School marketing budgets are the last thing that schools should axe in an era of cost cutting, a leading headteacher was due to say today (May 16 2023).
Lindsey Hughes, head of Channing School, a girls’ school in Highgate, north London, will tell the annual AMCIS conference this is vital as financial threats loom in the form of VAT on fees, inflation, possible recession, further changes to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme and falling birth rates.
She will say: “When there is cost cutting in the business, everyone needs to fight their corner – I really hope that you are working with enlightened heads and governing bodies who understand that marketing is the last thing that should go in difficult times.
“We must spend money on marketing to ensure that we have the right pool of prospective families applying, but you as the marketing team can also ensure you’re being as effective as possible with the money you’re given.”
Mrs Hughes will make the comments just weeks after marketing consultant Rachel Hadley-Leonard wrote of her dismay at small schools leaving it too late to avoid closure after failing to pour extra efforts into marketing at the right time.
Mrs Hughes will also tell the conference that it is preferable for directors of marketing, admissions and communications to sit on the senior leadership team of the school.
She will say: “Developing and communicating the vision for the school and the plan for getting there in the face of these threats are at the core of what the head is for. However, the marketing director also needs to know about the school’s financial position and projected pupil numbers in order to make realistic plans – make sure you are in the know and keep pushing for regular strategy reviews and updates.
“What are the school’s Key Performance Indicators and are you helping to meet them? Is the school going to close? Grow? Merge? Be sold? I hope that you would be integral to that conversation. At Channing I deliberately wanted my marketing director Rachell Fox to be on the SLT and at the table for all of these conversations.”
Mrs Hughes will add that above all, a school must live up to how it is selling itself and ensure it is providing a quality product.
She will say: “What we say about ourselves needs to be authentic and reflect reality. I’ve been very lucky as I have inherited a clear ethos and brand message… of course, my biggest problem… is are we actually doing it?
“In my three years as head we have gathered a lot of evidence about what is working well and what needs our attention… Demonstrating that I know where the weaknesses are and that I am actively working to improve them goes a long way in building parental confidence, and we have really taken time to explicitly communicate that. However, there is only a finite budget and I’ve got to make these improvements in the most effective way.
“Cost-cutting in the school could affect our position versus the competition, so making sure we are doing what we say on the tin, consistently and to a high standard but without breaking the bank, is probably my number one priority as head.”
Around 250 marketing, admissions and communications professionals are meeting for the annual AMCIS conference this week in Cirencester.
