Forest & Sandridge – Inspection Success
We worked with this primary school in Melksham to make sure that the whole local community was made aware of their positive inspection reports.
The Challenge
From October 2019 through to the new year, Forest & Sandridge CE Primary School had a lot of good news to celebrate. In quick succession, the Melksham school received a Gold Religious Education Quality Mark (REQM), an ‘excellent’ SIAMS report, and, finally, a ‘good’ Ofsted rating.
The challenge for Forest & Sandridge was to make sure that these achievements were broadly publicised and had a measurably positive impact on the school. If successful in raising awareness of their achievements, the school would improve its reputation in the local area and positively influence public perception.
Furthermore, the school identified the importance of recognising the good work and commitment of staff and members of the school community in contributing toward its success.
The Solution
When a school receives a positive Ofsted report, it is crucial that they capitalise on the achievement by communicating the news effectively. The Eduprise team understands the importance of sharing the achievements through clear communications and positioning them to have the greatest impact on the school.
To be successful, the communications would need to emphasise the school’s best features and highlight the exceptional work that was recognised by these awards. They would also concisely explain the significance of each award and the criteria the school met to achieve them. Finally, the school would reference any recommendations made in each report and describe the ways in which they planned to address them in order to improve, reassuring the community of their commitment to excellence.
The Process
Upon being informed of each achievement, Anna Willcox, principal at Forest & Sandridge, contacted the Eduprise team and requested their support in sharing news of the awards. The communications produced for each award included a blog post, a series of social media posts, and a press release in order to maximise their reach across multiple platforms.
For each separate campaign, the team thoroughly examined the report in question and analysed any relevant content on the school’s website. The content writers then selected particularly notable quotes from the reports that corresponded with the school’s stated vision and values and highlighted them within the communications.
As a result, the content consistently emphasised how the long-term vision of the school had been fundamental in achieving each award.
To effectively communicate the school’s message and provide a personal perspective on these achievements, we collaborated with Anna to produce quotes that best represented the school and acknowledged the contribution of the entire school community.
The Outcome
For each good news story, the Eduprise team was able to produce a range of communications that maximised the reach of Forest & Sandridge’s achievements.
A Christian vision and set of values are the foundation for life and learning at the school, and it was therefore a great success that the communications were also centred upon these factors.
By taking this approach, the team produced communications that emphasised the unique character and features of the school. In particular, they demonstrated Forest & Sandridge’s identity as a faith school and highlighted how important the SIAMS report and Gold REQM were for Church of England schools like theirs.
Although Forest & Sandridge maintained its Ofsted rating, rather than improving it, the communications highlighted the more exacting criteria the school had to meet in order to achieve the same result, as well as the challenge posed by the school’s significant growth.
By highlighting these key points, the communications showed how the school was striving to improve and successfully adjusted to changes, leaving no doubt that they weren’t simply coasting following the last inspection.
The three campaigns combined to demonstrate that the school was going from strength to strength, thanks in no small part to the implementation and embodiment of their Christian vision. With all three stories being heavily featured online, and two being promoted by the local press, the campaigns generated a considerable amount of positive coverage and reached a diverse audience.
What They Said
Anna Willcox, Principal at the school, was delighted with the work done by Eduprise, saying: “The team did an excellent job communicating all the most positive points from our inspections and making sure the good news got out to as many people as possible.”
“It was great to see the school making positive headlines in the local newspaper!”
The team at Eduprise would like to congratulate everyone at Forest & Sandridge on their fantastic achievements. It was a pleasure to work with Anna Willcox and help her school raise awareness of their excellent work.
At Eduprise, we produce communications worthy of the hard work teachers and staff put into preparing for inspections and earning recognition and awards. If you are interested in publicising your school’s great achievements, get in contact today.