Part II — Becoming an Affiliated School
Chapter 7 — Approval and Onboarding
Chapter 7
Approval and Onboarding
Approval marks the transition from applicant to Affiliated School.
It is followed by a structured onboarding process, during which
the School is brought into the operational systems of WEQSC —
the Portal, the curriculum frameworks, the training programme,
and the compliance calendar.
7.1 Review Stages
7.1.1
An application that has passed the completeness review is
subjected to substantive review by the Affiliation
Committee. Substantive review comprises:
- Eligibility verification against Chapter 5
- Assessment of infrastructure against Chapter 9
- Assessment of staffing against Chapter 10
- Assessment of financial viability against Chapter 12
- Assessment of governance against Chapter 12
- Assessment of digital readiness against Chapter 23
- Where applicable, a site inspection under Section 7.4
7.1.2
Substantive review is ordinarily completed within twenty
business days of the acceptance of the application for
review. Where a site inspection is required, the period is
extended by the time reasonably required to conduct it.
7.1.3
WEQSC will notify the applicant in writing of the outcome
of substantive review. Notifications are ordinarily issued
through the email address given in Section A of the
application.
7.2 Eligibility Verification
7.2.1
Eligibility verification confirms that each criterion in
Chapter 5 is satisfied. Where any criterion cannot be
confirmed from the documents provided, WEQSC may require
further evidence.
7.2.2
Where a disqualifying factor under Section 5.8 is present,
the application is rejected without further review, and
the applicant is so informed with reasons.
7.3 Assessment Against Standards
7.3.1
Assessment against the standards in Parts III through V is
conducted on the documents provided. It is not an audit;
the audit regime under Part VI applies to Affiliated Schools
on an ongoing basis.
7.3.2
Where the documents show that the school meets the minimum
standards in every respect, the assessment is favourable.
7.3.3
Where the documents show a deficiency that the applicant
has acknowledged and for which a remediation plan is
provided, the Committee may assess the application as
capable of approval on condition, under Section 7.6.
7.3.4
Where the documents show a deficiency that is not
acknowledged, or for which no remediation plan is
provided, the Committee may request further information,
require a site inspection, defer the decision, or reject
the application.
7.4 Site Inspection
7.4.1
A site inspection may be required where: the application
raises a question that cannot be resolved from the
documents; the affiliation sought is at ISCED Level 3 and
laboratory provision is not clear from the photographs; or
the applicant has been the subject of any prior matter
requiring verification.
7.4.2
A site inspection is conducted by a WEQSC inspector or an
inspector appointed by WEQSC. It is ordinarily conducted
within four weeks of the decision to require it.
7.4.3
The inspector verifies the declarations in the application
against observed conditions. A written report is issued to
the Committee within ten business days of the inspection.
7.4.4
Where the applicant withdraws after a site inspection has
begun, the applicant is liable for the reasonable costs of
the inspection, as provided in Section 6.13.3.
7.5 Categories of Decision
7.5.1
The Affiliation Committee may, upon substantive review,
decide the application in one of five ways: unconditional
approval; conditional approval; deferral; rejection; or
withdrawal by the applicant.
7.5.2
Unconditional approval is granted where
every criterion is satisfied and every minimum standard is
met.
7.5.3
Conditional approval is granted where the
Committee is satisfied that affiliation may properly be
granted, subject to the completion of specified remedial
action within a specified period.
7.5.4
Deferral is a decision to postpone
substantive decision where further information is required
or where a matter requires resolution before the
Committee can properly decide. A deferral is not a
rejection.
7.5.5
Rejection is a decision that affiliation
will not be granted. Rejection is accompanied by written
reasons and may be on grounds of a disqualifying factor,
failure to satisfy an eligibility criterion, or failure
to meet a minimum standard that is not capable of
conditional remediation.
7.6 Conditional Approval
7.6.1
Where conditional approval is granted, the approval letter
specifies: each condition; the action required to satisfy
it; the deadline by which it must be satisfied, ordinarily
ninety days from the date of the letter; and the evidence
that must be provided to demonstrate satisfaction.
7.6.2
Conditional approval does not take effect as affiliation
until every condition is satisfied and the Committee has
issued a notice confirming satisfaction.
7.6.3
Where a condition is not satisfied by the deadline, the
Committee may extend the deadline once, ordinarily by no
more than thirty days, or may treat the conditional approval
as lapsed. A lapsed conditional approval does not constitute
a rejection; the applicant may re-apply.
7.7 Approval Letter
7.7.1
An unconditional or conditional approval letter states:
the ISCED level or levels approved; the streams approved,
where applicable; the effective date, subject to payment;
the fees payable under Chapter 14; the deadline for
payment; the Portal credentials issuance procedure; and
the date of the first scheduled audit.
7.7.2
The approval letter is issued in the name of WEQSC and
signed by the Chair of the Affiliation Committee or a
delegate.
7.8 Fee Payment and Effective Date
7.8.1
Upon approval, the applicant is issued an invoice for the
five-year upfront affiliation fee of USD 3,000 and the
first year's annual affiliation fee of USD 900, as set
out in Chapter 14.
7.8.2
Payment must be received within fourteen days of the date
of the invoice. The Effective Date of affiliation is the
date on which the fees are received in full by WEQSC.
7.8.3
Where payment is not received within the fourteen-day
period, the approval lapses. The applicant may request a
single extension of up to fourteen days, at the discretion
of WEQSC. A lapsed approval does not constitute a
rejection.
7.8.4
Fees paid are non-refundable except where WEQSC is unable
to issue an Affiliation Certificate for reasons within its
own control.
7.9 Onboarding Package
7.9.1
Upon the Effective Date, WEQSC issues the School an
onboarding package comprising:
- The Affiliation Certificate, issued under Chapter 8
- Portal credentials for the senior officer and up to four additional staff
- The WISE Curriculum Framework, in current version, for the ISCED levels approved
- The syllabus and assessment rubrics for each subject in the approved levels
- The institutional handbook and compliance calendar
- Access credentials for the professional development portal
- Branding assets, in the forms authorised under Chapter 8
7.9.2
The onboarding package is issued electronically. Hard copies
of the Affiliation Certificate and the WISE Curriculum
Framework may be requested at cost.
7.10 Onboarding Call
7.10.1
WEQSC will conduct an onboarding call with the School within
thirty days of the Effective Date. The call is ordinarily
of ninety minutes' duration and covers: Portal operation;
data submission requirements; the compliance calendar; the
scheduled audit regime; and the scholarship and support
programmes.
7.10.2
Attendance at the onboarding call by the senior officer, or
by a person deputed by the senior officer in writing, is
mandatory.
7.10.3
The onboarding call is recorded and a summary is provided
to the School. No part of the call constitutes a variation
of this Framework.
7.11 Pre-Opening Compliance Window
7.11.1
The first ninety days following the Effective Date
constitute the Pre-Opening Compliance Window. During this
period, the School's first data submission must be completed,
and the first compliance check under Section 7.12 is
conducted.
7.11.2
The School must complete staff onboarding onto the Portal
within the Pre-Opening Compliance Window.
7.11.3
Failure to complete the requirements of the Pre-Opening
Compliance Window may result in the School being placed on
Provisional Affiliation under Chapter 29 until the
requirements are met.
7.12 First Compliance Check
7.12.1
At the close of the Pre-Opening Compliance Window, WEQSC
conducts a first compliance check. This is lighter than the
full audit under Part VI, and its purpose is to identify
early-stage issues that may be corrected before the first
annual audit.
7.12.2
The first compliance check examines: Portal access and
usage; submission of initial student records; confirmation
of teacher registration on the Portal; and confirmation
that branding under Chapter 8 is compliant.
7.12.3
Where the first compliance check identifies deficiencies,
WEQSC issues a First Check Notice, specifying each
deficiency, the corrective action required, and the period
allowed, ordinarily thirty days. A First Check Notice is
not an Audit Finding and does not of itself affect
affiliation status.
Further Resources
- Institution Management Portal —
wise.weqsc.org/portal
- Onboarding handbook —
wise.weqsc.org/onboarding
- Compliance calendar —
wise.weqsc.org/calendar
- Professional development portal —
wise.weqsc.org/cpd