How does it work?

The Quality Mark is a rolling programme and you can register at any time. You can begin preparing as soon as you sign up. Schools will have one year from date of registration to complete the QM.

Do we have to be Members of the HA?

Membership of the HA is an essential requirement for Quality Mark. The programme is only open to schools in full corporate membership.

If your school is not currently a corporate member you will need to join, or to upgrade your personal membership:

• Primary corporate membership - find out more and sign up here
• Secondary corporate membership - find out more and sign up here
• To upgrade your personal membership to corporate, email membership@history.org.uk 

Please note that all Quality Mark registrations will operate through the schools' corporate membership account, even if the lead name for the Quality Mark is different from the lead name for the corporate membership. However, a corporate membership allows several members of staff to log in, access the Quality Mark unit and upload materials to the portfolio. The expectation is that schools will keep their corporate membership going throughout the 3-year period of their award. 

What do we have to do?

Details and guidance for schools wanting to gain the Quality Mark can be found in the Information Guide and QM Criteria documentation attached below. 

Case studies from those schools involved in the pilot provide valuable insight into the full process.  

How much will it cost?

The Quality Mark is non-profit-making and will cost £500 plus VAT in total. Upon registration you will be asked to pay a fee of £200 plus VAT. This covers the core costs to the HA as a charity of running and administering the Quality Mark. Following payment, you will gain access to all of the materials you need to complete the QM. Please note that full set-up can take up to FIVE working days.  You may not apply to be assessed for the Quality Mark unless you have registered. Upon assessment you will pay a further £300 (Excl. VAT) plus reasonable travel expenses to your assessor. This fee goes directly to your assessor to pay for their time. We believe this simple separation of fees will help schools to spread the cost, possibly over more than one budget.

How long will it last?

Schools keep their Quality Mark for three years following the initial award. Schools with a Gold QM will need to complete the process again after three years in order to keep their QM status. Schools with a Silver QM can be reassessed within 12 months and are eligible for an upgrade to Gold. Please note there is an additional assessor fee and administration fee for any re-assessment.

Fundraising 

The HA has a Virgin Money Giving account facility which features the campaign 'Give the Past a Brighter Future.'

You might want to use this to help raise funds for your own QM or as a way to support schools in greater hardship to apply for the QM. Simply set up your fundraising event for this campaign and any funds you raise can be used to help you - and possibly other schools, depending upon how much you raise - to take part.  In addition, we hope that schools and the wider history community will also make donations which may in future be able to aid schools in challenging financial circumstances to take part in the scheme. Local Historical Association branches may also use this as a fundraising opportunity to raise funds for local schools to take part.