Leadership Quality Mark
Strategic leadership, staff development, distributed leadership, culture, accountability, and impact — what strong school leadership actually looks like from the inside, assessed…
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School Quality Marks
Governance Quality Mark
How your board operates — structure and effectiveness, strategic oversight, financial governance, accountability and challenge, community representation, and board development.
Governance
This mark
Inclusion
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Attendance
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Enrichment
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SEND
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Behaviour
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Wellbeing
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6Areas assessed
36Standards
3Levels of award
3 yrAccreditation
The assessment areas
What this mark assesses
The Governance Quality Mark assesses 6 areas of school practice. Each is scored, and together they build a full picture of where your school is and where it can go next.
AREA 1
Structure & Effectiveness
AREA 2
Strategic Oversight
AREA 3
Financial Governance
AREA 4
Accountability & Challenge
AREA 5
Engagement & Representation
AREA 6
Development & Impact
How your board operates — structure and effectiveness, strategic oversight, financial governance, accountability and challenge, community representation, and board development.
Six assessment areas
This quality mark assesses six areas of school practice. Each is scored, and together they build a full picture of where your school is and where it can go next.
About this quality mark
Governance Quality Mark is available at Established, Advanced and Leading level. Each level reflects a genuinely different standard of embedded practice — not just more paperwork, but a meaningfully higher threshold. Reviews are conducted by independent practitioners with direct experience in this area, and every report is quality-checked before it reaches you.
The Governance Quality Mark is designed for governing bodies, boards of trustees, and those who support them. It looks at governance in the round — not just compliance, but whether the board is genuinely effective in its strategic role.
How the scoring works
Every standard is rated red, amber or green against the level descriptors. Green means the practice meets the descriptor at that level. Your school completes an honest self-evaluation; your reviewer rates the same standards on the visit, and their ratings set the award.
The three levels
- Established — no reds, and at least 30 of the 36 standards green. Up to six ambers are allowed, with no more than two in any one area.
- Advanced — Established is met first, then at least 27 of 36 standards green against the Advanced descriptors, with no more than two ambers in any area.
- Leading — Advanced is met first, then at least 30 of 36 green against the Leading descriptors, with evidence of impact beyond your own school.
The assessment framework
Below is the detailed framework for the first areas, showing what Established, Advanced and Leading look like for each criterion. The full set of six areas with detailed criteria is provided once you register.
Structure & Effectiveness
| Criterion | Established | Advanced | Leading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Constitution & composition | The governing body or board has the right size and skills for the school it governs. Vacancies are managed. | Composition is reviewed regularly against the school’s strategic needs. Recruitment is targeted and active. | The board is exemplary in its composition — diverse, skilled, and renewed effectively. It is a model for others. |
| Meetings & quorum | Meetings are quorate, minuted accurately, and happen at appropriate frequency. | Meetings are well-structured, focused on strategy rather than operational matters, and make clear decisions. | Meetings are exemplary — governors are well-prepared, debate is substantive, and outcomes are monitored. |
| Committees | There are committees with appropriate remit and membership. | Committee structure is fit for purpose. Committees do substantive work and report clearly to the full board. | Committee structure is sophisticated and effective. It enables deep scrutiny without duplicating full board work. |
| Roles & responsibilities | Role clarity exists — the distinction between governance and management is understood. | Roles are clear and consistently applied. There is no drift into operational management by governors. | Role clarity is exemplary. New governors are inducted effectively. The boundaries are understood and respected. |
| Administration | Governance administration is competent — agendas, papers, and minutes are produced to appropriate standard. | Administration is strong. Papers are received in good time, are well-written, and enable effective meetings. | Administration is exemplary. The clerk or governance professional is a skilled, valued part of the governance team. |
| Compliance | The governing body meets its statutory duties. | Compliance is managed proactively rather than reactively. There is a clear annual schedule of statutory business. | The school is a model of compliant, well-managed governance. It supports others to meet their statutory duties. |
Strategic Oversight
| Criterion | Established | Advanced | Leading |
|---|---|---|---|
| School improvement | Governors understand the school’s improvement priorities and how progress is being made. | Governors scrutinise improvement planning effectively. They ask hard questions and challenge soft targets. | Governors are active strategic partners in school improvement. Their contribution shapes the direction of the school. |
| Self-evaluation | The governing body knows how the school evaluates its own effectiveness. | Governors engage critically with self-evaluation. They test conclusions and seek external validation. | Governors commission and contribute to self-evaluation. Their independent perspective improves its quality. |
| Data literacy | Governors can read and interpret data presented to them. | Governors actively request the data they need and can analyse it independently. | Governors are data literate and curious. They identify trends, ask questions not prompted by leaders, and pursue lines of enquiry. |
| Risk | The governing body has oversight of significant strategic risks. | Risk is managed through a live, regularly reviewed register. Governors understand the school’s risk appetite. | Risk management is exemplary. Governors can identify and articulate risk that school leaders may not have surfaced. |
| Vision & ethos | Governors can articulate the school’s vision and their role in shaping it. | Governors are genuine custodians of the school’s vision. They test decisions against it. | The governing body has played a significant role in developing and maintaining the school’s vision. It is living, not laminated. |
| External context | Governors understand the wider educational, regulatory, and community context the school operates in. | Governors apply contextual knowledge to their strategic decisions. They anticipate changes and prepare the school. | Governors bring high-quality external knowledge to the board. Their insight enriches strategic decisions. |
How the scoring works
Red, amber, green — against the level descriptors
Green
Meets the descriptor at this level — secure, consistent and evidenced across the school.
Amber
Developing — in place in parts, but not yet secure across the whole school.
Red
Not yet in place, or a significant gap to address.
We're here for youNot sure whether this is what you need? Talk it through with us first.
Register for the Governance Quality Mark
Schools, trusts and groups can register their interest today. We will get back to you to talk through the process.
Talk to us about the Governance Quality Mark
Tell us about your school and Shaun, our Founder and CEO, will get back to you. No pressure, no obligation, just a friendly chat about whether the Governance Quality Mark is right for you.
- A response within two working days, guaranteed
- You speak to our Founder and CEO, nobody else
- Initial conversations are always free
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