Accreditation: Maintaining the requirements between returns
Find out when and how you can prepare for your Accreditation return
Introduction
Preparing for your return
You do not need to wait for your invite or return date to begin preparing for your return. There are lots of things you can do between returns to help make sure you continue to meet the standard and are ready when your return is due. This will limit the amount of work you need to do when you do receive your invitation.
This is especially important if you know you have policies and plans that are due for a review or update soon. Museums that hold a Full Accreditation award, are expected to continue to meet the requirements of the Standard for the duration of their award period. Sometimes that means that a policy or plan will need to be updated between returns. If you have any that are due for review, you should proceed with that work, even if you are not expecting to submit an Accreditation return immediately.
Suggested action
Suggested actions
To help you plan and start to prepare your Accreditation Return, please find some suggested actions. You can do these at any time, you don’t need to wait for an invitation to get started.
- Review the standard (PDF, 366.81 KB) and guidance (PDF, 1.68 MB). Check that your museum is continuing to meet all elements of the standard and that you have access to all the documents you will need. The standard was refreshed in 2018, and it’s likely your last return would have been before then, so it’s a good idea to make sure you’re familiar with the 2018 standard and requirements.
- Check any Areas for Improvement listed in your last award offer letter and think about what progress you have made against them, and if there’s any work you can do in the meantime to complete them. If you haven’t completed them, you will need to tell us about any progress you have made towards addressing them and the expected completion date when you submit your return.
- Check the review dates on your key policies and plans needed to meet Accreditation Standard. As part of your return, you will need to provide a current, approved version of polices and plans. Your Collections Development Policy should be in line with the 2014 template available on our website (see the Accreditation guidance for more information).
- Consider preparing an access plan if you don’t already have one. This was introduced as a requirement in the 2018 version of the standard and so may not have been a requirement last time you submitted a return. Please see pages 60 – 65 of the Accreditation guidance for more information.
- Review your governing document to ensure it meets Accreditation criteria. The 2018 Accreditation Standard places greater emphasis on museums having an appropriately constituted governing body. For full details of the governing document criteria please see the Quick Reference guide to Museum Constitutional Requirements and the Museum Constitutional & Governance Arrangements Supporting Guidance.
- You will need to submit your return on the Grantium application portal. If your organisation is not already set up on Grantium, you will need to set up a personal user account and then an organisation applicant profile. You may find it helpful to read our Getting Started on Grantium guidance (PDF, 184.28 KB) tailored to the Accreditation scheme.
You can also review our webpage with advice and guidance for museums preparing a return , to help you get an idea of what to expect once you do receive your invite to return.
Content listing
Have a look at the museums interim schedule
Check out the latest information on the Museums Accreditation return schedule.
Find out more about the Return schedule 2024 and beyond
