MARKET RESEARCH | BUSINESS & MARKETING | STRATEGY & SUPPORT SEPTEMBER 2022 Parents Put the Education System Under the Microscope 3 Lessons Learnt From Working in Schools 7 Top Tips for New Headteachers
OurnewMarketingManager,EmilyDown,introducesherselfanddetailslessonsshe's learntfromhercareersofarineducation EmilyhasworkedinMarketingfor9yearsand haslearntafewthingsalongtheway!
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2 | THE BUSINESS OF EDUCATION • SEPTEMBER 2022
7TopTipsforNewHeadteachers
MTM’sdataresearchandsurveysaredesignedtohelpyoubetterunderstandthe potentialofyourorganisation'smarket,whereyoustandagainstyourcompetitors, andwhatthemarketwants.Andourbusinessandmarketingexpertscanhelpyou tocapitaliseonthisintelligenceanddevisestrategiesforsuccess.
BecomingaHeadteacherinthecurrentclimateisaboldstatementofintent MTM’snew DirectorofEducation,DuncanMurphy,drawsuponhissignificantexperiencetohelp leaderssuccessfullynavigatetheirfirstyearinpost.
3LessonsLearntfromWorkinginSchools
FutureFwdSurvey:Parentsputtheeducationsystemunderthemicroscope Foreword by Richard Nicholson, Foundation Principal at The Warwick Independent Schools Foundation
In this issue...
Formorethan35years,MTMhashelpedindependentandstateschools,early yearssettings,highereducationprovidersandothereducation focused organisationstorecruitmorestudentsandtoretainthosetheyalreadyhave. Weprovidethesoliddata,insightfulanalysisandclearrecommendationstoenable themtoplanforfuturesuccess.Infact,we’veworkedwithmorethan500 organisationsandresearchedmorethan250,000parents!
Whatdoparentsthinkofthecurrenteducationsystem?Isthecurriculumpreparingtheir childrenforanuncertainfuture?Howcouldthecurriculumbeimproved?Parentsanswer allthesequestions,plusmoreinournewestsurvey.
Welcometoanewschoolyear!
thenthereareanumberofsignificantelements toconsider;equally,inadditiontothepotential foranexpansioninagerangeatboththeloweror upperendofschools,themomentumforsingle sexschoolsconsideringanevolutiontoco educationisalsogainingtraction.Having personallyoverseenprojectsofthisnature, Duncanhasalsoservedasastrategicconsultant toschoolsonanationalscaleinrecentyearsand thereisnoonebetterplaced,inouropinion,to harnessthepowerofMTM’sdata&researchand guideyouthroughthebear trapsandthe minefields,therebyensuringthebestlongerterm outcomeforyourschool.
James & he MTM eam co
Throughmy15yearsworkingwithschoolsIhave seenconstantevolution.Indeed,themarkofa goodbusinessisthatitisalwaysmovingforwards Manyoftheprojectswearesupportingschools witharehelpingschoolsinvestigateoptionsfor thefuture,bethatverticalintegrationor horizontal.Wecontributetodiscussionssuchas whatdoesanindependenteducationlooklikein 10years?Willtherestillbeanindependent educationsector?Howdoschoolsplantheir businesses?Wealsosupportschoolstoanswer theirstrategicquestions.‘Dowegoco edornot?’ isstillastaple,butincreasingly13+Prepschools areaskingdowegoupto16+ordownto11+?If weare16+,shouldweopenaSixthForm?Ifwe haveaReceptionclass,shouldwealsohavea Nursery?Allofthesequestionsandmore.
ThequestionIthenaskmyselfis,ifthesearethe questionsschoolsareasking,howdowebesthelp answerthem?Tothatend,Iamveryproudto welcomeDuncanMurphytotheMTMteam DuncanistheCEOatKingswoodHouseinEpsom andhasoverseenanumberofmajortransitionsin bothhiscurrentandpreviousschoolsacrossten yearsofleadership Duncan’srolewithMTMwill betohelpyouunderstandwhatyouneedtobe thinkingaboutinordertotakeimportantstrategic decisions andwhatelseyoumightneedtoknow sothatyouremainrelevanttoyourmarket.For example,ifyouareconsideringamoveto16+
FromallofusatMTM,wewishyouasuccessful yearahead
LastyearweweresadtoloseNickyAdamsfrom theday to dayteam,butweareequallyexcitedto welcomeEmilyDownasMarketingManager She isheretomakesureyouareintheknowaboutall ofMTM’sproductsandservicesandwheretoturn whenyouneedhelp Followingsevensuccessful yearsasHeadofMarketingandCommunications atQueenElizabeth'sHospitalinBristol,and RedlandHighSchoolbeforethat,Emilyknows onlytoowellthepleasures,andchallenges, experiencedbymarketingandadmissionsteams inschools.Ifyoueverneedafriendlyeartotalk to,Emilywouldlovetohearfromyou!
MARKET RESEARCH | BUSINESS & MARKETING | STRATEGY & SUPPORT mtmconsulting co uk • 01502 722787 • office@mtmconsulting
uk
Welcome to The Business of Education!
thoughtfactorssuchasacademicresultstosocialskills wereinaneducation,aswellaswhotheythought shouldberesponsibleforeducatingchildreninthose areastoo.
Thevoicesofouryoungpeoplewereintegraltothe event,andIamdelightedthatthroughtheexpertiseof oneofthekeyconferencepartners,MTM,parentsand familieswererepresentedtoo.
500parentskindlycompletedoursurvey(ahugethank youtoeveryoneofyou!).Wehadagreatsampleof participantsfromawholerangeofprofileswith childrenfromstate funded,fee chargingandhome schooledchildren,aswellasarangeofdifferent householdincomes,andages,withchildrenfrom NurserythroughtoSixthFormandbeyond!
Wealsoaskedaseriesofquestionsqueryinghowwell theythinkthecurrentcurriculumprepareschildrenfor anuncertainfutureandhowitcouldbeimprovedto betterpreparestudents.
University 46% Apprenticeship 318% Straighttowork 164% Other 58% Verywell Well Neither/nor Notverywell Notwellatall 100150200500 SECTOR INSIGHT 4 | THE BUSINESS OF EDUCATION • SEPTEMBER 2022 Wantmore?TheFutureofEducationreportwillbeavailable soon forafreecopy,optinbysendinganemailexpressing yourinterestto:office@mtmconsulting.co.uk How well do you feel the current curriculum prepares children for an uncertain future? When your child(ren) leave(s) school what do you expect as a next step?
Introduction
Thecurrenteducationsystemhasbeenunderfirein recentyearsandpeoplearecallingforanoverhaulof thesystem.Thecurrentcurriculumhasbeeninthe firinglineasthepaceoflifeincreasesevermore, technologyadvancesatastronomicalratesandmore andmoreuncertaintiestakeplace.
Thequestions
The Future of Education: Parents Reveal Their Opinions
Foreword by Richard Nicholson, WISF MTM’sManagingDirector,JamesLeggett,enjoyed presentingthefindingsofthesurveyat ourinauguralFutureFwdconference,whereweaimed tolookateducationafresh Whatshouldwebedoing inourschoolstoenableouryounglearnerstomake fulfillingcontributionstotheirfutureworkplacesand localcommunities?
Leadersfromindustry,business,andculturalsectors, gatheredinWarwickinJulytodebatethesevital topics
Weaskedtheparentstoratehowimportantthey
Wequestionedparentsonwhatthenextstepisfor theirchildaftertheyfinishschooltogetanideaof whatfutureschoolleaverswishtopursueafterschool andwhatpaththeymaywanttogodown.Areasmany pupilswantingtogotoUniversityasrecentyears?Are apprenticeshipsbecomingmorepopular?These answersandmorecanbeextrapolatedfromour findingstopredictfuturetrendsinschoolleavers.
Accordingtogovernmentdataearlierintheyear, 12.6%ofchildrenarestillnotattendingschoolwhilst TheGuardianreportedinAprilthat44%ofteachersare planningtoquittheprofessionwithinfiveyears.
Forwhatitisworth,Ihavedistilledmyownadviceas follows:
DUNCAN MURPHY
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sunshineoverlookinganexpanseofpicture postcard,ruggedcoastlinewithundulatingwaves lappingontoshimmeringsands.Itisatranquil scenefarremovedfromtheturbulenceoftheday job.Hasthereeverbeenamorechallengingtimeto leadaschool,Iwonder?
7 Top Tips for New Headteachers
setthanduringanationalcrisis?Dealinginstraight linesyearafteryearmayprovidecertainty butalso enhancethepotentialforcomplacency So,one immediatebenefitofleadinganorganisationduringa challengingtimeisthepropagationofcreativity, resilienceandversatilityindecision makingandthis rhetoricisnottoofarremovedfromthatfoundon mostschoolwebsiteswhichpromisea21stcentury approachfortheirstudentsinpreparationforthe workplace
Afterabruisingfewyears,Ihavefoundmyself questioningwhetherornotIwoulddoitalloveragain. Theanswer,unequivocally,isyes.Leadershipisasteep learningcurveandwhatbettertimetohoneyourskill
Negotiatingthepandemicwasonethingbutdealing withitslegacyisquiteanother,especiallywhenone considersthatthesamefinancialandpoliticalthreats thatexistedpre Covidhaveonlybecomemore heightenedinthemeantime,whilstthementalhealth issueforbothpupilsandstaffisoffthescale
Ispareathoughtforallthosewhoareassumingtheir firstheadshipinSeptemberandurgethemtoembrace theundoubtedchallengesthatwillcometheirway withthesameendeavourandenterprisewhichgot themtothispointinthefirstplace Itisattimesa lonely,uncompromisingjobbuttherewardscanbe great
BUSINESS STRATEGY
Tenyearsago,Iwassatinthesamespot(wecome hereeveryyear)andIremembertheexhilarationof lookingforwardtomyfirstheadshipinthenew academicyear.Freshfromtheapprenticeshipofbeing aDeputyHeadwhilstundertakingaMastersdegreein EducationalLeadership,Ifeltpracticallyand theoreticallyequippedtostepuptothetopjob. However,Iquicklyrealisedthatnoamountof preparationcanreplicatetheexposureofheadship;it isultimatelya“sinkorswim’environment.
Itisnaturaltofeel‘imposter’syndromeduring
Ifoneconsiderstheeducationalcurrencyinaschoolto betheeffectivefuturetrajectoryofitsyoungpeople, thenwhatbettermoralimperativecantherebethanto makeapositivedifferencetosocietybyinstillinga roundededucationwithstrongvaluesandappropriate skillsthattheycancarryforwardintheirpersonaland professionallives?Thereisawealthofmaterialabout theartofleadershipandwhilsttherearesomeobvious correlationsthatarenon negotiable,thesimpletruth isthatwhatworksforonepersonwillnotalwayswork foranother.
Communicationisimperative.Forsome,thiswill bearegularnewslettercolumnandforothersit maybeviasocialmediaoravideoblog Whatever thepreferredmeans,thereisnoexcuseforbeing inaccessibleorsilentinthisdayandage Asa leader,youareexpectedtobetheambassadorfor yourschoolcommunityanditisaswelltofillthis vacuumwithyourownthoughtsbeforesomeone elsedecidestodoitforyou
Valueyourstaff.Someoneonceallegedlysaid aboutheadship:‘ifyoukeepthechildrenhappy, youkeeptheparentshappy whichkeepsthe trusteeshappy.’Themissingstakeholderfromthis isyourstaffteam.Theeffectiverecruitment,and retention,ofgoodstaffwhobuyintoyourvisionis anoperationalnecessityandoncea knowledgeable,motivatedandpassionateteamis inplacethenyouhavethefoundationforthe legendabove.
thewell beingofthepupilsatyourschool,itisa conversation stopper.
Buymoretime.Soonerorlateryouwillbe confrontedwithadifficultsituationwhich demandsaresolution;mygoldenruleisalwaysto buytime timeisarguablythemostprecious commodityofaworkingdayinheadshipbutinthis respectitcanalsobeyourgreatestally Avoidany temptationtorushintospontaneousdecisionsand ensurethatyourresponseismeasured,evidenced asmuchaspossibleandinlinewiththeschool’s policiesandprocedures Youwouldbewiseto neverleaveanythingtochanceandalwaysfollow upinwriting
thefirstfewdaysofaheadshipbutyoushouldnot feeltheneedtotakedrasticdecisionstoprove yourselfunnecessarilyinordertomakeyourmark. Thechancesarethattheseopportunitieswillcome alongquitenaturally,oftenwithinamatterof weeksbecausethatisthenatureofthejob,and yourforbearancecanthenbechampionedasa tacitdemonstrationofstrength
Authenticityandconsonancearenon negotiable intheleadershipofanyorganisationsoworking collaborativelywithyourteamattheoutsetto establishcoreaimsandvaluesistheplatformfor buildinganeffectiveculture.Regular communicationandarticulationoftheseprinciples mayraisehacklesinthestaffroomtostartwithbut willbecomethenormifthedialogueisconsistent andmeaningfulinitstoneanddelivery.
Putyourpupilsfirst.“Schoolsexistforthe educationofchildren,nottheemploymentof teachingandsupportstaff ”Thisepithethasserved mewellovertheyearswhentakingunpopular decisions,whichIhavenevercourted unnecessarily,butfromtimetotimesuch occasionsareinevitable nonemoresothanwhen defendingtheBoard’sdecisiontoconsultwithstaff aboutwithdrawalfromtheTeachers’Pension Scheme Nothwithstandingsuchanexceptional casewherefinancialmodellingwasalsoa mitigatingfactor,ifyouaregenuinelyabletoroot yourtrainofthoughtforanytoughdecisionbackto
6 | THE BUSINESS OF EDUCATION • SEPTEMBER 2022 Needhelpwithstrategyoradmissions?EmailDuncan atduncan@mtmconsulting.co.ukorourfriendlyHead ofBusinessDevelopment,Dan,at danielc@mtmconsulting.co.uk
Ihopethatbysharingmyownexperience,itmayjust resonatewithoneortwoofyouwhoareembarkingon yourfirstheadshipinthetermahead Leadership comesinallguises andisnotanexactscience so trustinyourinstinctsandIwishyoueveryhappiness andsuccess.
BUSINESS STRATEGY
Embracethepressure.Headshipcanbeanall consumingjobbutoneofitsgreatadvantagesis thatnotwodaysareeverthesame;itisthisaspect thatIalwaysfoundveryappealing Leadershipis notforthefaint heartedandoccasionallytherule bookwillgooutofthewindow Tryandsurround yourselfwiththerightilkofpeoplewhowillboth listenandhavethemettletochallengeyouina reasonedway Doensureyourtrustisnotearned lightlyandthatyouarenotperceivedtohave favourites Rememberthatyourbeststaffwill usuallybeambitiousandasuccessfulleaderwill activelycultivatetheirprofessionaldevelopment
Theschoolwasperformingverywellbut,asplanning forthefutureshouldalwaysbeapriorityforSLTand governors,wewantedtoknowwhatthelandscapemay looklikeintentofifteenyears’time(althougheven MTMcouldn’tpredictthepandemic!)
EMILY DOWN
Ihadafantasticcoupleofyearssailingaroundthe Solent,sippingchampagneattheracesandcheering theEnglishRugbyTeamonatTwickenham I’msureit washardworkatthetimebutlookingbackitdoes soundalittlelikeonelongparty!
Myreturnfromholidaywill,however,bringsome excitingtimes,astherearenewbeginningsinallareas
Myfirstschoolwasagirls’schoolthatwasinfinancial trouble,datingbackanumberofyears,andonethat ultimatelywentontohaveasuccessfulmergerwithits maincompetitor.Thesecond,athrivingboys’school witharelativelynewco educationalsixthformwhich launched18monthsafterIjoined.ItwasherethatI firstcameacrossMTM,workingwiththemonamarket researchproject
PriortothatIworkedwithinbusinessdevelopmentina privatehospital Whilethisinvolvedpromoting anythingfromlife savingcardiacprocedurestoBotox, italsoinvolvedattractingmoreconsultantstothe hospitalandalargepartofthisinvolvedcorporate hospitality.
Reflection
7 | THE BUSINESS OF EDUCATION • 01502 722787 SECTOR INSIGHT
Asoneindependenteducationconsultantsaidtome recently,I’vecomeovertothedarkside andshe wasn’ttalkingaboutmyforthcomingwedding I’m delightedtobejoiningMTMattheendofAugustas theirnewMarketingManager
Theschoolholidayshave,forme,alwaysbeenthetime toreflectandplan,tolookbackonwhathasand hasn’tworked,andtosetthefoundationsfor marketingactivityfurtherdowntheline.Thisyearisno differentasI’vereflectedonmytimeworkingwithin twoschools,andthedifferencesandsimilarities betweenthem.
CornwallseemstobethethemeofthiseditionasI, likeDuncan,amonmywaythereasIwritethis, althoughfromtherewe’llbeflyingacrosstothe ScillyIsles.I’mpicturinganEnidBlytonmeets SwallowsandAmazonsstyleholiday,althoughwith twoyoungchildrenandtheequallyunreliable Britishweather,itcouldbemorealongthelinesof LordoftheFlies.
Mycareersofar... I’vespentthelastdecadeworkingontheinsidewithin independentschools InmymostrecentroleasHeadof MarketingandCommunicationsIwasresponsiblefor bringingthestoryoftheschooltolife,throughafully integratedmarketingstrategy Frombrandingtoevent management,developingandoverseeingmulti platformadcampaignstobudgetmanagement, workingwithexternalagenciestoproducing promotionalfilmstoleadingonschoolstrategyasthe onlyfemalememberoftheSeniorLeadershipTeam (sometimesthemostfrustratingpartofthejob!)
3 Lessons Learnt From Working in Schools
Allafarcryfrommyoriginaldesiretoworkinpolitics. AyearworkinginWestminsterforanMP,whoshall renamenameless,ratherputmeoffthat and,asI watchthenewsindisbeliefnowadays,Icouldn’tbe moregrateful!
Gettingteachingstaffonsideiskey and perseveranceandeternaloptimismisessential here!Therearetimesthat,whileteachingor supportstaffoftenunderstandtheirimmediate colleagues’frustrations,theydon’talwaystranslate acrossthosetwogroups It’simportantto rememberinthosemomentsthatitisn’tpersonal andinsteadoffocusingonthedifferencesbetween thetwogroups,torememberthethingsthatunite youallsuchassharedvaluesandadesiretodeliver theverybestforthestudents
MARKET RESEARCH | BUSINESS & MARKETING | STRATEGY & SUPPORT mtmconsulting co uk • 01502 722787 • office@mtmconsulting co uk SECTOR INSIGHT Emailmeatemily@mtmconsulting.co.uk
Allbusinesseswillneedtobemakingdecisionsbased onsolid,data backedevidenceandschoolsareno exception Duringuncertaintimesmarketresearchcan provideclarity,openeyestonewopportunitiesand shineaspotlightonuntappedpotentialandI’mexcited tobeapartofthis
Schoolarefantasticcommunitiesbutyetmarketing withinaschoolcansometimesfeelalittlelonely,many workingindividuallyorinverysmallteams,andthe staffroomisn’talwaystheplacetotalkaboutyetmore marketingactivity Ifthatfeelsrelatable,thendogetin touchandarrangeachat,eithervirtualorinreallife
Yourpresenceinthestaffroomisinvaluable.While emailcanseemthedefaultwhenyouneed informationfromstafforareplanningthedetailfor anevent,takingthetimeforcoffeewithateaching colleagueattheirbreaktimecouldcutoutahuge numberofemailsandkick startaprojectthathad beenlagging Andofcourse,itwillcontinueto cementthoseall importantrelationshipsthatwill helpwithmynextpoint
Toptipsfrommytimeworkingwithinschools:
Andremember,nomatterwhatindustryyouare workingin,datacanbeamarketingprofessional’sbest friend.Inmyexperienceitisfarmoredifficultfora HeadorBursartosaynotoyourlatestidea,whenyou arepresentingthemwiththestatisticalanalysisand clearevidenceastowhyitisneeded!
Thenextfewyearswillbeatoughtimeformany parents,asthecostoflivingcrisisimpactsfamiliesin allareasandpursesinevitablytighten Thethreatof losingcharitablestatusforindependentschools, combinedwiththeprospectofVATonschoolfees, aren’tlookingquitesopieintheskyanymore
TheroleofHeadofMarketingandAdmissions(or similar)isakeyrolewithinaschoolanditisnow moreimportantthaneverthatthisisreflected withintheSeniorLeadershipTeam Afterall,thisis thepersonresponsibleforthecommunications, admissionsandmarketingwithintheframeworkof theschool’sstrategicplanand,asschools increasinglyhavetoadapttonewthreatsand challenges,theimportanceoftheirinputtothis strategicplancannotbeunderestimated marketing),Icanusuallybefoundonabeach somewhere whatevertheweather.Anodtomy Cornishroots!
Lastyearsawmeputallmyprojectmanagementskills tothetestwhilerenovatingmyVictorianterraceand havingmyfirstchildren’sbookpublished.WhenI’m nottalkingallthingseducation,parentingand marketing(unavoidablewhenmypartneralsoworksin
OriginallyfromCornwall,InowliveinBristolwithmy sonTeddy,step daughterTabathaandmypartnerPaul plusoneenthusiasticLabradorandarathergrumpy cat
TheEmilyDownWay
Marketingstruggles
Culture
Lookingahead
I’mreallylookingforwardtogettingtoknowmoreof mycolleaguesworkinginschools,academiesandother settingswithintheeducationsector.Whilethereis hugevarietyintermsofthetypeoforganisationfor whichyouwork fromsmallprepschools,largecity secondaries,tomultiacademytrusts thereare countlesssharedvalues,aimsandaspirations,justas therearealsosharedfrustrationsandconcerns.