MTM Tips: A Successful School Open Day

MTM Tips: A Successful School Open Day featured image
10 November 2022

During the last 38 years, staff at MTM Consulting have surveyed approximately 500,000 parents. That means we have learned a thing or two about what works at an Open Day. Perhaps even more importantly we have also listened to what parents tell us that doesn’t work.  These are often simple things but could be putting parents off joining your school.

So, here are our top 5 tips for open days this recruitment season.

Make sure the school looks its absolute best on the day.

This sounds obvious but it’s amazing how easily you can stop noticing the tired, unloved areas of the school if you walk past them multiple times every day. Put yourself in prospective parents’ position and view the fabric of the school with new eyes. Schools located in historical buildings can shout heritage and tradition when presented in the right way.  However if there are areas that aren’t well-maintained, the impression can be very different. Modern, purpose-built schools don’t have this problem.  Of course, they can come across as sterile without some thought and eye-catching visual displays.

Consider your guides carefully.

There is huge variation among schools in terms of who carries out their visiting parent tours. Choices range from the Head and other senior leaders to pupils of various ages. Pupil guides can work very well but the parents we spoke to did raise some issues.  These really highlight the importance of picking the right students for open days.  Those picked should be the students who will reflect best on your school, in all aspects.  Smartness, ability to converse with adults and other children, and a positive attitude about their school are all essential.  Avoid the temptation to simply select a year group en masse or choose those students you feel may need the development opportunity.

Review your follow-up and application process.

For example, are your application dates in line with your competitors or are they part of the problem? When we talked to non-joiners at one school, they revealed that the admission dates had been vastly different to their competitors.  This had a real impact on the number of parents registering.  Happily, this was a straightforward issue to resolve.  We also regularly hear parents complain about the lack of follow-up contact from schools they have visited.  Follow-up doesn’t have to feel like a hard sell.  A friendly call to see how their child enjoyed their visit and whether they had any more questions, can go a long way to making the family feel valued.

Be aware of the EDI agenda.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion are increasingly important to younger families.  They will now expect to see your school living and breathing their EDI commitments. This is a huge topic for schools, with many now employing an ‘EDI Lead’, and it can be easy to make simple mistakes that can have a big impact. One mother who attended a Sixth Form Open Evening with her daughter spoke of an all-male speaker line-up, with no visible senior females.  Other prospective parents at a different school noticed that the safeguarding posters visible in all classrooms, identifying who their child should turn to if they had a problem, showed just six white, middle-aged men.

The Head must be visible.

The Head conveys the ethos of the school and parents will understandably want to hear from them and meet them at some point in the process. However, a school is more than just the Head.  It is important to brief everyone involved on Open Day expectations and key messages. While hopefully everyone is on the same page, this shouldn’t be left to chance when it comes to open days.

We hope this has given you some food for thought.  Qualitative research can be the key to finding out what prospective parents think about your school.  By using third-party researchers, you are more likely to find out the unvarnished truth about views and attitudes towards your organisation. MTM’s friendly, experienced researchers gently question respondents and allow them to share their views.

If you would like to learn more about our Mystery Shopper reports or our Non-Joiner Surveys, do get in touch with our team at 01502 722787 or view our product brochure page.

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