Academic standards and the effective delivery of the academic program remain the primary responsibility of every school. They are the foundation by which parents, staff and students measure educational success. Alongside these, student wellbeing, co-curricular opportunities and holistic experiences in sport and the arts play an important role in shaping outcomes and satisfaction.
In this deep dive episode, Brad is joined by Shane Hogan to explore what school leadership requires when communities need stability and confidence. Drawing on a career across Catholic and independent schools, boys’ and girls’ education, and interim roles in schools under pressure, Shane discusses why visibility, relationships and discernment matter as much as structure. He explains why marketing must reflect the school’s lived experience, how staff, parents and alumni influence enrolment confidence, and why school Boards need to understand the long-term work behind positioning and enrolment growth.
For many years, the common advice to new school Heads has been not to do anything which risks alienating more than two core audiences at any given moment – those audiences being staff, parents, students and the Board.
In this interview episode, Brad is joined by David Woodgate, Chief Executive of the Independent Schools’ Bursars Association (ISBA) in the UK, to examine how millennial parents are reshaping school choice. David explains why reputation, tradition and results are no longer enough to create confidence, as parents look for clearer evidence of value, individual care and alignment between a school’s promise and lived experience. Together, they discuss what this shift means for Heads, admissions and marketing teams, and why every interaction must build trust in the school’s value in a competitive market.
In episode one of ‘How parents form confidence – and what it means for your marketing strategy’, Charlie explores why enquiry is not the beginning of the school choice journey, but a sign that a decision is already taking shape.
He explores how parents often form views of a school well before making contact, drawing on reputation, word of mouth, lived experience and repeated brand signals over time.
Charlie also probes the commonly held belief — usually outside of marcom offices — that success for school marketers is measured only by enquiries. Instead, he proposes that it’s about building clarity and confidence long before families are ready to act.
The noise can be deafening. Parents pushing for more, staff with urgent concerns, students needing support and the Board demanding answers. Too often the loudest voice wins. Without clarity, leadership becomes reactive. The key is measuring what matters.
In this episode, Brad, Bel and Scully explore why external confidence depends on internal coherence. They discuss why staff goodwill is not the same as shared understanding, how parents sense mixed signals across tours, conversations and follow-up communication, and why alignment is built through repeated leadership decisions, not announcements. The trio examines the risk of a school sounding clearer than it feels, and why Heads must ensure the school’s story is understood and reinforced by their own staff before it can be trusted by prospective families.
The shift in expectations among prospective parents is accelerating. Digital habits shaped by seamless technology experiences, hyper-personalised service and AI-generated content are reframing how families evaluate schools.
In this interview episode, Brad is joined by Pauline Shuttleworth, imageseven Advancement Specialist, and Chris Lang, co-founder and head of sales for Asia Pacific at Digistorm, to examine the changing enrolment landscape for independent schools. Using the findings from Digistorm’s 2025/26 State of K–12 School Admissions Report, they discuss how softening demand and growing enrolment pressure are shifting admissions from reactive management to data-informed planning. This requires Heads to sharpen their positioning and take a more intentional approach to the parent journey.
In episode one of ‘How parents form confidence – and what it means for your marketing strategy’, Charlie explores why enquiry is not the beginning of the school choice journey, but a sign that a decision is already taking shape.
He explores how parents often form views of a school well before making contact, drawing on reputation, word of mouth, lived experience and repeated brand signals over time.
Charlie also probes the commonly held belief — usually outside of marcom offices — that success for school marketers is measured only by enquiries. Instead, he proposes that it’s about building clarity and confidence long before families are ready to act.
Multiple schools, under the umbrella of a single organisation, struggled to showcase their individual value propositions within the strong brand personality of the larger association. The schools’ ability to differentiate themselves within their markets was diminished, with staff either feeling frustratingly restrained or becoming increasingly defiant of the brand guidelines.
In this episode, Brad, Bel and Scully explore why school brands are not personal platforms for leaders to reshape They explore the difference between ownership and stewardship, explain why a school’s brand is inherited rather than invented, and discuss how leaders can renew and clarify its message without distorting what families already trust. The trio also examines how pressure can tempt schools to broaden or soften their story, and why steadiness, coherence and conviction give parents confidence when enrolment decisions feel uncertain.
