Enrichment Quality Mark
Curriculum breadth, extracurricular opportunity, community partnerships, and meaningful participation — the full picture of what a school offers beyond core academic study.
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School Quality Marks
Leadership Quality Mark
Strategic leadership, staff development, distributed leadership, culture, accountability, and impact — what strong school leadership actually looks like from the inside, assessed by someone who has no reason to be generous.
Leadership
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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Governance
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6Areas assessed
36Standards
3Levels of award
3 yrAccreditation
The assessment areas
What this mark assesses
The Leadership 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
Vision & Strategy
AREA 2
Leadership Culture & Values
AREA 3
Staff Development & Wellbeing
AREA 4
Distributed Leadership
AREA 5
Accountability & Governance
AREA 6
Impact & Improvement
Strategic leadership, staff development, distributed leadership, culture, accountability, and impact — what strong school leadership actually looks like from the inside, assessed by someone who has no reason to be generous.
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
Leadership 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 Leadership Quality Mark looks at leadership in the round — not just whether the headteacher is effective, but whether leadership is distributed, developed, and embedded across the school. It works for all school types and phases.
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.
Vision & Strategy
| Criterion | Established | Advanced | Leading |
|---|---|---|---|
| A clear direction | The school has a clear vision that leaders and staff can articulate. | The vision shapes how resources are allocated and how improvement is planned. | The vision is co-created with the school community and demonstrably drives every significant decision. |
| Strategic planning | There is a school improvement plan that is known and used. | The plan is ambitious, evidence-informed, and reviewed regularly. Progress is tracked honestly. | The plan is exemplary — specific, evidenced, and used to hold every part of the school to account. |
| Use of data | Leaders use data to understand where the school is and where it needs to improve. | Data is used well — to question assumptions, identify gaps, and prioritise action. | The school is sophisticated in its use of data. It benchmarks, questions its own findings, and acts on what it finds. |
| External perspective | The school engages in some form of external review or benchmarking. | External perspectives are actively sought and used to challenge and improve internal practice. | The school is a genuine learning organisation. External challenge is welcomed and acted upon. |
| Responsiveness | Leadership responds to what it finds — plans change when evidence shows they should. | Leaders make difficult decisions based on what the evidence shows, even when it is uncomfortable. | The school can demonstrate specific examples where honest evaluation led to significant change. |
| Communication | Leaders communicate the school’s direction clearly to staff, governors, pupils, and families. | Communication is genuine — it listens as well as tells. Leaders adjust plans based on what they hear. | Communication is exemplary. Every stakeholder group understands and can contribute to the school’s direction. |
Staff Development & Wellbeing
| Criterion | Established | Advanced | Leading |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPD offer | There is a regular, planned CPD offer for all staff. | CPD is purposeful, targeted, and tied to the school’s improvement priorities. Staff can point to what has changed. | CPD is exemplary — differentiated, evidenced, and celebrated. The school is a place where people grow professionally. |
| Staff wellbeing | The school takes some steps to support staff wellbeing. | Staff wellbeing is actively managed. There are structures, not just intentions. | The school is a genuinely great place to work. Wellbeing data supports this and drives continuous improvement. |
| Talent identification | The school identifies staff who have potential to take on greater responsibility. | Talent development is deliberate — people are stretched, supported, and given opportunities to grow. | The school develops leaders who go on to lead other schools. Its reputation as a career destination is deserved. |
| Appraisal | There is a performance management process for all staff. | Appraisal is meaningful and developmental, not just a compliance exercise. | Appraisal is excellent. It motivates, stretches, and develops every member of staff. |
| Recruitment & retention | The school can recruit and retain good staff. | Retention is strong. The school can articulate why people stay and what it does to make that happen. | The school is a destination employer. It attracts strong candidates and keeps them. |
| Workload | The school takes some steps to manage staff workload. | Workload is actively managed. Leaders audit it, act on what they find, and model healthy boundaries. | Workload management is exemplary. The school can demonstrate that what it does makes a real difference. |
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 Leadership 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 Leadership 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 Leadership 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
Say hello
Just a few details and Shaun will be in touch.
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