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Education client

When COVID-19 struck, Britain’s school system faced a challenge like no other. But one private prep school in North London showed itself to be a pioneer in its approach to education and was open to new ways of strengthening the relationships it had with its children.

Client: The Mulberry House School

How Clearly PR enabled a pre-prep private school in North London to generate local and national media attention, and raised the profile of its Headmistress as a thought leader and innovative thinker in the private education sector.

Services provided:
Key results
  • 6.7 million people reached via the media
  • 60,000 video views
  • 132% increase in social media followers
Why did they appoint us?

Clearly PR has always recruited people with a rich mix of career experiences. The four-person team we allocated to this client each offered a set of skills and experiences to successfully deliver the outcomes required:

  • One person had several years’ previous experience in managing the PR and marketing function for a leading university.
  • Another was a well-known education journalist for the national media, with extensive experience in writing on the independent sector for the likes of the Telegraph, The Week, and The Independent School Parent.
  • A third was simply incredible at pro-actively pitching the media on behalf of their clients.
  • And the final member of the team was a highly commended publishing graduate.

The client was attracted to this non-typical agency team that offered a breadth of both client-side and agency-side experience that was very different to traditional PR firms.

Objective

The Mulberry House School is a highly successful and inspirational pre-prep school in North London, and the appointment of Clearly PR came at the most challenging of all periods: the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Raise the profile of the school by positioning its Headmistress as a leading voice on a range of key issues, such as banning homework and more recently the easing back of children into the school environment.
  • Support the way in which the school could better engage and support their pupils, parents, and the wider independent education sector itself during periods of isolation and lockdown.
Media of most importance and influence to the client
  • Local North London newspapers and magazines.
  • London media outlets.
  • Parent community publications.
  • Education columns within national newspapers.
  • Consumer lifestyle media outlets.
Timeframe
  • 12 months
What would success look like to the client
  • Gain media attention for the great work that the school was doing, both in terms of academic attainment and by getting their ideas and insights seen, read, and heard to a wider audience.
  • Raise the profile of the school’s Headmistress as a leading advocate for pioneering alternative approaches to education that focus on reducing pupil stress levels and mental health whilst boosting performance.
How we delivered value to the client

We worked with the Headteacher to understand how this school had achieved such impressive results, then helped communicate their educational insights. We:

  • Identified the media outlets with the greatest potential to reach more of the ‘right’ audience for our client.
  • Sourced the key journalists at each media outlet and commenced a pro-active outreach exercise whereby we ‘sold’ our client and their stories with the aim of securing quotes and interview.
  • When schools were ordered to close their doors during the pandemic, Clearly worked with teaching staff to create a series of educational piece-to-camera videos that proved to be a powerful connecting force between them and their pupils. We then launched a dedicated YouTube channel to host them.
  • Created and produced the design and copy for a new regular newsletter to send each week to key stakeholders.
  • Undertook a series of surveys and polls that could be turned into highly effective data-led social media content.
Results we’re proud of

The school was consistently featured in their target local press, education and national media, including:

  • Evening Standard.
  • Hampstead & Highgate News.
  • Independent Schools Magazine.
  • Independent School Parent.
  • Good Schools Guide.
  • Daily Mail.

Total audience reached via the media:

  • 6.8 million people.

At a time when a loss of connectivity between children, their school friends and favourite teachers was a concern for many, The Mulberry House School successfully overcame this challenge. The suite of videos were subsequently viewed 60,000 times.

In addition, there was a 132% increase in follower numbers across all social channels.

Our PR team has extensive experience in supporting important causes that drive positive change. Contact us.