King’s School, Worcester

MTM were approached by Emily Ward, Marketing Director, looking to understand a realistic market size, and therefore school size, along with why families who consider each school do not go on to enrol.

In order to support the preparation of the schools’ marketing and business strategies, we undertook two core exercises. The first was a supply and demand analysis, understanding the types of families using each school and how far they are prepared to travel, using that data to detail a realistic catchment area.

We then looked within those respective catchments to detail how many children of each age range live within families who match the profile of current families to detail the size of their addressable market. We were then able to detail areas the schools were recruiting strongly compared to areas they were missing. An analysis of birth rates, population projections and residential construction detailed how these markets were projected to change to 2029.

We then undertook telephone interviews of families who had enquired to the schools but not joined, with a focus on enquiries from areas where there were good markets but a poor share. This detailed why families considered The King’s School, their strengths and weaknesses, and ultimately the push and pull factors of why they chose alternatives.

On the basis of this data, the Kings School was able to target both its marketing budgets and messages in the areas which were most likely to provide a high return on investment, whilst defining the markets for each preparatory offering to prevent ‘cannibalisation’. The leadership team were also to use this data to invest in the key areas and facilities as required, ensuring the school is well prepared for the challenges and opportunities it expects over the next five and ten years.