About the Project
The Accreditation Scheme, launched in 2004, is being redeveloped in a project led by MLA, with the input of colleagues in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as crucial contributions from colleagues working directly in museums.
MLA is committed to developing Accreditation to strengthen it as a UK agreed standard. Accreditation will become a more powerful improvement tool as well as a more rigorous benchmark.
The Accreditation rollout programme, supporting museums to move from Registration Phase II status into Accreditation is rapidly approaching completion. Further details regarding participation can be found here.
There are now over 1400 Accredited Museums in the UK. All remaining museums with Registered Status have now been invited to apply for Accreditation, while over 100 new museums are working towards applying for Accreditation for the first time.
The revised standard will be announced in October 2010, at the Museums Association conference and at various events throughout the Autumn.
Consultation process
Research reports which are informing the development of Accreditation, 'The Development of Accreditation – Gauging the museum sector’s response' and 'Impact of the Museum Accreditation Scheme', plus MLA’s ‘Accreditation: The Way Forward’, based on earlier consultation are available in the ‘related links’ column on the right.
Consultation on the draft requirements for developed standard
Colleagues from the sector and beyond have contributed directly to the development of a new set of draft requirements for the next phase of Accreditation. We have consulted on these proposals via a brief online survey between 17 May – 25 June 2010.
To ensure confidentiality of the responses MLA has contracted a third party to collect and analyse the results. The final report based on the opinions of colleagues will influence the content of the next phase of Accreditation.
Next stage
Once the findings from the consultation are known, the detail of the standard will be amended. The requirements and the process will then be tested in a pilot phase. Museums of different scales and resources will work up new applications and returns based on the developed standard. We will then refine the requirements, guidance, process and support further.
At the Museums Association conference in Manchester on 6 October we will present ‘Accreditation: the new standard’. Further museum-based launches will be planned for the Autumn.
Introduction workshops and training will start in the New Year.
New applications will be welcomed from February 2011.
Phased returns for existing participants will be expected from April 2011.
Accreditation Committee
The role of the Committee in this process is to provide cross sector expertise and rationale to any proposals emerging from the scoping and consultation exercise. The Committee remain advocates for museum practitioners within the UK.
Advisory Panel
The Advisory Panel is made up of museum colleagues and stakeholders from many different organisations. The purpose of the Advisory Panel is to:
- guide the development of Accreditation
- represent the viewpoints/interests of the sector
- advocate the benefits of developing Accreditation and
- challenge the assumptions within the review.
The panel is expected to meet up to four times during the development process between May 2009 and September 2010. The Advisory Panel is made up of:
- David Adshead, Head Curator, National Trust
- Kate Arnold-Forster, Head of Museums and Collections, University of Reading, University Museums Group
- Chris Bailey, Director, Northern Ireland Museums Council
- Vivienne Bennett, Director of Visual Arts Strategy, Arts Council England
- Tony Butler, Director of Museum of Anglian Life, Association of Independent Museums
- Angela Doane, Director, Collections, National Maritime Museum & Royal Observatory Greenwich
- Diane Gwilt, Chair of ICON
- Nick Kingsley, Head of Standards, The National Archive
- Glen Lawes, Chairman, Accreditation Committee, MLA Board member
- Elizabeth Mackenzie, British Association of Friends of Museums
- Nick Poole, CEO, Collections Trust
- Trevor Reynolds, Collections Registrar, English Heritage
- Samuel Rowlands, Accreditation Manager, MLA Council
- Bill Seaman, Norfolk Museum & Archaeology Service
- Colin Sibun, Director, Army Museums Ogilby Trust
- Hedley Swain, Director, Programme Delivery, MLA Council
- Fiona Talbott, Head of Museums, Libraries and Archives, Heritage Lottery Fund
- Mark Taylor, Director, Museums Association
- Suzie Tucker, Projects and Policy Officer, National Museum Directors Conference
- Alison Turnbull, Head of Research & Standards, Museums Galleries Scotland
- Carol Whittaker, CyMAL: Museums Archives Libraries Wales
- Isabel Wilson, Project Manager: Quality & Standards, MLA Council
Contacts for the Development Project
Should you have any queries or comments regarding the Accreditation Development Project described above, contact Isabel Wilson, Project Manager: Quality & Standards (isabel.wilson@mla.gov.uk, 0121 345 7325), or Samuel Rowlands, Accreditation Manager (samuel.rowlands@mla.gov.uk, 0121 345 7328).