Are The Numbers Adding Up?
As we approach the end of the academic year, the postcard in the photo above landed on our doormat. A good luck wish to our youngest son in his GCSEs, from a local college, very much hoping he would be a consumer next year. I use the word consumer, rather than student, as in any other business, this was simply a marketing spend. A printed postcard, time taken to prepare and send, and for that matter, posted first class at a cost of 53p. Multiply this up by a target number of consumers, and that’s a reasonable marketing investment by this college.
It reminded me of a conversation with a head of sixth form at another educational establishment in the same borough at the start of this academic year. In this case, the conversation resulted following the arrival home of a book list after another of our sons started his sixth form journey. This was not a ‘nice to have’ set of extra reference books, but the text books related to the curriculum for the chosen A Level subjects — a sum in excess of £100. My decision to approach the sixth form about this letter was to be a voice for families across our borough. Some may not realise the statutory position that the General Annual Grant from the Secretary of State is provided to fund ‘the purchase, maintenance, repair and replacement of…..teaching and learning materials…..including books’ and the Schools Admissions Code prohibits any financial contribution being requested as part of an admissions process.
It’s perhaps a little unfair to compare the marketing spend of one college with the overhead saving of another, but it provides an insight into the business decisions being made to drive the necessary top and bottom line. Surely when it comes to education, our children, the next working generation, deserve a level of treatment that brings out the best in the student, rather than meet a return on investment target.
Of course educational establishments have to be well run and managed, however, marketing to consumers should surely be replaced by having equal levels of excellence at ALL establishments, allocate ALL funding into the best teaching experience, and remove competitive markets? A consistent national curriculum, taught in well invested buildings with great leaders is surely the baseline for UK plc, rather than compete across catchment boundaries for students. I accept the need for a variety of teaching facility to deal with different qualifications, but the A Level structure sits at the heart of our education system. Resources need to be focused on the student (rather than consumer), with additional benefits of less travel (environmental benefit) and studying within your own neighbourhood (social benefit).
The future of the UK sits in our schools and colleges. The potential talent is overwhelming. The nurturing of this talent should not come down to postcards from the marketing team.
