It's Open day season, so if you're wondering where to start as a founding/startup school, here are a few ideas on how Open Days can assist with your school enrollment. Open Day's are usually run in October/November and February thru the end of March or early April. Depending on the goals of your school’s enrollment needs, Open Day can focus on the different school divisions such as: Early Years, Primary, and Secondary.
As a founding school it is important you have a strong marketing and admissions team. These individuals will be promoting the schools’ image on social media, billboards, flyers, and posters throughout the community and school fairs.
How does a founding school begin? One strategic approach is to familiarize yourself with the competition within your community. Attending an Open Day at a local or competing school is an effective method to grasp the culture and ethos of the institution. Observe their advertising strategies, organization and structure of the event, and engage in classroom activities while conversing with the students who are leading campus tours.
Here are a few points you will need to consider when planning an Open Day.
Admissions and Marketing Team: A successful event hinges on the strength of a team comprised of marketing and admissions professionals. This team should present themselves professionally, greet potential parents and students warmly, ensure that welcome gift bags reflect the school's ethos, and efficiently direct people to waiting areas or assigned division levels before tours commence.
Maintenance of Schools Grounds and Buildings: The grounds must be free of any debris, and potential hazards for visitors. The school must show that security and safety is present on campus. The classrooms should be ready for potential visitors to come in and browse the room and see student work.
Student and Faculty Participation: Teachers are the people who make the fabric of the school. Having administrators present if vital as well. I a big advocate of student interaction, seeing a school with students in action and talking about their experience is powerful. Seeing children and how happy and relaxed they look as they go about the school day, will leave a positive impression. At an Open Day, you'll have a valuable chance to have in-depth conversations with teachers, students and parents. Learn firsthand about the school’s culture, community, curriculum and ask parents, students or staff any questions you might have. Speaking to them will help you learn about what the school is really like on a day-to-day basis - so ask away.
Future Plans for the School.: By alerting visiting parents about the future developments happening and how it will positively impact your child’s learning experience. There may be incredible plans to build new facilities that prospective parents wouldn’t otherwise be aware of.
Classroom Lessons: These lessons should be led by a master teacher and should concentrate on a subject area of student interest exclusive to your school. For instance, offerings could include filmmaking or orchestral performance for the arts, physics and chemistry for science, advanced math courses for mathematics, or computer programming and design for technology enthusiasts. A significant achievement would be an English class where students leave with a sense of accomplishment, having acquired two critical academic skills.
Student and Parent Tours: The backbone of the entire Open Day is represented by student or volunteer parents. A robust team that can articulate effectively, possess deep knowledge about the school, and can provide information about academic offerings and student activities is paramount. It’s always good for a visiting parent to meet school parents. School parents can share their experience and insights, and have potential parents view the school with a fresh perspective. Plus, these may be people you spend a lot of time with in the future when your children share a class!
Making the best of your Open Day for your founding school is essential for attracting prospective students and showcasing the unique offerings of your institution. By carefully planning engaging activities, informative presentations, and opportunities for interaction, you can leave a lasting impression on visitors and set the stage for future success. Let us help you create an unforgettable Open Day experience that highlights the strengths and values of your school.
As an international leader and educator of higher education, I have invaluable insights and support to offer those who are embarking on the journey of opening a new school, first time leadership, academic training and more. Having over 30 years of extensive experience in higher education, private, public, and international schools, along with a vast network, contact me, Dr. Renata McFarland at International Educational Consultants to leverage my expertise in addressing your leadership training, mentoring, school policy, startup school queries, or just overcoming challenges of day to day operations. Whether it's through training sessions, idea-sharing, attentive listening, or workshops- connect with me!
Look for our upcoming free Ebooks. Our first Ebook publication will focus on teaching strategies in pre-literacy skills for Early Years Children.
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