The process of actively putting yourself out there and promoting what your school does is all about great storytelling.
School leaders have to be good at telling a story.
Stories give life to ideas; they illustrate intentions, and they serve as memory hooks. They are also essential to a school’s identity and they can attract new talent and investment.
One way in which leaders have to be great storytellers is when it comes to ‘selling’ the school and social media is the perfect platform to narrate a school’s journey.
Schools have always been ‘brands’ but now more than ever, leaders have to communicate school experiences, achievements, culture, vision and ethos.
Branding, marketing, and strategy are a key part of leading a school and this isn’t just for the independent sector. Lots of schools now team up with a marketing agency or a recruitment specialist to advertise who they are so they can market themselves in the best possible light.
Whether or not you receive this type of help, school leaders need to focus on creating their own brand and that of the school and getting hands-on themselves as agencies can’t do it all. You know your school better than anyone else.
School leaders drive a school’s growth and they drive the key narratives that are broadcast into the community and beyond. They are chief marketers and promoters.
It’s vital to have a social media presence and it’s important that this is active and updated regularly so that it is kept fresh and the school’s stories are out there to be seen and interacted with.
Twitter, Instagram and Facebook appeal to different groups so you need a presence on all and so different staff members can be responsible for each platform. But leaders themselves need to be sending messages and video messages on these platforms too so that they are visible. You also need to have your finger on the pulse of what other members of staff are putting out there.
Leaders and staff need to sell the attributes and aspirations of a school or the ‘what’ so that families can see the benefits and the ‘why’.
This requires plenty of thought too, as a misplaced or ill-timed comment can be damaging, which is why the narratives have to be monitored so you can keep a check on whether they are positive, upbeat, consistent and reflective of the school’s corporate image.
School leaders have to relate to the school community in different ways and narrate key messages which means they have to tell stories of success, stories of tradition, of hope, ambition and vision.
Denning’s The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling highlights eight storytelling narrative patterns:
- Storytelling to ignite action and implement new ideas
- Storytelling to build trust
- Storytelling to build brand
- Storytelling to transmit organisational values
- Storytelling to foster collaboration
- Storytelling to share knowledge
- Storytelling to neutralise rumour
- Storytelling to create and share vision
Clearly, there’s a lot at stake because the stakeholders are watching. They rely on a leader that is communicating positive news and building the school brand so that everyone takes pride in the school and what it stands for. Leaders are best placed at developing a ‘brand positioning’ and identity that truly reflects the school vision and its community.
While many school leaders have little time to think about how their school is perceived culturally and visually, this is a must-do. Only focusing on school performance is blinkered.
Focusing on your school’s corporate image and what makes it special helps build the image of the school; it builds confidence in and around the school and it has the power to realign and reengage your staff.
The academic and pedagogical narratives that you send out along with your unique selling points will influence perceptions and could be the difference between being a first-choice school or being a second or third best. Stories create realities and so the narratives fed into your website and social media have to really speak and be noticed for all the right reasons.
Leaders can ‘sell’ their school by using evocative stories to create and share vision and this will help in igniting action and implementing school change.
Sharing case studies and telling student success stories is a vital and extremely powerful way to transmit and reinforce organisational values, it fosters a sense of belonging and togetherness and supports transformational change.
And finally….
Stories touch us, they are the reservoirs of values and so we mustn’t waste opportunities to share narratives that are full of ambitions, courage, hope and success.
As Braun and Maguire (2018) say,
“Narratives work to hold things together and provide a form of social and emotional cohesion. They are stories if you like, about how ‘we’ do things, who ‘we’ are and what ‘we’ stand for and they are ways of mustering the hearts and minds that sustain the project of the school. These activities are all part of ‘doing headship’.”
The role of the headteacher as narrator is to tell and sell the school’s main story. We all lead storied lives and leaders have to tap into these within their schools and bring them out into the open so people beyond the school gates get to know about them.
Ultimately, leaders need to be invested in producing cultural narratives that always put students first and be caring and respectful of their families.
The bottom-line is that school leaders are both painters and writers because they have a responsibility to paint a good picture and to tell a good story about their school.
Tell your school’s story through a customisable Career Site that provides a stunning shop-window insight into your culture, values and ethos, as well as providing a space to promote your school with images, videos and case studies.
Get in touch with a member of our team to find out more.
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About the author
John Dabell
John is an ex-primary school teacher and Ofsted inspector who has spent the last 20 years working in the education industry as a teacher, writer and editor. John’s specialist area is primary maths but he also loves teaching science and English. John has written a number of educational and children’s books, and contributed over 1,000 articles and features to various educational bodies. John is Eteach’s school leadership and Ofsted advice guru, sharing insights on best practice for motivating and enriching a school team, as well as sharing savvy career steps for headteachers and SLT.