Governor Mark

Governor Mark is a national award. It is a kite mark which provides external evaluation of the quality of governance in a school.

Benefits – Why Governor Mark?

Governor Mark provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the impact of the work you do on outcomes for children
It is an opportunity to celebrate what you achieve in supporting your school(s) and academy(ies) through effective governance
It supports ongoing board evaluation and continuous improvement and provides an opportunity to demonstrate how you strive for excellence
Governor Mark will challenge your board to ensure that it conducts its business efficiently and effectively
Working towards Governor Mark will help to develop and strengthen strategic leadership in your school or organisation
Governor Mark provides evidence of your impact, effectiveness and compliance with statutory responsibilities to support the leadership and management judgement in Ofsted inspections

Achievement of Governor Mark will support recruitment of high quality and skilled governors who want to be associated with high performing schools and academies; it underpins effective succession planning
Governor Mark will provide you with confidence that you are doing the right things
Governor Mark is a collaborative process; it provides opportunities for team building, knowledge sharing, and personal development, ensuring that more governors will feel competent
Based on principles and knowledge of effective governance developed over many years, there is a natural alignment with the six features of effective governance that underpin the Department for Education’s Competency Framework for Governance.

What does research say about Governor Mark?

What do schools say about the Governor Mark process?

Guidance to Schools and Governing Boards

Guidance to Schools and Academy Governing Boards – PDF

Governor Mark How to Succeed – PDF

This is a challenging award. Not only does a governing board need to show that it follows good procedures and fulfils statutory duties, but there is a high value placed on evidence of impact – the difference the governing board makes to a school/academy.

Sometimes governors work hard and make a real difference, but no proper record is ever made of this. Governor Mark helps to sharpen practice as well as create the framework through which governor support and challenge can be shown through real evidence.

The Governor Mark Standards Document is freely available to any governing board for use as a comprehensive health check.

Governor Mark Standards Document – PDF

Should a governing board wish to apply for the award, you will find detailed guidance showing how to go about making an application in the Governor Mark Application Form.

Application Form and Evidence Grids

Governor Mark Application Form – DOC

Evidence Grid Sections 1-2 – DOC

Evidence Grid Sections 3-5 – DOC

Governor Mark accreditation lasts for a period of 3 years. Schools/academies wishing to continue to hold this recognition will need to reapply at the end of this period.

What people have said

“Thank you for feedback report and letter. These will go to the next Board meeting so that governors can reflect on what actions are needed to address the suggested improvements.”

“On behalf of the governors I would like to thank you for the rigorous and professional way that the whole process was conducted and the detailed feedback which will help shape our future planning.”

“The whole process was very enlightening. Firstly, our meetings are now a lot more structured around the actions we can take to have a positive impact. It was also an excellent opportunity to assess our ways of working, strengthen our procedures, highlight our strengths and weaknesses and discover what we can do to move forward as an effective, cohesive governing board.”