Quality Mark
The Basic Skills Quality Mark is an award that celebrates and supports continuous improvement in literacy and numeracy.
It is awarded to a setting or school to recognise their provision, practice and performance in literacy and numeracy, and is valid for three years.
A school or setting must demonstrate a whole school approach to improving standards in literacy and numeracy, with evidence of the impact of its approaches.
It provides a framework for self-evaluation and continuous improvement of the basic skills of all pupils in a school, including those who underachieve and those who under-attain.
There are 10 Elements being assessed:
A whole school strategy to improve performance in basic skills
An assessment of pupils’ performance in basic skills
A target for the improvement of the school’s performance in basic skills
Basic skills improvement plans for pupils under attaining in the school
Regular review of the progress made by each pupil underattaining in basic skills
A commitment to improving the skills of staff in the school to teach and extend basic skills
The use of a range of teaching styles to improve basic skills
The use of appropriate teaching and learning material to improve basic skills
The involvement of parents in developing their children’s basic skills
An effective procedure for monitoring the action plan and assessing improvement in performance in basic skills