The Sandford Award criteria
To help you decide whether the award is right for your organisation, and to support you in preparing your application, we have provided two key documents: our Eligibility guidance and our Sandford Award criteria.
The Eligibility document outlines who can apply and the basic requirements for entry. We recommend reading this first, as it will help you quickly confirm whether your organisation and learning offer are eligible.
The Criteria document explains what assessors are looking for and how applications are reviewed. It sets out the different areas of assessment and describes what strong, effective heritage learning looks like in practice.
You do not need to meet every example given. The criteria are intended as a guide to help you reflect on your work and demonstrate how your learning activities meet the aims of the Sandford Award. We recognise that heritage organisations vary widely in size, resources and context, and applications are assessed with this in mind.
Funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, these Sandford Award short films and case studies have been created in collaboration with Sandford Award holders and Sandford experts. They are designed to further support applicants by exploring each area of the Sandford Award criteria and demonstrating best practice in heritage learning.
If you are unsure about any aspect of the eligibility or criteria, we encourage you to get in touch — we are always happy to offer guidance and support.
“There are few ways nationally to demonstrate the high quality of our offers and having a valued range of criteria supports us in many ways when working with schools, looking for funding and demonstrating the value of our work.”
Banner image: The Old Royal Naval College Greenwich, Sandford Award holder