We are a group of experienced educationalists, from a variety of backgrounds, for example, headship, advisory work, and inspections, who recognised that there was a need in England to formally recognise state secondary schools that go beyond ‘outstanding’. We believe passionately in efficacy of state education, and the potential of state students to compete with the best in the world.
Our mission
WCSQM awards a quality mark to non-selective state schools that offer the best education to young people in the UK. Unlike other national assessment bodies, we assess the student and not the school, against a framework of skills and competencies young people need to flourish in an emerging global economy. Through unique real-life work experiences, access to a lifelong peer support network and cultural opportunities that take them beyond their local community, we give world class students the confidence to overcome socio-economic barriers to recognise and achieve their potential.
Who we are and what we do
If you are a school considering applying for World Class Schools Quality Mark accreditation, you can download this summary of who we are and what we do for more information in an easy to read and printable format.
Miranda Perry, Co-director
Miranda Perry is an experienced education consultant and school improvement adviser. She works as a lead inspector for Ofsted, and leads research projects into schools for government departments, research agencies, such as Oxford University and UCL, and national bodies, such as the Medical Research Council, and the Big Lottery Fund.
Trustees
Matthew O’Connor, Chair of Trustees
Matthew is a founding director of Scholé International, a school investment and management company that has owned and operated affordable schools in East and Southern Africa since 2012.
After several years in blue-chip management consultancy, he joined the UK government’s National Remodelling Team to implement Workforce Reform and Every Child Matters policy programmes in the state school sector. Since 2011, Matthew has focused on school commissioning, managing the opening of free schools and University Technical Colleges in the UK and a chain of five independent schools in Zambia. Currently, his organisation runs the Makini group of local curriculum schools in Kenya and the Kisubi schools in Uganda.
He lives in North London with his wife and two teenage children.
Alan Gray, Trustee
Alan Gray has been headteacher at World Class Sandringham School in Hertfordshire since 2005. Prior to this, he led The Hemel Hempstead School. Winner of the TES headteacher of the year award in 2017, Alan was state educated at Beaumont School in St. Albans and now leads a cross-phase Multi Academies Trust as well as Sandringham School. He supports Initial Teacher Training as chair of the Alban Federation, chairs the Alban Teaching School Alliance and has been chair of Hertfordshire’s Schools Forum since 2006. In his spare time he is a Trustee of the Saracens High School.
Dr Jerry Toner, Trustee
Dr Jerry Toner is a Fellow and Director of Studies at Churchill College, Faculty of Classics, Cambridge University.
Katy Hewin, Trustee
Katy Hewin is Head of Business Management at Columbia Threadneedle Investments.
Charitable status
In 2018 World Class Schools Quality Mark was awarded charity status in recognition of the significant benefits to state educated students that Quality Mark accreditation generates, and the positive impact of World Class status on the school, students, the wider community and state education UK wide. As a charity we work to access funding and opportunities to support schools in capitalising on their World Class status, and improve the educational, higher education and vocational opportunities for World Class students.
