How to raise the profile of a Church of England Primary School Making your school better known ……… and perhaps increasing the numbers on roll. Advertising This is a sensitive area and one for which the various LAs in the Diocese may have their own protocols. However, you might like to think about and discuss these issues. Make good quality glossy handouts and make sure that they are always available in your local church. You might also like to have handouts available in these situations, but please keep them within your catchment area, so as not to be seen leafleting on another school’s patch: • other local churches (Methodist, Baptist etc.) • any show houses • your local library • the local shops • any local pre-school groups • the village hall • the doctor’s surgery A member of the governing body might have responsibility for checking supplies in these venues and ensuring that they are kept topped up.
Posters In the local church - inviting parents to come and visit your school, and giving them information about open days and where to get application forms. Make sure the posters are at least as good as those produced by the independent sector!
School Website Have information on the website which prospective parents would like to see. Be careful not to fill your website with too many policies. KEEP THE WEBSITE UP TO DATE. Many schools pay a technician just a few hours to update the site weekly – putting on the weekly newsletter and lots of children’s work, visits, visiting artists etc. Have the website linked to your local church website and visa versa. Remember, many parents start by looking you up on the internet. Try looking up your school yourself – just with a ’Google’ search. Websites reduce ‘pupil letter loss’ and can be a really useful communication tool for parents, grandparents, parents from ‘split’ families and prospective parents. It’s well worth the effort.
Dos and don’ts with a website Do Make the website so that it appears on a ‘Google’ search Make the website easily updated and have updating it as someone’s role Make it colourful and contain lots of children’s work and news – so that parents will want to use it. Have holiday dates, application info, news letters etc on it. Have a Church link and visa versa. Have a governors’ section – ‘Who are we?’
Don’t Don’t make it too complicated. (Web designers often get carried away.) Don’t leave it to teachers or children to update – it often doesn’t get done. Don’t make the website full of educational jargon – it’s being read by ‘Jo Public’. Don’t ever let your website be out of date – this is very bad press. Don’t make your weekly letter into a weekly moan – parking, dogs, nits, lateness etc.
Advertise local events and church services. Ask parents for feedback. Remember that grandparents will be looking you up from across the country. Advertise before and after school arrangements, if you have them. Advertise a broad curriculum with after school clubs. Put your weekly newsletter on the website so that parents can access it. Have a look at these examples from around the Diocese http://www.bunburyaldersey.cheshire.sch.uk/ http://www.broadbottom.tameside.sch.uk http://www.stbertelines.org.uk/ http://www.astburyschool.org.uk/ www.delamere.cheshire.sch.uk/ http://www.woodcockswell.ik.org Google ‘Tushingham School’ There are many more – have a hunt – parents do! What about children’s images on the website? Many schools, as a matter of course, send a simple letter and form out to all parents as their child starts school. The form is signed by the parents and grants permission to use the child’s image on the website. Most parents will sign up – especially if you have a class photo of all the new starters in September.
Here is a copy letter which is used by one church school: St Mary’s Church of England Primary School School Website In these days of heightened awareness of the possibilities of children being in danger on the internet, we have formulated a school website policy which keeps the children safe, whilst at the same time allowing them to celebrate their school and their work with their wider family and friends, via the internet. Have you seen our website? If not, ask at school and we will arrange for you to view it, and to discuss its content. If you have an on-line PC at home – then log on to www.stmary’s.org.uk What do we do to ensure the safety of the children? The website is ‘one way’ – nobody can get in touch with us or with the children via the website – it is not a ‘chat room.’ Unlike the newspaper - no children’s names are used on the website. All website entries are created and maintained by school staff and the headteacher personally monitors every entry – she has total overview and control over what goes on the site. We only use images taken, by us, in school – and those images are carefully monitored. What are the benefits of the site? Parents can keep in touch with what is going on in school and can view all newsletters from the half-term. This saves us from relying of ‘pupil post’ – especially with the younger children. Holiday dates and other important information are also on the site. There is a permanent St Mary’s Church link on the site – so that anyone who wishes to get in touch with the vicar can obtain the information they need. You can also look up coming events and services at the church. Children and teachers can celebrate the lovely work going on in the school with a larger audience. Each week hundreds of grandparents, aunties and other relatives visit our site and catch up with what is going on in school – so that they can share an interest with the children. Even relatives who live across the globe can see what the children have been doing in school and share the excitement of the school curriculum. We average 400 visits (hits) per week to our website. Children love to see their work displayed – and the website is a remarkable way of displaying the vast range of excellent work produced at the school. It’s just like the children being in the newspaper – but with more control. If you wish to discuss the site further, or to have any questions answered, then please ring the school and we will be glad to discuss the website with you. We want you and the children to enjoy the site and to value it. We ask all parents to fill in the following form so that we have your permission to display your child’s image on our website. – remember, we will never use their name.
The Local Paper – A great way of raising the school’s profile locally. Get a governor or friend of the school to be the publicity officer. Phone the local paper every time there is a photo opportunity. Educational visit Fair Trade Week Christian Aid Week Book day Non-uniform Day Special celebration Artist in school Nativity Mothering Sunday New menu – healthy eating Sporting event or triumph. The list is endless and the parents and children love it. Some local papers even encourage you to send in your own digital photo and write-up – a gift to every school. Try to have your school in the local paper as often as possible. The Diocesan Website – www.chester.anglican.org/schools This has articles about special events in our schools – why not send something in? We have a termly ebulletin which goes out to all schools and can also be accessed by anyone via the Diocesan website. The Diocese is always eager to have school news and special occasions to share. Email any offerings to
[email protected] Other local magazines There are a whole raft of new local magazines on the market – My Village, The A41 etc. They are usually very pleased to support schools and get a good photo. Have a school open afternoon – ‘Choosing your child’s school’ Many parents will turn up to have a nose. It gives you a chance to talk to them and show off your school. Have parents providing coffee etc. Maybe have children showing parents round. You could arrange for a little sing or a mini concert. Parents love it. Have a Fair Trade Week – with open doors Invite your local community in for a cup of Fair Trade coffee or tea….and even a Fair Trade biscuit or homemade cake. Let the children tell them about Fair Trade – maybe have a display, or shop. Be part of the worshipping parish Get your children to the church regularly… maybe a little action song or a short presentation; maybe just a prayer or a poem. The vicar will love you and the parishioners will be really impressed. Most churches have a family service, maybe once a month ……..you, or a local member of staff, could go along from time to time. All parishes have a range of other activities – fetes, Christian Aid weeks, sponsored walks, special services – why not get involved. The children will love it and it can create a very positive local feeling about the school.
Have a stall at the PCC AGM or at the local Church Fete Maybe take some children along and provide a small display of work or photos. The word spreads from these small ventures. You could arrange to talk to the PCC at their AGM and tell them about your school. Invite the parish and local community to your school worship – they love it. Tell the vicar to announce a special service in the school – for all parishioners to come and join in. You will get lots of visitors and they will love to come and sing with the children and watch them in their worship. You could have a cuppa afterwards – great PR. We have schools in the Diocese who have a family service each week – and get 50 or 60 regulars. It’s a really good opportunity for both your minister and you to get to know another group of people and to spread the word about your brilliant school.
Have Grandparent afternoons Grandparents are the best ambassadors for a school. They are always very positive …..’It wasn’t like this when I went to school.’ Why not encourage them in by having a grandparent afternoon. They can have tea and cake and a guided tour by their grandchildren! – Maybe even a singsong. As more and more mums are working – then more and more grans are playing their part ……….. they should be a part of the extended school family. Grandparent afternoons are always great fun and a chance for the school to really show off. Think about having them on Friday or Monday – because lots of grandparents will come to stay with their families for the weekend. Have a range of pre-school parents meetings This is one of the things that schools can do which have a good long-term knock-on effect with parents. Mums and Dads are very keen when their children are just starting school – why not make the most of this and have pre-school education for parents. You could have a number of meetings: • How to make your child into a reader • Making maths fun • Teaching your child handwriting • Games to play that help learning • Starting school – the process or think of others. The child’s first teacher could lead the meetings along with you, and you could make the invitation sound a bit more than optional. Don’t let the meetings last any more than an hour and try to have them at a time when dads can attend. You will have a good attendance – make the meeting fun and give the parents lots of ideas – let them have a go with the equipment – keep it practical. They will go away from the meetings and tell others ‘Oh, we get chance to go and find out about how the children are taught at our school’. Many school have a programme of ‘home visits’ before children start school - again, this is seen by the parents as a very positive thing which only ‘good’ schools do. Getting to know families in this way helps parents and children settle in to school and become good ambassadors. No doubt you will be able to think of many other things that will help give your school a good local reputation. Parents love a school which is full… it’s the best selling point there is… and to get your school full, you might well have to work at it - but it’s really worth it. Here are a few more issues which you might like to discuss: • School Uniform • Residential Education • Before and after school clubs • Breakfast clubs • After school clubs and societies
