The Cork Wine School Policies

 

Terms & Conditions

Full payment must be made at least 10 working days before course start date – places will only be confirmed once payment is received and Student Services have emailed a booking confirmation.

Bookings made using the booking form will only be accepted.

Cancellations of confirmed places are accepted up to 10 working days prior to the start of the course. An administration fee of €30.00 plus the full cost of the study materials supplied will be deducted and the remainder of the course fee refunded to the payee.

Course materials are provided to students on the first day of the course.

The Cork Wine School, will not take payment from a student, until the course is confirmed. In the case of the course being cancelled, this will be done so, before payment has been taken, and at least 10 working days before course start date.

All Students must bring photo ID with them to exams

If a student fails their exam, we give each student an option to re-sit the exam, on the next exam date. The cost of a resit is as follows;

Level 1 Exam Re-sit – €50

Level 2 Exam Re-sit – €65

Level 3 Exam Re-sit – Theory €110/Tasting €90

If you have any further queries on the above, please do not hesitate to contact us:

Email: info@odonovansofflicence.com       Call: (021) 4296060

The Cork Wine School – Complaints & Appeals

Complaints Procedure:

As a Cork Wine School student you have the right to contact your app, with 100% guarantee of confidentiality and your complaint will not prejudice you in any way.

In the event you have an issue and you want to formerly make a complaint, please follow the following process:

  1. All student complaints should be made to your app: The Cork Wine School
  2. Your main contact at The Cork Wine School, is Gary O’Donovan.
  3. Complaints must be made in writing by emailing: gary@odonovansofflicence.com or info@odonovansofflicence.com
  4. If you are making a complaint, please include the following details in your email:
  5. Name, Address and any other contact information i.e. mobile number
  6. Full details of complaint, when, where, who etc.
  7. If you could define how you would like the complaint to be resolved.
  8. Details of any previous attempts made to resolve the problem.
  9. You should expect acknowledgment of your complaint within 3-5 working days.
  10. Gary O’Donovan/Rose O’Sullivan will be dealing with the complaint, with 100% guarantee of confidentiality.
  11. This process should take no longer than 30 days from acknowledgement.
  12. If after receiving a response in regard to your complaint, and you are still not satisfied, you have the right to appeal: We then will bring the complaint to review to WSET – awards@wsetglobal.com.
  13. You should expect acknowledgment of your complaint within 3-5 working days.
  14. The appeal process should take no longer than 20 days from acknowledgement.
  15. WSET at this point will follow their own complaints procedure
  16. If the above steps have all been completed and you the complainant are still dissatisfied, you have the right to file a complaint with the WSET about the APP.

If you have any further queries on the above, please do not hesitate to contact us:

Email: info@odonovansofflicence.com       Call: (021) 4296060

The Cork Wine School – Conflict of Interest

As a regulated awarding organisation, The Cork Wine School & WSET Awards 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 Awards processes. This policy applies to all Cork Wine School staff and to any individual acting on behalf of The Cork Wine School.

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 to WSET Awards when conducting activities associated with WSET qualifications. Examples of Conflicts of Interest in the context of an awarding organisation include:

  1. 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;
  2. 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;
  3. The tutoring of candidates by an individual involved in the assessment process;
  4. The undertaking of a WSET qualification by any individual employed by an APP;
  5. The undertaking of a WSET qualification by any individual employed by WSET Awards;
  6. The invigilation of a WSET assessment by any individual involved in the delivery of training leading to the assessment;
  7. The coaching of candidates by any individual involved in the assessment of candidate scripts or the authoring of examination questions;
  8. The employment by an APP of individuals engaged in the delivery of taught programmes or in the role of Internal Assessor in another APP;
  9. 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 the APP 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. For example, it would be inappropriate for an individual involved in the authoring of examination questions or the compilation of examination papers to teach or coach students.

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 and Compliance (HOQC) in writing immediately. Conflict of Interest declarations will be recorded by WSET Awards on the Conflicts of Interest Register. Please note that any APP who fails to declare a Conflict of Interest may be in breach of its terms of approval and sanctions may be applied in accordance with the Malpractice and Maladministration Policy. Where a Conflict of Interest is identified by WSET Awards rather than the individual(s) concerned, the HOQC will take steps to mitigate the effect of the Conflict of Interest and may apply sanctions to an APP in accordance with the Malpractice and Maladministration Policy.

Management of Conflicts of Interest

WSET Awards has procedures in place to manage specific Conflicts of Interest. These include the exclusive involvement of WSET Awards staff in the creation of all assessment materials, moderation of all internal assessments conducted by APPs and moderation of all written examinations not marked by optical mark readers. Other Conflicts of Interest will be managed on a case-by-case basis. The HOQC has responsibility for the management of Conflicts of Interest relating to the work of WSET Awards. The members of the WSET Senior Management Group have responsibility for the management of conflicts of interest relating to functions of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust’s functions as a whole. The HOQC will consult with the Director to agree how to mitigate any Conflict of Interest. The Director will decide when and how Conflicts of Interest and the steps taken to mitigate them should be escalated within the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, to the Board of Trustees or to the Regulator.

The Cork Wine School – Privacy Policy

The Cork Wine School is committed to protecting your privacy. At all times we aim to respect any personal data you share with us, or that we receive from others, and keep it safe.

The Cork Wine School complies with its obligations under data protection legislation by keeping personal data up-to-date; by storing and destroying it securely; by not collecting or retaining excessive amounts of data; by protecting personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure; by ensuring that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data and by guaranteeing total transparency on how we manage your data.

This document sets out our data processing practices and your rights and options regarding the ways in which your personal data is used and collected. If you have any queries please contact Rose at The Cork Wine School by emailing info@odonovansofflicence.com.

Why we collect your personal data

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

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

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

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

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

7. To process sales of products or services you have purchased from us.

8. To manage any account(s) for providing our online services including but not restricted to our Online Classroom and The WSET Global Campus where you have registered with us so that:

  1. We can provide you with the relevant products and services;
  2. You can access relevant course materials;
  3. We can fulfil our services and communicate with you about them;
  4. To verify your identity;
  5. To carry out research to better understand your requirements on the relevant products and services.

9. To send you marketing communications including information about further qualifications.

What personal data we collect

We may collect the following information about you:

  1. Your name, date of birth,  and contact details (this could include your postal address, telephone numbers and email address);
  2. Your payment card details (which are encrypted) when you purchase any products or services (should you pay for one of our products or services over the telephone, your card details will not be retained and will be securely destroyed);
  3. 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.

How we collect your personal data

When you register for a WSET examination with The Cork Wine School, you will be emailed a booking form, where you need to fill out all the relevant information, we are required to provide WSET Awards with some of your personal data for the purpose of identification and managing your qualifications and results. This includes your name, your date of birth, your gender, your unique candidate identifier and your email address. If you have any queries about how this information is provided and used, please email the info@odonovansofflicence.com.

Sharing your personal data with third parties

For us to provide you with products and services, we need to share some of your personal data with The WSET regulatory body.

What personal data do we share?

We need to process some of your personal data to fulfil your registration on any WSET-hosted events or courses. When you sit an examination for a WSET qualification, WSET Awards will process your script which may contain personal data. It may be marked, verified or reviewed by third-party examiners.

The Cork Wine School – Diversity & Equality Policy

The Cork Wine School 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. This policy applies to any individual acting on behalf of WSET Awards. The Cork Wine School assures equality of opportunity for candidates by:

  1. Promoting open access to WSET qualifications (having regard to the legal minimum age for the retail purchase of alcohol and assessment competence standards);
  2. 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);
  3. 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;
  4. Ensuring that this policy is taken into account during the development of new qualifications and other WSET Awards projects;
  5. Collating and monitoring data on candidate age, gender, ethnicity and access arrangements, which are reportable in a non-attributable format;
  6. Reviewing this policy regularly to ensure it continues to meet legislative and organisational requirements and is fit for purpose.

The Cork Wine School – Reasonable Adjustments Policy

The Cork Wine School 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:

  1. Changing standard assessment arrangements, for example allowing candidates extra time to complete the assessment activity;
  2. Adapting assessment materials, such as providing materials in large text format;
  3. Providing access facilitators during assessment, such as a sign language interpreter or reader;
  4. Re-organising the assessment room, such as removal of visual stimuli for an autistic candidate.

Applying for a reasonable adjustment, The Cork Wine School must identify at the time of candidate enrolment any special needs which may require a reasonable adjustment at the time of the examination. We then must submit a Reasonable Adjustment Application Form to the Assessments Manager at the WSET at least four weeks before the examination date in the case of WSET qualifications at Levels 1-3. This must attach supporting evidence. The specific arrangements for the examination process itself, or for marking, will be agreed in each case between the APP’s Examinations Officer and the Assessments Manager, 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 we 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. We must keep records of all reasonable adjustment applications.

The Cork Wine School – 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 candidate may be eligible for special consideration if:

  1. 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;
  2. Alternative assessment arrangements which were agreed in advance of the assessment proved inappropriate or inadequate;
  3. 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 aegrotat awards and that all assessment requirements of WSET qualifications must be met.

Applying for special consideration

The Cork Wine School must submit a Special Consideration Application Form to the Assessments Manager within 7 working days of the assessment date for which special consideration is being sought. Eligibility will only be considered if accompanied by supporting independent documentation. In cases of serious disruption during the examination, the Examinations Officer (Gary O’Donovan) must submit a detailed report of the circumstances and candidates affected to WSET Awards. This must be returned with the completed examination papers.

APPs must keep records of all applications for special consideration.

The Cork Wine School – Malpractice and Maladministration Policy

The aim of this policy is to protect the interests of The Cork Wine School 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; and

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 e.g. through failure to implement corrective measures, repetition of the incident, or subsequent attempt at nondisclosure 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:

  1. Failure to adhere to the terms of The Cork Wine School Policies and Procedures;
  2. Failure to comply with the Cork Wine School Code of Conduct;
  3. Fraudulent claim for certificates/fraudulent use of certificates/reproduction or forgery of certificates;
  4. Withholding of information from The Cork Wine School which is critical to maintaining the rigour of quality assurance;
  5. Submission of false or inaccurate information to gain a qualification;
  6. Cheating, including the use of unauthorised devices or materials;
  7. Disruptive behaviour in an examination;
  8. Plagiarism of any nature by students;
  9. Impersonation (including forgery of signatures);
  10. Any action likely to lead to an adverse effect;
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