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The Accredo Inspection Process

The eight stages in detail

1. RegistrationCreate an institutional account with a username and password, complete the registration form, and receive email confirmation. Ten minutes, no obligation.
2. Knowledge-exploration sessionAn online scoping call with Accredo's team establishes your institution type, scale, delivery modes, and readiness — and produces your fixed written fee quotation for the full four-year cycle.
3. Self-evaluation & documentationYou complete the application and upload evidence mapped to the ten Accredo Standards: policies, curriculum documents, staffing records, safeguarding arrangements, quality-cycle outputs, and outcome data. See the documents checklist.
4. Desk reviewYour inspection team reads everything before arriving, requests clarifications, and plans the inspection around the areas that matter most for your institution type.
5. InspectionOne to three days on site, or the virtual equivalent: observed teaching, learning, and assessment; facility and resource review; safeguarding checks; and interviews with leadership, teaching staff, support staff, and — always — students.
6. Report & decisionInspectors grade each standard (commendable / met / not met) in a written report. The Accreditation Board — not the visiting inspectors alone — makes the decision: award, award with conditions, deferral with action plan, or refusal.
7. AwardSuccessful institutions receive the certificate, the Accredo mark, and listing on the public register. Accreditation runs four years from the award date.
8. Monitoring & adjustmentAnnual monitoring returns, an agreed improvement plan customised to your institution, scheduled follow-ups where conditions apply, and reaccreditation in year four to retain member status.

What inspectors actually do on the day

Inspection is evidence-gathering, not ceremony. Inspectors sit in classrooms and observe real teaching. They walk premises against risk assessments. They pull student files and check that assessment matches stated outcomes. They interview students without managers present. They test whether the policies in the documentation are the policies in operation. The report quotes what was seen — which is why an Accredo award means something a self-declared badge cannot.

Frequently asked questions