Your questions answered

LANDMARK is a British quality mark for school leadership excellence. It recognises schools where leadership is strong, shared and sustained, and gives leaders a structured framework for growing it further.

LANDMARK is for headteachers, principals and Multi-Academy Trust CEOs who want external recognition of their school's leadership. It is open to UK and international schools.

Inspection judges a school at a single point in time. LANDMARK is developmental: it recognises what is working, identifies next steps and supports leaders over several years. Your assessor is a practising school leader, not a distant evaluator.

The framework draws on decades of research into effective school leadership, including the work of Leithwood, Hattie, Spillane and Gronn, and Hargreaves and Fullan. You can read more on our Research page.

The 8 Staging Posts are the areas of leadership every school is assessed against. Together they describe what excellent, sustainable school leadership looks like in practice. Each is explained in full on our Framework page.

There are three tiers: Accredited, Distinguished and Premier. Each one reflects a deeper and more sustained level of leadership excellence. Together they form a journey over several years rather than a one-off award. See our Award Tiers page.

Schools begin at Accredited. Schools that need support to reach Accredited start at LANDMARK Associate.

Distinguished and Premier recognise leadership that has been sustained and developed over time, so they build on an existing award and cannot be applied for directly.

LANDMARK Associate is for schools working towards Accreditation. It includes a half-day validation visit, a baseline report and an Associate Development Plan, so you know exactly where to focus. If you move up to Accredited within two years, we take £500 off your Accredited fee. Find out about Associate.

Yes. The 8 Staging Posts map directly to every evaluation area in Ofsted's November 2025 framework. LANDMARK gives schools a year-round process for building and articulating the leadership evidence inspectors look for, well before the call arrives.

No. LANDMARK is independent of Ofsted and holding the award does not affect an inspection outcome. It helps schools prepare, reflect and present their leadership with confidence.

There are six stages from registration to award. Every assessment includes the LANDMARK self-audit tools, a pre-visit planning call, a full day in school with your assessor, verbal feedback at the close of the day and a full written report. See The Process.

Assessments are led by experienced school leaders who understand the realities of the role from the inside. LANDMARK is led by Suzanne Owens, a qualified British Schools Overseas (BSO) Inspector with over 30 years in school leadership.

Most schools complete the process within two terms of registering.

LANDMARK is designed to build on what you already do, not add paperwork for its own sake. Much of the evidence will already exist in your school improvement planning and self-evaluation.

If you would like extra help, optional support is available, from a readiness review before your assessment to coaching and CPD for your leaders and staff. Find out about leadership support.

Your LANDMARK award is confirmed and you can use the LANDMARK quality mark on your website, letterheads, prospectus and other school communications.

We will also help you celebrate your achievement: we support you with press coverage, publish a story about your school on the LANDMARK website and promote your success on LANDMARK social media.

In the years between tier assessments, an annual review keeps your award current. It is a full day in school, looking at how your leadership has developed since your last visit.

Fees are set by school size, so every school pays a fair rate for the same process. For a UK school, Accreditation costs £1,650 (up to 250 pupils), £2,250 (251 to 750 pupils) or £2,950 (751 pupils and above). Full fees for every stage are on our Pricing page. All prices exclude VAT.

A registration fee of £295 applies when you first join. Travel and accommodation will be charged separately.

Schools commit to completing their assessment within 12 months of registering. A withdrawal fee of £500 applies if a school registers but does not complete.

For UK schools, the annual review costs £1,250, £1,700 or £2,200 depending on school size.

No. You pay for each assessment or review when it happens, and there is no minimum term.

Yes. Trusts receive 10% off school assessments for 3 to 5 schools, 15% for 6 to 10 and 20% for 11 or more, and registration is waived for every school. We also offer a Trust Leadership Report (from £2,500) and a LANDMARK Trust Review of your central and executive team (from £4,500).

International schools follow the same framework and the same standard. Accreditation starts from £4,950. Travel and accommodation are charged separately and agreed with you before anything is booked. We are happy to quote in US dollars. If several schools in the same city or region book the same week, they share one trip and everyone pays less for travel.

Yes. The LANDMARK Leadership Standard is a personal credential for individual leaders, including headteachers, deputies, middle leaders, SENDCos, business managers and governors. It costs £345 per leader.

Yes, although most schools will not need it. Optional support ranges from a readiness review (£950) to headteacher coaching, new head mentoring and our Everyone a Leader staff CPD day. Full details are on our Leadership Support page.

Tell us about your school or trust through our Contact page, or email hello@landmarkaward.co.uk, and we will send a full quote within two working days.