Governor Mark - Guidance for Governing Bodies
Governor Mark is a governing body self-evaluation tool based on the descriptors for governance found in the 2003 - 2005 Ofsted Framework. This remains the finest description of what good governance looks like and can be found here.
Governor Mark is a national award developed by three local authorities - Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, through a partnership called GLM. It is a kite mark which provides external evaluation of the quality of governance in a school.
The Governor Mark Standards Document is freely available to any governing body for use as a comprehensive health check. These standards are much more important than the award, and if governing bodies use the standards to improve their work without ever seeking to apply for the award, GLM will have done its job.
Should a governing body 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.
This is a challenging award. Not only does a governing body need to show that it follows good procedures and fulfills statutory duties, but there is a high value placed on evidence of impact - the difference the governing body makes to a school. 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.
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