Approval and Onboarding

Approval Letter

An unconditional or conditional approval letter states:

• The qualification level or levels approved;
• The streams approved, where applicable;
• The effective date, subject to payment;
• The fees payable;
• The deadline for payment;
• The Portal credentials issuance procedure;
• The date of the first scheduled audit.

The approval letter is issued in the name of WEQSC and signed by the Chair of the Accreditation Committee or a delegate.

Fee Payment and Effective Date

Upon approval, the applicant is issued an invoice for the applicable accreditation fees, as set out in the Financial Framework.

Payment must be received within fourteen days of the date of the invoice. The Effective Date of accreditation is the date on which the fees are received in full by WEQSC.

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.

Onboarding Package

Upon the Effective Date, WEQSC issues the school an onboarding package comprising:

• The Affiliation Certificate;
• Portal credentials for the senior officer and up to four additional staff;
• The WISE Curriculum Framework, in current version, for the qualification 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 by the Secretariat.

The onboarding package is issued electronically. Hard copies of the Affiliation Certificate and the WISE Curriculum Framework may be requested at cost.

Onboarding Call

WEQSC conducts 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;
• The scholarship and support programmes.

Attendance at the onboarding call by the senior officer, or by a person deputed by the senior officer in writing, is mandatory.

Pre-Opening Compliance Window

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 is conducted.

Failure to complete the requirements of the Pre-Opening Compliance Window may result in the school being placed on Provisional Accreditation until the requirements are met.

First Compliance Check

At the close of the Pre-Opening Compliance Window, WEQSC conducts a first compliance check. This is lighter than the full audit, and its purpose is to identify early-stage issues that may be corrected before the first annual audit.

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 accreditation status.

Conclusion

The approval and onboarding process is designed to ensure that a newly accredited school is equipped with the resources, information, and support necessary to deliver the WISE programme in full compliance with the WEQSC framework. All onboarding procedures not expressly set out in this portal must follow the Secretariat's official bylaws.