Marketing spin

Some school websites might look nice but they feel bloated, too slick and lack authenticity. In this chapter, Matthew laments the need for parents to wade through the gloss of school marketing, searching for clear and concise information. What do you need to find on a school website – and how should you approach any due diligence?

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Look at many independent school websites and you will find a deluge of photographs of happy, smiling children. You will be taken on a journey of slick marketing showing you insights into the school, highlights of pupil success and ambition. You will almost certainly have to grapple with a navigation which is more style over substance, a lavish design not unlike a luxury consumer brand, logos for awards which sound good but you don't actually know the value, and possibly a presentational video which feels more like an episode of Made in Chelsea than a serious attempt to convey what it means for your son or daughter to study at the school. Welcome to the world of school marketing.

Actually, to be fair, it's often worse than this. I have looked through hundreds of school websites and it often takes several minutes to actually find the age at which they start admitting pupils. In an ever increasing spiral of marketing gloss, the key messages risk being forgotten. For the prospective parent, you need clear and concise information so you can make an...

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Disclaimer: Independent education has a wide range of views and the use of quotations does not imply that these contributors share the same views as the author. The views and opinions of the author may also not necessarily be shared by all schools mentioned in this book. The author and publishers do not warrant, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, that the contents are error-free and shall not be liable for any loss, however arising, as a result of the information contained in this book.

Essex