Accreditation Mentors are required to submit a report in support of their museum’s application for Accreditation (museums entering the Scheme) and with their museum’s Accreditation Return (since 2018 this is due every five years).

This resource covers:

  • The context of the report
  • The purpose of the report
  • The suggested content of the report
  • Where to access further information

The context of the Accreditation Mentor report

The most recent edition of the Accreditation Mentor handbook, published in 2011, states on page nine:

Contribute to the Accreditation return

Every three years (sic – the handbook predates the 2018 review of Accreditation, when the period between returns was extended to five years) the museum will be asked to provide an Accreditation return, undertaking a formal review. As part of this process you will be asked to write a report outlining your engagement with the museum, and your view regarding the museum’s compliance with the Accreditation Standard. Your report will be considered by an Accreditation assessor in the context of the Accreditation return assessment.

Completing an Accreditation review with the museum will inform your report and provide an opportunity to review your relationship with the museum. This is a good opportunity to revisit and renew or reaffirm your formal agreement to ensure that the relationship is working for both sides.

  • When reading your report, the assessor will be asking: is there evidence for effective engagement with and by the Accreditation Mentor in the form of visits and an annual review process?
  • You may find keeping a log of your contact with the museum a useful reminder of conversations, visits and topics discussed

Purpose of the report

You are writing the report in your capacity as the person with the professional training and expertise tasked to advise the museum on professional museum matters.

The assessor is looking to you to give a dispassionate professional view of the museum in the context of the Accreditation requirements.

Your report must be honest.  If there are areas where you feel the museum does not meet the Standard, you should mention these and explain what action the museum is planning to take to address the issue and the support you have given to help them succeed.

It is good practice to share your report with the museum management before it is sent off.  If it is submitted as an attachment with the return via Grantium, then the member of staff responsible will have access to it anyway.

If you want the report to be confidential and not shared with the museum, you can send it directly to the Accreditation offices, making sure to mark it clearly with the museum’s name and Accreditation number to [email protected]

Content of the report

Below is a list of suggested topics to include in your report.  Keep it to the point!

  • Accreditation Mentor’s name and name and Accreditation number (AN) of the museum being mentored
  • Number of visits/interactions that have taken place since the last report submitted
  • Date of the annual review meetings and who they were with
  • Confirmation that you have attended at least one meeting of the governing body a year and have received paperwork and minutes for all of them
  • Note of range of people working at the museum that you have met since the last report – staff, volunteers, trustees, managers
  • Any significant achievements at the museum since the last report
  • Any significant issues discussed/tackled over the year(s)
  • Any challenges facing the museum. How you will help them address these
  • Your opinion of the museum’s operations and management, whether it meets the Accreditation standard. If there are areas that cause you concern, describe them and the action you suggest the museum should take

Top tips

  • Highlight the achievements and the challenges at the museum
  • Be honest, professional and solutions focused in your report
  • Keep a log of your interactions with the museum, this will make the task of remembering five years’ activity and writing your report easier

Further information

Accreditation advice in the south west is provided by Museum Development South West.  Contact the team for technical and general advice or look on our website for further information.

In addition to this guide, Museum Development South West has produced a range of guidance documents to support Accreditation Mentors carry out their role.

The Accreditation guidance documents are available on the Arts Council England website.

Further information and resources to support the Accreditation Standard are available via the Collections Trust.

Download the guide (PDF) below

If you have any questions about our Accreditation resources or cannot find something specific you are looking for then please contact our Technical Accreditation Adviser on [email protected]