Founding Trust Partnerships Open

Limited places available for schools joining LANDMARK in its inaugural year. Enquire today.

The Award for School Leadership Excellence
British Standard

Great schools are
defined by
great leadership.

LANDMARK recognises schools where leadership is visionary, ethical, distributed and transformative — at every level, in every corridor, every day. A rigorous British quality mark built by school leaders, for school leaders — and increasingly, for schools across the world that value British educational standards.

8 Staging Posts
3 Award Tiers
76 Criteria
Scroll
What is LANDMARK?

A quality mark for
the whole of leadership

LANDMARK is the first quality mark designed exclusively to assess, recognise and celebrate leadership excellence at every level of a school — from the governing body to the newest subject leader, from the executive headteacher to the aspiring middle leader.

Where other quality marks focus on outcomes, provision or a single dimension of school life, LANDMARK focuses on what drives everything else: the quality of leadership and management. Outstanding schools are built on outstanding leadership — and outstanding leadership deserves to be evidenced, recognised and celebrated.

"LANDMARK was built by practising headteachers who are still in schools, still making the decisions the framework assesses. It is rigorous enough to mean something and supportive enough to develop something."

LANDMARK is co-founded by Max Kelly — Executive Headteacher of three primary schools across four sites on the Isle of Man and an IQM assessor across the UK, NI and Middle East — and Suzanne Owens — an international education leader, qualified British Schools Overseas (BSO) Inspector and NAHT North West Regional President, the first Isle of Man member ever to hold that position.

LANDMARK is a journey, not a destination. Schools begin with LANDMARK Accredited and progress — through years of sustained excellence — to LANDMARK Distinguished and ultimately LANDMARK Premier. Annual reaccreditation ensures the kitemark always means something.

L eadership
A ND
M anagement
A ccreditation,
R ecognition and
K ite-mark for
S chools
A British Quality Mark for School Leadership Grounded in British educational values — built for schools across the world that share them
8 Staging Posts
76 Criteria
3 Award Tiers
Built by practitioners

The Co-Founders

Two school leaders with over 55 years of combined experience across the UK and internationally. Still practising. Still accountable. Still making the decisions the LANDMARK framework assesses every day.

Max Kelly — CORRECT
Max Kelly Co-Founder
Visit manxmaxim.com ↗

Executive Headteacher of three primary schools across four sites on the Isle of Man — holding executive responsibility on behalf of the Isle of Man Government through the Department of Education, Sport and Culture. An IQM assessor across the UK, Northern Ireland, the Middle East and India, and a podcaster and writer on school leadership through his platform Manx Maxim — Built for Leadership. Max brings a rare combination of multi-school executive leadership, quality mark assessment experience across four countries, and a deep conviction that leadership is the single most important variable in any school.

Executive Headteacher — Laxey, Willaston & Scoill yn Jubilee, Isle of Man
IQM Assessor — UK, Northern Ireland, Middle East & India
Podcaster & writer — Manx Maxim: Leaders, Human Edge, Eduvators
Suzanne Owens
Suzanne Owens Co-Founder
Visit suzanneowens.co.uk ↗

An executive education leader with over 30 years of experience, including 25 years in senior leadership across the UK and international settings. Suzanne has led schools across England and the Isle of Man, founded and led an international primary school in the Middle East, and brings a genuinely global perspective on what excellent leadership looks like across cultures and contexts. As a qualified British Schools Overseas (BSO) Inspector — a DfE-approved, Ofsted-monitored inspection framework — she is one of a select group of practitioners formally credentialled to assess British school quality on the international stage.

Executive Education Leader — UK, North West England & Middle East
Qualified BSO Inspector — British Schools Overseas, DfE approved & Ofsted monitored
NAHT Branch Secretary IoM | NW Regional President — first IoM member to hold this position
The Assessment Framework

8 Staging Posts
of Leadership Excellence

Every school is assessed against all 8 Staging Posts. Together they create a comprehensive and demanding picture of leadership quality across the whole organisation — no level of leadership is left unexamined.

01 Leadership Vision and Values

Is the vision compelling, genuinely shared and visibly lived at every level? Do leaders model the values they articulate?

Ofsted: Leadership & Governance
02 Strategic Leadership and School Improvement

Is the SLT ambitious and honest? Does the School Improvement Plan drive real, sustained and evidenced change?

Ofsted: Leadership & Governance
03 Middle Leadership and Distributed Leadership

Are middle leaders empowered, effective and genuinely influential? Is leadership distributed with purpose and trust?

Ofsted: Curriculum & Teaching
04 Financial Leadership and Resource Management

Are resources deployed strategically, transparently and ethically in the best interests of pupils and staff?

Ofsted: Leadership & Governance
05 Ethical Leadership and Professional Conduct

Do leaders demonstrate integrity, moral courage and genuine accountability? Is staff wellbeing a real priority?

Ofsted: Safeguarding + Leadership
06 Inclusive Leadership

Does leadership actively champion equity, diversity and belonging — for staff as much as for pupils?

Ofsted: Inclusion
07 Staff Development and Growing Leadership

Does the school invest in its people and grow the next generation of leaders through coaching, CPD and succession?

Ofsted: Curriculum & Teaching
08 Governance and Accountability

Does the governing body challenge, support and hold leaders to account with intelligence, rigour and genuine engagement?

Ofsted: Leadership & Governance
Three Tiers of Achievement

The LANDMARK
journey

LANDMARK is a journey, not a one-off event. Schools progress through three tiers over a minimum of three years — each tier demanding more, recognising more and giving more back to the school and the profession. Annual reaccreditation is required at every tier.

I
Year 1 — Foundation LANDMARK
Accredited

The foundation award. Schools are assessed against all 8 Staging Posts. To achieve accreditation, good practice must be demonstrated across all Staging Posts — no area of leadership can be significantly weak.

  • Full assessment day with experienced assessor
  • Comprehensive written report
  • LANDMARK Development Plan
  • LANDMARK Accredited kitemark
  • Access to the LANDMARK network
II
Year 2 — After 1 year at Accredited LANDMARK
Distinguished

Distinguished schools go beyond their own walls. They share practice, build a culture of research and enquiry and demonstrate sustained impact. Distinguished cannot be achieved in Year 1 under any circumstances.

  • Outward leadership — sharing practice beyond the school
  • Evidence of leadership research and enquiry
  • Sustained impact demonstrated from Year 1
  • Robust staff voice shaping leadership practice
  • LANDMARK Distinguished kitemark
III
Year 3 — The Pinnacle LANDMARK
Premier

The highest honour LANDMARK bestows. Premier schools are sector leaders — mentoring others, driving innovation and shaping national leadership dialogue. Three years minimum. Non-negotiable.

  • Sector leadership at regional or national level
  • Genuine innovation in leadership approach
  • Formal mentoring of other LANDMARK schools
  • Exceptional governance — strategic and outward-facing
  • Invitation to join the LANDMARK Premier Council
  • Named recognition on the national Premier register
Accredited
Distinguished
Premier
Ofsted 2025 Framework

Aligned to every
Ofsted Evaluation Area

LANDMARK maps directly to every one of Ofsted's 2025 Inspection Framework Evaluation Areas. Schools pursuing LANDMARK build rigorous, inspection-ready evidence as a natural consequence of the award journey.

Ofsted 2025 Evaluation Area LANDMARK Staging Posts
Leadership & Governance
SP1SP2SP5SP8
Inclusion
SP6SP1SP5
Curriculum & Teaching
SP2SP3SP7
Achievement
SP2SP4SP6
Attendance & Behaviour
SP1SP5SP6
Personal Development
SP1SP5SP6
Safeguarding — Met / Not Met
SP5SP8

LANDMARK is an independent award. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Ofsted. Alignment reflects the shared belief that excellent leadership underpins excellent schools.

Build evidence, not paperwork

LANDMARK gives schools a structured, year-round process for building and articulating the leadership evidence Ofsted inspectors will be looking for — before the phone call arrives.

Align with the 2025 framework

The new Ofsted framework (November 2025) increases the volume of evidence schools must demonstrate across six evaluation areas. LANDMARK addresses all six — directly and comprehensively.

Safeguarding as a leadership culture

LANDMARK embeds safeguarding as a genuine leadership and governance responsibility — not a compliance tick-box. Exactly the culture Ofsted is looking for in 2025 and beyond.

How It Works

The Assessment
Process

Six clear stages from registration to award. Every stage is designed to be developmental, not just evaluative. Your assessor is a practising school leader — someone who understands the realities of the job from the inside.

01 Registration

Register your school with LANDMARK. You will be assigned a dedicated assessor and receive the full self-audit framework and guidance notes.

02 Self-Audit

Complete the LANDMARK self-audit against all 8 Staging Posts. Gather evidence, grade your practice and write your commentary. LANDMARK support is available throughout.

03 Pre-Assessment Review

Your assessor reviews your self-audit and provides developmental feedback. A date for the full assessment visit is agreed together.

04 Assessment Day

A full day in school — meetings with leaders at all levels, evidence review, a school tour and a genuine professional conversation about your leadership. Verbal feedback at the close of day.

05 Decision and Report

A full written report within ten working days. The report celebrates your strengths, confirms the award outcome and sets clear development priorities for the year ahead.

06 Award and Annual Renewal

Your LANDMARK kitemark is awarded. Annual reaccreditation keeps the standard alive — and your leadership growing. The journey continues.

The Personal Credential

LANDMARK
Leadership Standard

The LANDMARK Award recognises schools. The Leadership Standard recognises the individuals within them — the leaders who think deeply, act with purpose and reflect honestly on their own practice.

It is an optional personal credential available to any member of staff in a participating school. When awarded, it is yours to keep and to carry throughout your career — on your CV, your LinkedIn profile and in every leadership conversation you have.

Example credentials
LANDMARK Leadership Standard
in Ethical Leadership and Professional Conduct
LANDMARK Leadership Standard
in Inclusive Leadership
LANDMARK Leadership Standard
in Staff Development and Growing Leadership

Available from Year 1 of the school's LANDMARK journey. Work submitted and awarded from Year 2 onwards — grounding the individual's work in a full year of genuine LANDMARK engagement.

Three Pieces of Work
1

The Research Essay

An evidence-informed exploration of a specific aspect of school leadership, connecting current research explicitly to your own practice and context.

800–1,000 WORDS
2

The Action Research Project

A rigorous account of something you led, changed or improved. What you did, why, what happened and what the evidenced impact was. Activity is not enough — impact is required.

EVIDENCED IMPACT RECORD
3

The Leadership Reflection

A personal, honest reflection on your own leadership — strengths, blind spots and what the LANDMARK journey has revealed about you. The most personal piece. The most revealing.

500 WORDS

Available to headteachers, deputies, middle leaders, SENDCos, business managers and governors. Any member of staff in a participating school can pursue the Standard. You choose the Staging Post specialism that best reflects your role and professional focus.

The Evidence Base

How Research
Underpins LANDMARK

LANDMARK is not built on instinct or anecdote. It is grounded in decades of international research into what makes school leadership effective — and what happens when it is not.

Across this body of research, one conclusion has remained consistent: leadership is second only to classroom teaching in its impact on pupil outcomes. Not because leaders teach lessons, but because they shape the conditions in which great teaching can happen.

LANDMARK draws on the most significant and well-evidenced strands of this research — translating them into a practical, assessable and developmental framework that makes leadership visible, rigorous and impossible to ignore.

"Leadership is not an additional layer of school improvement. It is the foundation. LANDMARK makes that foundation explicit, rigorous and impossible to ignore."

Read the Full Research Paper →
The Research Foundations

Leithwood, Day & Sammons

Leadership improves outcomes indirectly by shaping the organisational conditions that enable effective teaching. Leaders set direction, develop people and create alignment. This is the central claim of LANDMARK.

Spillane & Gronn — Distributed Leadership

Leadership is not held by a single individual. It is enacted through relationships, expertise and context across the organisation. This underpins LANDMARK Staging Posts 3 and 7.

Hargreaves & Fullan — Professional Capital

Sustainable improvement is built through collective professional strength — human capital, social capital and decisional capital. Leadership must build confidence, shared purpose and professional trust.

Hattie — Collective Teacher Efficacy

Collective teacher efficacy is among the most significant influences on pupil achievement. Leadership's role is to build the shared belief in impact that makes this possible.

Burns — Relational and Ethical Leadership

Leadership is experienced in daily interactions. How leaders listen, respond, challenge and support shapes culture more powerfully than policy. A school's culture is not what is written — it is what is lived.

"Great schools are not great by accident. They are great because someone — many someones — made landmark decisions about how to lead, who to trust, what to prioritise and what kind of place this school should be. LANDMARK exists to recognise those decisions."

The LANDMARK Award — landmarkaward.co.uk
Register Your Interest

Begin your
LANDMARK journey

We'd love to hear from you.

Whether you are a headteacher considering LANDMARK for your school, a trust CEO interested in a multi-school partnership, or simply curious about what the award involves — get in touch. Every conversation starts with a proper conversation from Max or Suzanne directly. Not a sales pitch. Not an automated response. A genuine professional conversation between school leaders.

Email

hello@landmarkaward.co.uk

Website

landmarkaward.co.uk

Co-Founders

Max Kelly & Suzanne Owens — Isle of Man

Assessing schools in

UK, Northern Ireland, Middle East and internationally

Founding Trust Partnership

We are offering a small number of Founding Trust Partnerships to Multi-Academy Trusts who wish to be part of LANDMARK's inaugural cohort. Preferential pricing. Direct input into the award's development. Named recognition as a founding partner. Enquire today — places are strictly limited.