facilities;

Denying WSET access to information, documentation, workforce, facilities;

Failure to return exam papers within the specified timeframe or to follow delivery and tracking regulations;

Infringements of WSET copyright, trademarks, intellectual property rights and brand identity;

Use of unqualified and/or unregistered educators or internal assessors;

Breach of confidentiality

Misleading advertising/publicity;

Any action likely to lead to an adverse effect.

For students:

Cheating, or facilitating 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);

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

Any action likely to lead to an adverse effect;

Breach of confidentiality.

In general, we also expect that both Southeastern Beverage Education 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.

Reporting and Investigation of Malpractice or Maladministration

As an APP, we aim to ensure compliance with WSET Policies and Southeastern Beverage Education’s 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 Southeastern Beverage Education as soon as possible by following the process outlined in our Complaints policy.

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

Managing Non-Compliance

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:

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

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.

Conflicts of Interest Policy

As an APP, Southeastern Beverage Education 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 Southeastern Beverage Education processes and procedures.

This policy applies to all Southeastern Beverage Education staff and students and to any individual acting on behalf of Southeastern Beverage Education.

A Conflict of Interest exists where an individual has interests or loyalties that could adversely influence their judgement, objectivity or loyalty to WSET or Southeastern Beverage Education 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 coaching of candidates by any individual involved in the assessment of candidate scripts;

• 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 Southeastern Beverage Education’s educators or APP staff takes a qualification and exam through Southeastern Beverage Education, or when an employee of Southeastern Beverage Education, or of the WSET, takes a WSET qualification through Southeastern Beverage Education, 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 Southeastern Beverage Education who becomes aware of a Conflict of Interest must inform Phillip Patti (phillip@sebeved.com) as soon as possible. Phillip Patti 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 Southeastern Beverage Education determine the conflict is not manageable, Phillip Patti 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 Southeastern Beverage Education because we are required to report conflicts to WSET.

Diversity Policy

Southeastern Beverage Education does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all students, staff, clients, volunteers, subcontractors, and vendors.

Equal Opportunities Policy

Any individual engaged with WSET Awards in the provision of our regulated qualifications, as identified under the scope of this policy, is required to make a Declaration of Interest by informing WSET Awards of any potential conflict of interest.  Certain individuals, such as those involved in the assessment process are also required to submit a signed declaration of Non-disclosure.  It is essential that any conflict of interest is declared to WSET Awards immediately to ensure this does not compromise our status of compliance with our regulator, Ofqual. Any APP who fails to declare a potential conflict of interest is in breach of our criteria for approval, and sanctions may be applied to their approval status as a result of any such non-disclosure.

WSET Awards has processes and procedures in place to manage actual or perceived conflict of interest.  These include the exclusive involvement of WSET Awards staff in the creation of all assessment materials, moderation of all internal assessment conducted by the APP and moderation of all written examinations not marked by optical mark readers.  There are of course many other instances of conflict of interest for which we do not have documented procedures in place.  Such instances will be handled on an individual basis to ensure that the integrity of our assessments is not compromised.

ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND PROCEDURES IN THE HANDLING OF ACTUAL OR PERCEIVED CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The Director, WSET Awards and the Centre Co-ordinator and Quality Control Manager have responsibility for the day to day managing of conflicts of interest relating to functions of WSET Awards.  The members of the Senior Management Team of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust have responsibility for the day to day managing of conflicts of interest relating to functions of the Wine and Spirit Education Trusts functions as a whole.

It is the responsibility of all individuals engaged in the provision of WSET qualifications, in all and any capacity, to promptly report any potential for conflict of interest to the Centre Co-ordinator and Quality Control Manager at WSET Awards.

All instances of conflict of interest will be recorded in WSET Awards Incidents Register, including details of steps taken to mitigate any adverse effect resulting from such conflict of interest.  The Director, WSET Awards is responsible for determining what action needs to be taken to mitigate any adverse effect and for deciding when and how matters relating to actual or potential conflict of interest should be escalated within the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, to the Board of Trustees or to the Regulator, Ofqual.

This APP fully supports the principles of Equal Opportunities. We strive to ensure that all candidates for our qualifications are treated fairly and on an equal basis

Equal Opportunities are assured by:

the selection, recruitment and training of those working for this APP;

consideration at an early stage in the development of new schemes or qualifications; ensuring that the format and content of all syllabi, examinations and other do not discriminate against anyone which is the responsibility of WSET Awards by whom we are approved to teach WSET qualifications; ensuring there are no barriers to entry to units and qualifications, which we deliver and/or offer, for disabled people, women or men, or people from different racial groups, other than those directly related to the integrity of the units or qualifications.  The nature of any barriers will be stated and the inclusion of the requirements that create the barrier justified only and explicitly in terms of the integrity of the unit or the qualification.  Details of how the effect of any barriers will be mitigated will be recorded, including using access arrangements or including reasonable adjustments. Clarifying the responsibility of all members of staff and/or consultants, who are involved in the delivery of WSET courses within this APP, to comply with this policy.  In particular external parties invited by this APP to contribute to these development arrangements must also, as representatives of relevant learners, ensure that the views of learners and others are taken into account in the development of QCF units and qualifications. anonymous assessment of examination candidates wherever possible; promoting practices and procedures that give equal opportunities to everyone; being required to have equal opportunity policies in place; the variation of any conventional rules and regulations for the conduct of examinations which might inhibit the performance of candidates with specific needs, provided that the standard, quality and integrity of the assessment is not compromised. working as appropriate with relevant organizations and agencies to develop measures to identify and prevent inequality of opportunity; making every effort to ensure that there is equality of opportunity in its assessment process, regardless of the candidate’s gender, age, racial origin, religious persuasion, sexual orientation or disability; ensuring, to the best of our ability, that any documentation produced does not contain language or images which may be regarded as offensive or stereotypical, and that they reflect the diversity of contemporary society;

This APP is an equal opportunities organisation and will consider applications from any organisation or individual who can demonstrate that they meet our approval criteria. This policy is published  on our website or Candidate Booking Form and will be provided to any student on demand

Monitoring

This APP  will comply with all current and relevant legislation and this policy will be monitored and reviewed annually.  At the time of writing relevant legislation includes, but is not limited to:

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974;

The Sex Discrimination Act 1975;

The NHS Community Care Act 1990;

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995;

The Asylum and Immigration Act 1996;

The Human Rights Act 1998;

The Sex Discrimination (Gender Realignment) Regulations 1999;

The Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulation 2003;

The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulation 2003;

The Equal Pay Act 1970 (Amendment) Regulations 2003;

The Race Relations Act 1976, The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, and Amendment Regulations 2003;

The Gender Recognition Act 2004;

The Employment Equality (Sex Discrimination) Regulations 2005;

The Employment Equality (Age) Regulation 2006;

The Equality Act 2006; and

The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulation 2007.

Note, from April 2010 the Equality Bill may come into force, which will replace all existing discrimination legislation and the Acts listed above.

As part of the monitoring of candidates registering for a WSET® qualification we will collect information on diversity, requests for special consideration, access arrangements and feedback from learners, centers and other stakeholders.

All relevant issues identified as suggesting our provision or services have unnecessary impact on learners will be reported back to the Centre Registration and Quality Assurance Manager who will be responsible for leading on introducing amendments to provision and/or services where necessary and in accordance with our documented procedures for developing and reviewing units and qualifications.  Details of the outcomes of each review will be made available to the qualification regulators upon request.

NOTE TO CANDIDATES

Candidates who believe they have been discriminated against should contact us in the first instance for advice.

Complaints Policy

Complaints against any action or practice which threatens the integrity of our courses, either APP center staff or representative or student should in the first instance be discussed with APP center contact.  The APP undertakes to investigate all complaints in a thorough and professional manner.  This includes, but is not limited to:

Notifying the complainant that their complaint will be investigated by a named individual within a given timescale

Informing the complainant of the outcome of the investigation in writing

Informing the complainant of the appropriate escalation of the complaint if the initial outcome is still unsatisfactory.

An outline of the problem and the main points should be documented and dated.

If the problem is not resolved at this stage the candidate should contact a higher authority in WSET.

Examples of complaints would be

Dis-satisfaction with teaching, facilities or administration of WSET courses

Allegations of discrimination or unfair treatment

Falsifying results, assisting candidates with answers

Allowing unauthorized material into the exam room e.g. phones, notes etc

Allowing candidates to copy from each other.

Disruptive behaviors e.g. talking during the exam

Please contact us with your complaint. Phillip Patti: phillip@subvinocompany.com. Please let us know of your complaint within seven (7) business days so that we may address it promptly. We will respond within three (3) business days to address the issue.

Complaints against the awarding body

Complaints against the Wine and Spirit Education Trust should, in the first instance, be discussed with the center contact as above and documented evidence will then be forwarded to The Wine and Spirit Education Trust who have their own complaints policy.

Candidates who are unhappy with their exam results can appeal via the center contact.

The Wine and Spirit Education Trust will investigate the charges are on the website:

www.wsetglobal.com

Data and Privacy Policy

Last Updated November 29, 2023

1. Data protection principles

SEBEVED is committed to processing data in accordance with its responsibilities under the GDPR.

Article 5 of the GDPR requires that personal data shall be:

  • processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to individuals;

  • collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner that is incompatible with those purposes; further processing for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes shall not be considered to be incompatible with the initial purposes;

  • adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are processed;

  • accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date; every reasonable step must be taken to ensure that personal data that are inaccurate, having regard to the purposes for which they are processed, are erased or rectified without delay;

  • kept in a form which permits identification of data subjects for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data are processed; personal data may be stored for longer periods insofar as the personal data will be processed solely for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes subject to implementation of the appropriate technical and organizational measures required by the GDPR in order to safeguard the rights and freedoms of individuals; and

  • processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the personal data, including protection against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage, using appropriate technical or organizational measures.”

2. General provisions

This policy applies to all personal data processed by SEBEVED.

The Responsible Person shall take responsibility for SEBEVED’s ongoing compliance with this policy.

This policy shall be reviewed at least annually.

3. Lawful, fair and transparent processing

To ensure its processing of data is lawful, fair and transparent, SEBEVED shall maintain a Register of Systems.

The Register of Systems shall be reviewed at least annually.

Individuals have the right to access their personal data and any such requests made to SEBEVED shall be dealt with in a timely manner.

4. Lawful purposes

All data processed by SEBEVED must be done on one of the following lawful bases: consent, contract, legal obligation, vital interests, public task or legitimate interests (see ICO guidance for more information).

SEBEVED shall note the appropriate lawful basis in the Register of Systems.

Where consent is relied upon as a lawful basis for processing data, evidence of opt-in consent shall be kept with the personal data.

Where communications are sent to individuals based on their consent, the option for the individual to revoke their consent should be clearly available and systems should be in place to ensure such revocation is reflected accurately in SEBEVED’s systems.

5. Data minimisation

SEBEVED shall ensure that personal data are adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are processed.

6. Accuracy

SEBEVED shall take reasonable steps to ensure personal data is accurate.

Where necessary for the lawful basis on which data is processed, steps shall be put in place to ensure that personal data is kept up to date.

7. Archiving / removal

To ensure that personal data is kept for no longer than necessary, SEBEVED shall put in place an archiving policy for each area in which personal data is processed and review this process annually.

The archiving policy shall consider what data should/must be retained, for how long, and why.

8. Security

SEBEVED shall ensure that personal data is stored securely using modern software that is kept-up-to-date.

Access to personal data shall be limited to personnel who need access and appropriate security should be in place to avoid unauthorised sharing of information.

When personal data is deleted this should be done safely such that the data is irrecoverable.

Appropriate back-up and disaster recovery solutions shall be in place.

9. Breach

In the event of a breach of security leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to, personal data, SEBEVED shall promptly assess the risk to people’s rights and freedoms and if appropriate report this breach to the ICO (more information on the ICO website).

We respect your personal privacy. We believe ensuring the security of your personal information is an important part of our job, and we strive to protect any personal information you may provide us. If we ask you to provide any personal information, we will tell you the purposes for which we intend to use that information.

If you register online, we only request the information needed to complete the processing of your registration. We will process this information with credit card processing companies in order to bill your account. We do not provide any more information than necessary for these purposes. We may also use the information to contact you regarding your registration.

Please note that all WSET course registration information is shared with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust in England for the purpose of ordering the appropriate exams or certificates and to obtain an individual candidate number on your behalf.

END OF POLICIES

These Policies will be available online, and updated regularly.