Confidence Index 2023: What Will The Results Reveal?

As this year’s benchmarking survey draws to a close, James Leggett gives his thoughts on what insights the Confidence Index 2023 results will reveal.

The Survey

The team from School Management Plus (SMP) approached us in 2022 with the idea of launching a survey to gauge the confidence of professionals in the independent school sector. As market research experts working with education providers, we eagerly accepted the challenge of exploring the inner workings of UK independent schools.

This project has resulted in the Confidence Index, which is carried out in partnership with SMP, and with the support of AMCIS. It surveys the opinions of heads, bursars, marketing and admissions professionals, as well as heads of development, with regard to the realities of leading and managing schools, and predicting their future.

The Results

We are delighted that this year’s results will be announced at the AMCIS Conference in May, in a live panel hosted by AMCIS Chairman, David Milner. This session will discuss the findings of the 2023 Confidence Index, which was taken by a larger number of UK independent schools than last year.

The 2022 survey yielded interesting results, and we anticipate further changes this year due to the decrease of Covid-19. Issues such as VAT on school fees, increase in TPS and loss of charitable status were already prominent. Combined with a cost-of-living crisis on the horizon, around two-thirds of schools were not ruling out a change in their structure to counter these threats last year, whether looking at opening a nursery, investigating mergers, or exploring a move from single-sex to co-education.

Duncan Murphy, Director of Education at MTM Consulting, has noted that there has been a rise in the number of schools contacting MTM Consulting who are considering a shift in their business strategy.

“I would strongly recommend that schools take the time to thoroughly investigate their options before coming to a decision. Making an informed decision based on data and evidence is the best way for schools to ensure they make the right choice,” he commented.

Well-being

Well-being was a major concern for all roles, and while Heads and Bursars felt confident in their positions, Marketers were less so. Only a third reported not feeling stressed and having a good work and life balance, and around half thought they were short-staffed and undertrained. Furthermore, less than half were sure they were tracking the return on investment of their marketing spending. This is an issue we will be looking at with interest as we analyse the 2023 results and we are sure this will be of particular interest for our AMCIS audience!

We look forward to delving into the 2023 results and being able to shed light on the current state of the UK independent school sector. We hope to see you at the AMCIS Conference in May to unearth the findings of the Confidence Index, where Daniel Cohen will be on the panel, hosted by AMCIS Chair, David Milner, and Dominic Moon, Metropolis, along with a number of experienced marketing professionals working within independent schools.

An event not to be missed!