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EQUIS OVERVIEW

EQUIS PROCESS

The EQUIS process will typically require 2-3 years and in the most favourable circumstances, may be achieved within 15 months of application. The re- accreditation process is shorter.

Enquiry

Non-binding preliminary advice is offered to the management of your school about the likelihood of being declared eligible for EQUIS. A draft datasheet is a preferred way of providing structured information about your school.

Formal application

A school that wishes to enter the EQUIS accreditation process sends an application form to the EQUIS office and completes a datasheet.

Online Briefing

An Online Briefing will be organised by the EQUIS office as soon as possible and usually not later than three months after receipt of the formal application for entry into the EQUIS process.

This stage is designed to make sure that schools enter the EQUIS scheme with a full understanding of both the criteria and the process.

Pre-eligibility with optional advisory service

After sharing the briefing report with the school, the EQUIS office, upon request of the school, assigns an advisor who supports the school during the stage leading up to the formal application for eligibility.

Application for EQUIS eligibility

The school applies for eligibility by submitting a letter or formal email to the EQUIS office indicating its plan for submission to the EQUIS Committee and a final, updated datasheet, at the latest one month in advance of the target committee meeting.

The eligibility decision

The EQUIS Committee will declare a school eligible if it is satisfied that the school meets the eligibility criteria.

Self-assessment

The self-assessment report should cover the ten chapters of the EQUIS Standards and Criteria document in accordance with the guidance for self-assessment in Section 5 of the process manual. In this phase, pre-review advisory is an optional component of the process.

Peer review visit

A team of peer reviewers will visit the school to assess its standing as regards the EQUIS standards and to draw up recommendations for future progress.

The peer review report sets out the team’s final assessment of the school against the EQUIS quality criteria together with its recommendation to the EQUIS Accreditation Board regarding accreditation.

Accreditation

With the formal agreement of the school, the peer review report is submitted to the Accreditation Board for the final decision on accreditation. The outcome will be 5-year accreditation, 3-year accreditation or non-accreditation.

Continuous improvement following accreditation

All schools within the EQUIS system will be required to actively pursue a development plan, negotiated with the EQUIS office in the case of a 5-year accreditation or determined by the Accreditation Board in the case of a 3-year accreditation.

Re-accreditation

A school that wishes to maintain its accreditation must enter a process of re-accreditation before expiry of the three- or five-year period.

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