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In our experience, schools are generally good at communicating with their internal stakeholders however, some lack an awareness when it comes to key external audiences - be aware that with the pace of change that is happening in society - there is now a need for change and for schools to be extrospective and to embrace how this can support their brand enhancement and reputation management.

The need for schools to have a clear vision and a core set of values that underpin all that they do, and a concise communication strategy aimed at all key stakeholders is more important than ever.

We know that many schools across the country now consider themselves to have some kind of marketing strategy. We have worked with countless organisations to do just that. If there’s one lesson we preach time and time again, it’s the importance of research. This underpins our work with each and every client and ensures that marketing efforts are targeted and effective.

In today’s digital age, we want information fast; we’d prefer to spend 2-3 minutes watching a video that encapsulates a broad offer/product than spend 10-15 minutes reading text that doesn’t always provide the information we were looking for. That’s where video marketing comes in. A promotional video is a powerful communication tool that you can use to sell your school. It delivers the benefits of both audio and visual to provide interactive content quickly and engagingly.

Parents across the country are telling us that all school’s sound the same. Put your school to the test - if you removed the name from your website or prospectus, would you be offering the same, unexciting product as every other school? Good teachers, happy students, wide curriculum...In the current competitive climate, this is no longer enough.

Schools have to promote themselves with strong, professional websites, exciting newsletters and engaging social media posts.  In order to really bring these marketing materials to life and stand out from the crowd of the competition, it is crucial to have a wide range of high quality photographs which showcase the school’s unique curriculum and enrichment offer, fantastic facilities, vision and what parents can expect their child to experience there, as well as prospective staff.

The Grebot Donnelly Training School offers a wide range of courses to suit your marketing requirements and we regularly develop bespoke sessions for schools across the country.

A legal and PR response to the Prevent duty: implications for schools         

We are being approached on a daily basis by schools, Local Authorities and Multi-Academy Trusts who are going to extreme measures in a bid to fill their teaching positions. Whilst we cannot (and will not!) claim to have the answers to the national shortage, we do support the notion that marketing has a role to play.

We are in a teachers’ marketplace and school leaders need to change their recruitment habits in a bid to stand out from the crowd.

• Have you considered your unique proposition for staff?
• How is this being promoted?
• What is the experience of a candidate who comes for interview?
• Or even when an applicant goes through your application process?

The channels you use are crucial. We recommend a combined approach that includes traditional advertising, social media and creative methods such as utilising your teachers’ personal networks through incentive schemes.