Our story

The Heritage Education Trust is a national charity and currently the only organisation providing independent quality assurance for heritage sites across the UK, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man through our flagship programme, the Sandford Award. The Trust has stewarded the Sandford Award for decades; our story is one of continuity and adaptation, rooted in a belief that heritage matters and that learning is at the heart of public engagement.

The Heritage Education Trust administers the Sandford Award in partnership with Lincoln Bishop University.

Here’s a brief timeline of our journey:

Pre 1977: The number of school groups making educational visits to heritage sites increases and heritage education provision expands

1977: The Council for Environmental Education establishes a working party, the Sandford Group, chaired by Lord Sandford, bringing together education and heritage sector representatives to promote high standards in education services based at historic properties.

1978: The Sandford Award for excellence in heritage education is established, with the first six awards presented.

1986: The Heritage Education Trust is established to take on the running of the Sandford Award and to advance the development of heritage education. Founder members include Lord Montagu of Beaulieu (representing English Heritage) and Commander Saunders Watson (representing Historic Houses - who later led the group which designed the History National Curriculum for England).

1994: The scope of the Sandford Award is expanded to include industrial heritage, museums and galleries.

Further expansion has taken place since then, and the Sandford Award now encompasses a broad range of heritage sites, including gardens and landscapes, wildlife parks and zoos, archaeological reconstructions, museum and gallery collections, archives, and historic ships. The Sandford Award criteria continue to provide a trusted mark of quality for heritage learning.

In 2027, the Sandford Award will mark its 50th anniversary.

Banner image: 2024 Sandford Award winners