Why Marketing Matters…

…to you, your school and your staff!

Simon Hepburn

Creating the marketing school…

Understand what marketing is

01Understand why it matters to schools

02Develop the right skills

03Engage the whole school

04

What is marketing?

Marketing is a process of…

• Listening

• Meeting needs

• Communicating

01

What is marketing?

Marketing is a process of…

• Listening

• Meeting needs

• Communicating

01

What is marketing?

Marketing is a process of…

• Listening

• Meeting needs

• Communicating

01

Why does marketing matter to schools?

Recruitment of students/pupils

Recruitment/retention of staff

Inspection Community relations

Income generation / fundraising

Social media use/abuse

Exam results

02

Student Recruitment...

20 new starters needs…

100 visitors needs…

200 web sign-ups needs…

8,000 web visitors

Over 7 years eachstarter is worth £24-50k

02

Staff recruitment…

• Teacher recruitment below target for 6 years

• 4,250 secondary ITT offers made by January 2018 compared with 6,790 offers by January 2016; a 37% drop

• Teachers leaving before retirement in larger numbers, leading to median age dropping (youngest workforce in OECD)

02

Inspection…

• OFSTED School Inspection Handbook, August 2016

• 141. In making this judgement in schools, inspectors will consider:

• the leaders’ and governors’ vision and ambition for the school and how these are communicated to staff, parents and pupils…

• …how well leaders and governors engage with parents, carers and other stakeholders and agencies to support all pupils

• 144. Inspectors should consider any evidence the school has from regularly surveying the staff and how leaders and managers have responded to concerns raised by staff or parents

02

Social Media

• Getting your message out• Understanding your

community• Managing crises• Understanding new

platforms• Identifying individuals at

risk

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

02

Even Exam results!

• This project involved text messages being sent to parents using school communications systems, such as Schoolcomms. Texts informed parents about dates of upcoming tests, whether homework was submitted on time, and what their children were learning at school.

• This evaluation found a small positive impact on mathematics attainment and on decreasing absenteeism. While this result was small, the cost of sending texts parents is very low (a maximum of around £6 per pupil per year averaged over three years) making the intervention highly cost-effective.

Education Endowment Foundation

02

What skills do you need?03

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

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90%

2016 2015 2014

Strategy, research and planning03

Digital marketing03

Capturing and sharing great stories03

Media relations and crisis management03

How to engage your staff04

• SLT and Governor buy-in

• Be open about the future

• Explain what marketing is

• Share simple ways to help

• Listen

• Celebrate

Ten ways everyone can market their school

• Listen to parents and other stakeholders

• Help create the messages that say why it’s great!

• Find the stories that show these messages

• Use your talents to help make the stories come alive

• Be involved in wider communities

• Share messages and stories in these communities

• Help plan and deliver fantastic recruitment activities

• Gather information and point people in the right direction

• Do your job well

• Feed back what is working and what isn't

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04

Case study 1: Risley Avenue Primary School

The problem

Demographics meant likely under-recruitment and closure of one of three reception classes

The solution

• Taking it seriously from the top

• Staff engagement and alignment

• Knocking walls down!

• Storytelling

• Technology and customer service working together

‘All members of our staff team, parents, governors and the children themselves knowing how and why we need to promote our school.

‘Everyone understands the need to create the very best impression when people visit. Parents recommend our school to their friends and family.

‘In a matter of three months we managed to increase next year’s Reception roll numbers by 25 pupils.

‘It’s been truly astonishing!’

Linda Sarr, Headteacher, Risley Avenue Primary School, Haringey, London

The impact…

Case study 2: St Bede’s College Manchester

The problem

Change, uncertainty and local economics led to 40% drop in Y7 intake over a 3 year period

The solution

• Consistent processes

• Clear messages

• Shared responsibility

• A new look and feel

• Social media storytelling

‘The college entrance exam takes place this Saturday. We are extremely pleased that the number of children that will sit the assessment tomorrow is more than double the number of students that sat it two years ago.

‘We have been inundated with applications.’

Dr Richard Robson, Headmaster, St Bede’s College, Manchester

The impact…

In summary

You’re very important people

You need to be taken seriously

But you need to market marketing…

..and develop new skills

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