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Marking Advice for Schools is now working with Glove Consulting to offer more consultancy support to schools with higher level advice and coaching support alongside improved online and face-to-face training
- The Marketing Advice for Schools Network will continue and develop using Glove’s contacts to create more higher-level discussions around areas such as MAT vision, branding and growth and community consultation
- We’ve working together to create more innovative ways of sharing ideas such as podcasts and webinars, especially and until face-to-face comes back!
- We're still keen to work with innovative creative specialists - like Marketing Advice for Schools, Glove partners with key people in the industry in areas such as design and videography
Here's one example of the service that Glove offers....
Supporting Large Scale Change in Schools
There are many reasons why schools embark on large scale change and many different areas of the organisation where change might be required. Often change is needed to gain a desired position, so rather than the change being the focus, it is the desired outcome that determines the changes required. We could even debate what large scale change is? Is it something that impacts on the whole organisation, something that has not been changed for a long time, or something that fundamentally changes the school offer?
When consulting with schools, usually a reason for the change is associated with issues around finance, staffing or performance.
Declining student numbers may result in adding a younger class intake, moving to co-educational or changing the curriculum. An increase in numbers and new housing to the area can result to a new, competitor school being formed. Financial challenges could create the need to change staffing structures, the need to join an academy trust or close current sixth form provision. A fall in performance, or a poor Ofsted grade can lead to a requirement to invest-in or recruit new talent to the team.
Perhaps one of the largest scale changes for school is joining a multi academy trust, or for MATs, two trusts coming together in a merger. Merging can often be seen as a move following failure where there is no other option, but there are many mergers where a MAT is performing well and financially viable but coming together presents increased gains and opportunities.
Glove Consulting has supported a number of MATs throughout the merger process and have seen first-hand what it takes to make large scale change successful. And that is leadership.
Change is difficult, it is often reactive or the last opportunity to bring a school out of a difficult situation. Some change is planned and structured and centred around a transformation plan. But inspiring, confident and honest leadership allows for change to be managed successfully. Once stakeholders can see that a leader can be trusted, then engagement can begin to build support.
And as soon as stakeholders start to support a change process, then the whole project becomes a heck of a lot easier and more likely to be a success, in both the short and the long term.
Please get in touch if you'd like to learn more!
Glove's key people:
John Brennan: Managing Director & Strategic Lead
Over 20 years John has worked with all types of education providers – from nurseries to UTCs, Free Schools and Studio Schools, MATs and Independent Schools.
He has provided them with advice, direction and quality solutions across the full spectrum of culture, communication, reputational and brand related issues. John is a trusted adviser to several CEOs, principals and headteachers and has a proven record in getting results and improving schools outcomes. John is currently working with several new MATs providing advice on formation, growth and offer development strategies. He also advises a number of more established Trusts on their external communications strategy and is helping develop a sustainable pupil pipeline for member schools.
Rebekah Wilkins: Associate Director
Rebekah is an executive level strategic marketing and educational leadership professional with vast experience. She has worked within educational marketing and student recruitment for over twenty years, working with providers from Nursery through to Further Education and various schools in between. She has provided them with a range of services including strategic planning, marketing and communications, merger support and implementation, training and development, reputational and brand direction and in-house operational support.
Having led a target and results driven award-winning team off 100+ staff, Rebekah has a successful track record of meeting challenging targets in student recruitment, business income and cost reductions in a £40m organisation.
John Brennan
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Rebekah Wilkins
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