Vision and values

We express our organisational values as ‘integrity’, ‘possibilities’ and ‘people’.

Integrity

Our work has integrity at its core:

  • the integrity of our collection, and of the services and expertise we provide around it
  • our leadership role in the wider archives sector, supporting the integrity of other collections
  • providing trusted and independent advice and services across government and the wider public sector
  • enabling an increasingly open record and innovation in the use, re-use and sharing of data
  • transparency, accountability and honesty in describing what we do, and what we can do
  • impartiality and objectivity

Possibilities

We know that nothing is achieved without ambition: we value innovation and continual improvement.

  • We are always looking to see how we can improve in everything we do
  • We are prepared to learn from mistakes: we are not reckless, but neither are we risk-averse
  • We have the courage to suggest and test new strategies and solutions – and we encourage and support others in doing the same
  • We are collaborative and agile, moving quickly together to meet new challenges

People

We believe our most important asset is us: we are The National Archives.

  • We respect each other and our different audiences: we treat people courteously, honestly and fairly
  • We work together: we value the contribution of every colleague in every team, and understand that each has a unique contribution to make
  • We take personal responsibility: we expect the best from ourselves and each other
  • We celebrate excellence
  • We understand that we work better when we enjoy what we do