Nurturing Wellbeing, Empowering Success


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What is the Wellbeing Quality Mark?


The Wellbeing Quality Mark (WQM) is an award system which validates and celebrates the steps taken by educational institutions towards improving the mental health and wellbeing of pupils and staff. It is suitable for all educational settings.

How can I gain an award?

Why the Wellbeing Quality Mark?


The Wellbeing Quality Mark (WQM) is based on published material by Cathal Lynch; ‘Building Belonging: A systematic approach to school improvement and emotional wellbeing’ and stems from his experience as a leader, NPQEL coach and creator of DFE approved Senior Mental Health Lead training.

He was concerned to see all reference to teaching and learning removed from the SMHL framework together with specific considerations around improving environments and behaviour. Thus the seeds of the quality mark were sown, drawing on a wide range of research to produce a framework for running effective schools where the wellbeing of staff and pupils is supported alongside academic attainment.

It uses deliberate practice to build a mental model for leaders that is effective in helping schools improve recruitment and retention by demonstrating a commitment to wellbeing and building trust among stakeholders by engendering debate about how to best meet needs. It also supports the early identification of SEN pupils, performance management for leaders, teaching and learning, attendance and behaviour. Electronic surveys for pupils, parents and staff help ensure leaders are clear on the views of their community and these are built into the WQM process.


The Wellbeing Quality Mark Awards

What does each award mean?

APPROVED SCHOOL PRINCIPLES
CHAMPION SCHOOL PRINCIPLES
BEACON SCHOOL PRINCIPLES
Promotes wellbeing for staff and pupils. Raises attainment for all. Utilises psychological safety to elicit stakeholder views. Evidence based and solution focused. Multidisciplinary working at systems level. Research based CPD empowering staff autonomy. Advances social and emotional skills. Early identification of need. Specialised referral pathways. Improved behaviour and attitudes to learning. Emphasis on effective implementation. Creates structure, routine and consistency, lessening cognitive load to reduce anxiety.
Learn more about the Approved Award
Commitment to sustaining the Approved School ethos through advocacy and collaboration. Creation of clear plans to sustain and develop effective wellbeing approaches while maintaining high academic standards. Agree to contribute an annual written update of progress against targets Agree to have an annual WQM review to ratify progress and develop annual plans for further improvements. Commitment to sharing and disseminating good practice in wellbeing across a range of schools including by hosting leadership visits. Being prepared to contribute to the overall developmental aims of WQM by supporting the need for expertise or trialling practice.
Learn more about the Champion Award
Must have held Champion School status for at least 3 years prior to attaining Beacon school status for the first time. Agree to produce an annual written update of progress against agreed project outline as the basis for the annual review. Commitment to sharing and disseminating good practice in wellbeing across a range of schools including by hosting leadership visits. Being prepared to contribute to the overall developmental aims of WQM by supporting the need for expertise or trialling practice. Commitment to sustaining the WQM ethos through collaboration and advocacy including supporting other schools to obtain WQM status.
Learn more about the Beacon Award

Building Belonging

A systematic approach to school improvement and emotional wellbeing


Purchase Building Belonging

Building belonging provides school leaders with the tools to unlock rapid school improvement through the Emotional Wellbeing School Improvement Framework. It ensures a collective understanding of goals by involving all stakeholders, prioritizing objectives based on students' needs.

This practical guide helps schools transition from unconscious to conscious competence in driving improvement while safeguarding emotional wellbeing.
It offers a step-by-step process for implementing the framework and building capacity for sustained support, even during leadership transitions. Crucially, the framework allows leaders to exercise contextual wisdom in addressing objectives, promoting aligned autonomy.

Testimonials

Springfield House, a special school in the West Midlands, went from "outstanding" to special measures in consecutive Ofsted inspections.
Being put into special measures by Ofsted can be a bruising experience.

An Ofsted rating may be harsh, but they are never entirely undeserved. Being honest about the school’s failings and accepting which ones we may be guilty of is the first step to addressing them and improving the situation.
Change can seem threatening, especially when confidence has been knocked, but it is undeniably necessary in this situation. If nothing needed changing, the school wouldn’t be in special measures in the first place. As Einstein once said, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Transformational change is inherently relational: none of us can do this work alone. The approach has therefore been instrumental in restoring confidence, fostering positive working relationships, and in creating the foundation upon which the school’s recovery has been built. Cathal Lynch has truly been a catalyst for instilling a shared sense of purpose.

George Craig — National Leader of Governance


2023 Wellbeing Quality Mark