EDUCAT ION
Schools’ digital presence isn’t just a godsend for current parents but an increasingly important part of their interaction with prospective parents. Taking a closer look at schools’ social media output can tell you an awful lot about what a school’s like and whether it might suit your child. And while scanning a school’s website or scrolling through its latest tweets can’t replace the first- hand impressions gained by touring a school, getting to know it virtually can help to address the worries and questions that every prospective parent has – in a nutshell, helping to reassure them that their child will flourish, make progress and be happy. “Social media enables prospective parents to get a feel for the school life in real time. It shows all of the varied and engaging opportunities our students have to develop and fulfil their potential,” says Zoe Scoular at St Mary’s School. Schools put a lot of effort into their communications. They may be carefully curated to reflect the school’s corporate goals but what also comes across is an infectious enthusiasm for what they do. “It’s an accessible way of giving prospective students and parents an idea of our personality,” says Zoe Scoular. In some schools, individual departments or teachers have their own Twitter accounts. It’s not hard to see, from the number and variety of posts, which staff have a campaigning zeal for their subject and take a real pride in their department’s achievements. (It’s not unheard of to find a particularly gripping equation taking centre stage online). At Culford, staff are notably keen contributors to the school’s social media accounts, with encouragement from leaders
“It can be a really good initial insight into the school”
– if you take the time to explore it thoroughly. Take communications with parents. Positive, friendly messages via online bulletins or letters rather than a continuing nag about uniform infringements or parking problems (for example) can create a real sense of community, with school and parents working together in partnership. What you should be able to take away from a website is a sense of the school’s ethos and the all-round education it provides, says Zoe Scoular at St Mary’s, Cambridge. Check the website for ease of use, she suggests. Is finding information on open days, the admissions process, and visiting the school straightforward? How easy is it to find out key information about the different areas of school life, results and news about students’ recent achievements? With so much to gain from getting to know a school virtually, it’s a good idea for prospective parents to start the process early. “I would start following their accounts straight away,” says Claire Ziwa at The Perse. “You can get a real flavour for the things that the school is telling you about before you’ve even gone there. It can be a really good initial insight into the school that can actually give you a whole raft of opportunities to ask questions you may not have necessarily thought of if you just turned up on an open day.”
at the school. It’s all about conveying a sense of authenticity, says Dave Watkin. “There is nothing more powerful than a housemaster tweeting or Facebooking about the life of the school. If you’re halfway round the world and you get a tweet that shows your son or daughter smiling and enjoying their existence in the school, for me, that’s the crux of it.” The school’s website can also be an invaluable way into a school’s personality
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