My twins’ school WhatsApp group has gone into meltdown in the last few weeks, since their small prep was taken over by Dukes.
“Who are they?”
“What will change?”
“What does this mean?”
“Will the fees go up?”
A true first-world problem, I admit. But - putting my brand hat on top of my parent hat - it led me to think about the challenges that private education institutions face in communicating what, in other circumstances, we’d have little hesitation to call Return On Investment.
It’s slightly jarring to frame our hopes and fears for our children in terms of ROI, but that’s what independent schools ultimately have to do.
And in 2022, they’re doing it in an ever-more fierce environment.
Of course, parents of fee-paying school pupils are unlikely to be among those hardest hit by the cost of living crisis. But soaring inflation and economic uncertainty take their toll, even on the relatively well-off.
An investment of £20,000 per year or more that delivers a largely intangible benefit, years in the future, paid for by a group who experience neither the brand nor the benefit directly, on behalf of those who may well not appreciate either at the time.
A hard sell, when perhaps there is an “Outstanding” state school in your neighbourhood?
Most schools’ (independent or other) communications tend to often lack the distinctiveness as regards to what makes them unique.
So how do parents judge ‘excellence’ ?
Is it the familiar story of exit results, exam grades, destination schools, the ISI report, with a dash of Hogwarts glamour?
When was the last time you saw an independent school position its proposition around modern, up to date teaching methods and pupil wellbeing rather than “heritage”? Cognita schools being one of the exceptions.
Or indeed when did you last meet a (non-teacher) parent to whom “value-add” data meant anything (the ability to take a pupil from a C grade to an A grade to over simplify)?
Isn’t it strange that so many of us are ready to accept statistical answers when making decisions about the people who we know, and whose uniqueness we grasp, better than anyone else?
So here is my marketer’s advice for independent schools (and colleges) who want to stand out in hard times.
Master Your Targeting
Do you really understand your audience? That is, your present and future parent groups.
Are the majority stressed-out, dual-working parents with little time to participate actively in their children’s education?
If so, your task is to “take their pain away”:
By communicating key tasks clearly but not repetitively
By providing simple benchmarking that anyone can understand
By being ready to offer in-depth, comprehensive feedback at specified intervals (i.e. parents’ evenings)
On the other hand, when one parent has the education and nurturing of a child as a de facto full-time job, the needs are different. They are looking to be involved not only in the micro-details of schooling, but also (potentially) in the wider community around the school. People like this can be tremendous assets or headaches, depending on how their energies are harnessed.
The needs and desires of your audience - current and future, actual and target - should all inform your value proposition.
Develop Your Value Proposition
Alumni families may be locked in by an unconscious understanding of what you offer, but how do you frame the value proposition you offer to new families?
As I’ve already mentioned, independent schools rarely position themselves in a distinctive way that emphasises their differences from the competition.
And yet many have clear areas where they excel - in sport, in the arts, in STEM, in ethos or community, etc.
As competition in education intensifies, framing those areas in which you stand out above the alternatives will become more and more important.
What Is The Goal?
Perhaps this is really an extension of knowing your audience, but understanding what the expected ROI for the audience is critical.
Many parents of prep school children may be looking no further than getting an advantage on the pathway to the local grammar school. Others will view this in the long-term context of Oxbridge places. Others still will prioritise personal development, confidence, and soft skills above formal results.
Taking the widest view, the ROI that parents expect from investment in education is nothing less than their hopes and dreams for their children.
Quite a responsibility!