Truro High School for Girls educates around 340 girls aged 3 to 18 and is part of the Methodist Independent Schools Trust (MIST). It has recently been named a Finalist in the Independent School of the Year Awards (Small Independent School of the Year category). The school is located very close to Truro School, a much larger co-educational offering, also part of MIST, and both schools compete over the same catchment. There is, therefore, a significant requirement for a good return on investment from marketing through smarter actions.
14%
growth expected in underpenetrated areas
The project
MTM were contacted by Sarah Lillicrap, Director of Communications at Truro High School for Girls, who was looking to understand more about her school’s market. She was keen to find out what types of girls currently attend the school and how far they are prepared to travel to and from school every day. She was also looking forward to discovering where pockets of girls from families matching the profile of students currently on roll might live, and it was useful to her to know from which residential locations the school is already recruiting well, and if there are any locations it is missing.
MTM undertook research to reveal the exact travel times of Truro High’s current students, and also to gain an insight into their families’ lifestyles – including the media they engage in – which could help to inform the kind of messages most likely to appeal. We then looked within the realistic travel time to understand where the school was doing well with recruitment and where there were missed opportunities, and we investigated the roll trends of competitor schools to see whether the trends Sarah had experienced at Truro High were being felt throughout the market.
Results
After careful analysis of the wealth of useful data gathered, we were able to recommend to Sarah that the school invest in new liveried minibus routes, running through locations identified as the school’s key target areas for recruitment. These new routes would benefit current families by improving accessibility and adding value, while at the same time boosting awareness of the school in under-penetrated areas.
It is vital to be informed about the demographic trends in our area. In a fast-growing school it is invaluable to know when and where the demand will come to ensure we are ready, with space, to service it. The work by James and the team at MTM will inform our marketing campaigns in the years to come. I thoroughly recommend MTM’s services.
Sarah Lillicrap - Truro High School for Girls