ProtectED Accredited Institution Award

Apply for ProtectED Accreditation

In response to feedback from ProtectED Membership, there is now one 'submission window' for ProtectED Accreditation applications every year — 1 March to 31 May.

Accordingly, the next application submission window will be:

Monday 3 March 2025 – Application submission window opens
Friday 30 May 2025 – Application submission window closes

Member institutions must notify ProtectED of their intention to apply at least two months before their chosen submission date. This enables the relevant accreditation resources (including Peer Review Panels and ProtectED Approved Assessors) to be scheduled.

The next window for sending intentions to apply for ProtectED accreditation opens Wednesday 1 January 2025 and closes Friday 28 February 2025.

Intention to apply emails should be sent to application@protect-ed.org.

Anchor 1

The accreditation process

The ProtectED accreditation process is based on a three-part process of Membership and Self-Assessment, Peer Review Assessment and Independent Verification by trained assessors.

ProtectED Accreditation — High Level Process

Anchor 2

Membership and Self-Assessment

Applicants must be a ProtectED Member and have no outstanding membership fees. The member HEI should review the ProtectED Code of Practice, and begin to set up a Self-Assessment Team. The Self-Assessment team will conduct the self-assessment of the HEI activities against all criteria in the ProtectED Code of Practice. The results of the self-assessment are recorded on the ProtectED Application Form.

Anchor 3

Peer Review Assessment

This process of peer review assessment and independent verification determines an institution’s competency, authority, and credibility in meeting the ProtectED Code of Practice, and potentially being awarded an accreditation certificate. To achieve ProtectED accreditation, the HEI must meet all the criteria in the Code of Practice at the required level or above.

Anchor 4

Independent Verification

Independent verification is carried out by means of the Verification Visit by ProtectED Approved Assessors, and trained Student Assessors. The Verification Visit follows a formal protocol, and includes an initial briefing and scheduling meeting at the member institution to plan the Assessors’ visit.

The Verification Visit results in the Verification Visit Report, which is submitted — along with Peer Review Panel recommendations — for consideration by the ProtectED Assessment Board.

Anchor 5

Award levels

Currently, there is a single level of ProtectED award — the ProtectED Accredited Institution award.

ProtectED accreditation is assessed and awarded every three years via a 'major assessment'.

As the number of institutions undertaking ProtectED assessment grows and evidence of best practice in the HEI sector is gathered, it is envisaged that further levels of ProtectED award may be defined for institutions able to demonstrate practice exceeding the minimum ‘Required level’.