Creating The Marketing Function In A School Nadir Farrell Communications Manager St Paul’s Catholic School

Creating the marketing function in a school Communications audit – looked at existing channels and materials Competitor research Formal/informal discussions with school leadership, teachers, support staff and governors Online research with parents

Strengths Reasons To Choose St Paul’s Marketing Thoughts Use academy independence to do things differently and better St Paul’s treats each child as an individual. Website is more dynamic and involving. Defined sections for parents, students, business. Greater use of news makes the site more instant and appealing – gives a flavour of what is happening in the school. Students have a 28 hour week   Clear branding, consistently applied on publications. Students spend extra time on English and Maths – daily spend an hour on numeracy and literacy Added value numeracy and literacy – workshops, reading groups etc Prospectus is image strong, more modern. Looks friendlier. Start KS4 in year 9 so an extra year of study at this level. Yr 11 students can take additional GCSE exams or Level 3 qualifications New academic year starts after Pentecost half term so students move up to next year Greater use of visuals. School is open until 6.30pm so children encouraged to do homework there or take part in extra-curricular activities Children can take part in extra-curricular activities. Late buses arranged to allow children to participate. Produced three different newsletters – one general one, one for children moving up to the academy and one for primary schools. Don’t seem to have done this since 2011 – too onerous, not read? Excellent food, cooked on site Food cooked on site. Also provide catering for other schools. Interesting use of student polls on a variety of topics (school and home related)

Creating the marketing function in a school Discussions highlighted: Strengths included community, care, inclusivity, broad and balanced curriculum, support, pastoral care, opportunities Weakness included poor communication, dated image, reactive, insular

Creating the marketing function in a school Research with parents showed: 27% visit website regularly, 66% regularly but 63% only sometimes find what they’re looking for 72% used Facebook 40% would definitely follow us on social media 37% would maybe follow us on social media Liked newsletter but wanted more varied content

Creating the marketing function in a school Our priorities: Brand refresh Strengthen online presence Improve quality of marketing materials Introduce social media Proactive media relations

Brand refresh Invited three companies to pitch Reviewed competitors, visited school, talked to staff, students, governors Consulted with students, staff and parents Process took from June - December 2015 Brand rollout from February 2016 Produced brand guidelines (and quick guide)

Website revamp Tender process – June/July 2015 Wireframing – September/October 2015 Design/build – November 2015 – January 2016 Website population – February/March 2016 New website went live April 2016

www.st-pauls.org.uk

Improve quality of marketing materials Invested in professional design/photography Created PowerPoint templates Revamped prospectuses Annual reports Leaflets Updated internal publications New signage

We’re rolling out new signage across the site

We’re using Facebook and Twitter

We’re proactive about sharing our good news Regularly featured in local press BBC have filmed our last two GCSE results days Our website and social media are key to delivering good news

Some observations There is an appetite to change/do things better Research, strategy, priorities Schools have plenty of good news The workload can be overwhelming The communications role is not clearly defined It can be a lonely role The job is rewarding and frustrating in equal measure Implications for future recruitment?