Part II — Becoming an Affiliated School
Chapter 5 — Eligibility Criteria
Chapter 5
Eligibility Criteria
Before a school may apply for affiliation, it must satisfy a defined
set of eligibility criteria. These criteria are preliminary: they
establish that the school is capable of being considered, not that
it will be approved. The substantive standards against which an
approved school is subsequently audited are set out in Part III.
5.1 General Principle
5.1.1
A school is eligible to apply for affiliation if, and only if,
it satisfies each of the eligibility criteria set out in this
chapter. Satisfaction of some but not all criteria does not
create eligibility.
5.1.2
Eligibility is assessed as at the date of application. A school
that ceases to satisfy any criterion between application and
the Effective Date of affiliation must notify WEQSC within
seven days.
5.1.3
WEQSC may request documentary evidence in respect of any
criterion, and may decline to consider an application where
such evidence is not provided within the period specified
in the request.
5.2 Legal and Regulatory Standing
5.2.1
The school must be legally constituted under the law of the
jurisdiction in which it operates. It must be able to produce
a certificate of incorporation, registration, or equivalent
instrument of legal existence.
5.2.2
The school must be authorised under the law of its jurisdiction
to operate as a school. Where the jurisdiction requires a
licence, permit, or recognition to operate, the school must
hold one that is current.
5.2.3
The school must not be the subject of any regulatory sanction
by the Local Education Authority that restricts its operation,
whether in force at the date of application or suspended on
condition.
5.2.4
The school must not be insolvent, in administration, in
liquidation, or subject to any analogous proceeding under
the law of its jurisdiction.
5.3 Physical Infrastructure
5.3.1
The school must occupy premises that are, at the date of
application, in active educational use, and that it is
lawfully entitled to occupy either as owner or under a lease
of not less than three years' remaining term.
5.3.2
The premises must include classrooms sufficient for the
classes proposed for affiliation, a library or equivalent
resource centre, and sanitation facilities. The precise
standards applicable are set out in Chapter 9.
5.3.3
Where the school seeks affiliation at ISCED Level 3, the
premises must include fully equipped Physics, Chemistry, and
Biology laboratories meeting the specifications in Chapter 9.
A school without such laboratories may apply for affiliation
at ISCED Level 2 only.
5.3.4
The premises must satisfy the fire safety, structural safety,
and public health requirements of the Local Education
Authority. Where those requirements are not codified, the
school must demonstrate compliance with the standards set
out in Chapter 9.
5.4 Teaching Staff
5.4.1
The school must employ, or have firm written commitments to
employ by the Effective Date, teaching staff sufficient in
number and qualification to deliver the WISE Curriculum
Framework at each ISCED level for which affiliation is sought.
5.4.2
Each teacher must hold, at minimum, a bachelor's degree in
the subject or subjects they are to teach, or in a closely
related discipline. A teaching qualification is strongly
preferred and, in jurisdictions where it is a legal
requirement, it is mandatory.
5.4.3
No teacher may be employed who has been disqualified from
teaching by any regulatory authority, or who is the subject
of an unresolved finding of professional misconduct.
5.4.4
The school must be able to demonstrate an average
student-to-teacher ratio no greater than 45:1 across the
classes proposed for affiliation.
5.5 Financial Viability
5.5.1
The school must provide audited financial statements for the
two most recent completed financial years, prepared by an
auditor independent of the school.
5.5.2
The financial statements must show the school to be a going
concern. A qualified opinion, adverse opinion, or disclaimer
of opinion in either year will ordinarily disqualify the
application, unless the matter giving rise to the
qualification has been resolved and evidence of the
resolution is provided.
5.5.3
The school must have no history of default, in the preceding
three years, on any financial obligation owed to employees,
suppliers, or public authorities, exceeding thirty days
beyond the due date.
5.5.4
The school must demonstrate that its fee revenue, existing
reserves, or committed funding are sufficient to meet its
operating costs and its affiliation fees for the first
Affiliation Cycle, without reliance on any WEQSC grant.
5.6 Governance Capacity
5.6.1
The school must have a clearly identified senior officer —
Principal, Director, Head, or equivalent — with authority
to bind the school in respect of its affiliation obligations.
5.6.2
Where the school is governed by a board of directors,
trustees, or equivalent body, the composition of that body
must be documented, and the body must include at least one
member with responsibility for academic matters.
5.6.3
The school must have written policies governing admission,
discipline, grievance, and fee structure, and must be able
to produce them on request.
5.6.4
The school must have a designated senior officer responsible
for data protection, or must commit in writing to designate
one within ninety days of the Effective Date.
5.7 Digital Readiness
5.7.1
The school must have, at the date of application, a
functioning internet connection sufficient to operate the
Institution Management Portal, with a minimum sustained
downstream speed of two megabits per second.
5.7.2
The school must have at least one computing device capable
of running a current browser, and at least one designated
member of staff competent to operate the Portal.
5.7.3
The school must have a functioning institutional email
address and a telephone line that receives calls during
business hours.
5.7.4
The school must not have experienced, in the preceding two
years, a data breach that it failed to disclose to the
affected persons or to the competent authority.
5.8 Disqualifying Factors
5.8.1
A school is ineligible to apply if any of the following
applies, regardless of satisfaction of the criteria in
Sections 5.2 through 5.7.
5.8.2
Prior termination for fraud. The school, or
any person holding a controlling interest in it, has
previously been affiliated with WEQSC and had that
affiliation terminated on grounds of fraud, credential
falsification, or material misrepresentation.
5.8.3
Outstanding obligations. The school, or any
person holding a controlling interest in it, owes WEQSC any
amount that is overdue, or has failed to comply with any
order of the Affiliation Committee.
5.8.4
Pending investigation. The school, or any
person holding a controlling interest in it, is the subject
of a current investigation by WEQSC or by a regulatory
authority in any jurisdiction, in respect of an allegation
of examination malpractice, credential fraud, or harm to
students.
5.8.5
Regulatory prohibition. The school operates
in a jurisdiction in which the establishment or operation of
a WEQSC-affiliated school is prohibited by law.
5.8.6
Sanctioned persons. The school, or any person
holding a controlling interest in it, is the subject of
sanctions imposed by the Swiss Confederation, the United
Nations, or any jurisdiction with which WEQSC operates.
5.9 Eligibility by Affiliation Level
5.9.1
ISCED Level 2 only. A school seeking
affiliation at ISCED Level 2 only must satisfy the criteria
in Sections 5.2 through 5.8, and must offer Classes 9 and 10.
5.9.2
ISCED Levels 2 and 3. A school seeking
affiliation at both ISCED Level 2 and ISCED Level 3 must
satisfy the criteria in Sections 5.2 through 5.8, must offer
Classes 9 through 12, must offer at least one of the three
streams set out in Chapter 4, and must have fully equipped
Physics, Chemistry, and Biology laboratories as specified in
Chapter 9.
5.9.3
A school may not seek affiliation at ISCED Level 3 only. Any
affiliation at ISCED Level 3 is, by definition, an affiliation
at both Levels 2 and 3.
5.10 Re-application After Rejection
5.10.1
A school whose application is rejected may re-apply at any
time, provided that where rejection was on grounds of a
disqualifying factor under Section 5.8, the factor has been
resolved to WEQSC's reasonable satisfaction.
5.10.2
Where an application is rejected for reasons other than a
disqualifying factor, WEQSC will provide written reasons. The
school may re-apply upon remedying the deficiencies
identified in the reasons.
5.10.3
A rejected applicant has no right of appeal against the
rejection itself, but may seek reconsideration in accordance
with Chapter 35 where it believes the decision was made on
a material factual error.
Further Resources
- Eligibility self-check —
wise.weqsc.org/eligibility
- Documentary requirements —
wise.weqsc.org/apply/documents
- Frequently asked questions —
wise.weqsc.org/apply/faq