What we heard at IAPS and the Education Summit, and how to put it to work at your school

Thank you for being part of the Applicaa community. Over the past few weeks our team has been out meeting independent schools and the wider education sector. Here is what we heard, along with some practical ideas you can put to work straight away.

IAPS Annual Conference, ICC Birmingham

Our Head of Independent Schools, Maria Fernandez, joined Applicaa co-founder Tim Dixon at the IAPS Annual Conference. Maria spent years on the school side as a registrar and group head of admissions, so she knows how much a real conversation can tell you that a survey never will.

It was wonderful to reconnect with so many of our schools and hear first hand what is working, what is changing and where you are heading. Your feedback shapes what we build next, so thank you to everyone who stopped to chat. And thank you to IAPS for a brilliant conference and a memorable Gala Dinner.

Education Summit, Business Design Centre, London

On Wednesday 23 September, Maria also attended the Education Summit in London. It brought together around 1,000 people from across the sector, including school leaders, investors and advisors, with a dedicated stream for independent schools.

A confident outlook for independent schools

A market outlook session shared encouraging views on the future of London's independent schools:

• Stability ahead. After a period of adjustment over the next one to three years, the market is expected to settle and stabilise.
• Strong schools set to thrive. Large, established schools with strong reputations and healthy enrolments are likely to be more resilient, and group ownership and shared service models are expected to become more common.
• London remains resilient. Leading schools in affluent boroughs are supported by affluence and strong international demand.
• Room to stand out. Schools that clearly differentiate themselves and adapt to families' needs are best placed to succeed.

Putting it to work: five ways to get more from your admissions system

The common thread was that schools with a strong reputation and a standout family experience are the ones best placed to thrive. The good news is that much of that experience is in your hands, and your admissions system can help. Here are five things worth reviewing this term.

1. Keep every enquiry moving. Your enquiries pipeline flags enquiries with no recent activity as needing attention, so you can see at a glance which families have not had a follow up. Assign each enquiry to a member of staff, and any email you send from the record is logged on its activity timeline. Emma can also flag at-risk enquiries and create follow up tasks for you. See the Enquiries and Leads guide and Meet Emma.
2. Respond quickly and personally. Families often enquire at several schools, so review the emails they receive from you. With Templates you can edit the content in the drag-and-drop editor, choose what triggers each email and how long it waits before sending, and see how each template is performing.
3. Use your events well. Open events and tours are where families fall in love with a school. When you create an event, Admissions+ can send registrants an automatic confirmation email, which you can customise with your own wording, including event details, a QR code and an add to calendar link. Afterwards you can filter your registrants and send a reminder or follow up email to the guests you choose.
4. Know where your families come from. Add the Marketing Source question to your enquiry and registration forms, then open the Insights area, where the Summary page shows the number and percentage of enquiries from each source. Put your marketing time and budget where it works best.
5. Keep your records tidy. Complete, up to date records make everything else easier, from personal emails to accurate reporting. Each enquiry record holds the family's details, the assigned member of staff, your notes and a timeline of every interaction, so the whole team sees the same picture. The Enquiries and Leads guide shows how to work with a record.

We are here to help

If you would like help with any of the above, such as reviewing your emails, setting up reports or training for new members of staff, your Applicaa contact will be delighted to help. Or book a meeting with Will Allen and we will get you started.