The education landscape in the UK is likely to see several policy changes in the coming months under plans set out by the new government. Independent and private schools parents will have to pay new VAT fees from January 2025, which is proposed to then be invested into public education and state schools. Understandably, this shift has raised concerns among independent school parents who will now be faced with higher costs for their children’s education. Many independent schools will now be considering how they can we ensure their school parents feel that their investment in schooling is good value for money.
A new chapter for independent schools
With parents and carers contributing more financially, it’s crucial that independent schools ensure they are delivering top-tier services across all areas of their students’ education. This is not just about maintaining standards; it’s about exceeding them. Parents deserve to feel confident that the additional investment is reflected in every aspect of their child’s learning environment, from the quality of teaching to the engagement they get from the school itself.
In these times of change, technology plays a pivotal role in enhancing educational outcomes and parental satisfaction. At Education Brands UK, we’re determined to support schools in this mission; this is how our offerings can help your independent school thrive amid these new changes.
Making parents’ evenings accessible
If your school has any boarders, their families most likely live quite far away. Parents’ evening is a great occasion to meet them and catch up on their children’s school journeys, but distance sometimes makes it tricky for some parents to attend. Have you thought about implementing a virtual parents’ evening booking system? This would make it easier for all parents to attend from wherever they are in the world.
Planning events in a stress-free way
What better way to give back to both parents and students than organising a great event? Using your own facilities for an event is a great opportunity to increase student and parent satisfaction as well as generating extra income for the school itself. You can download our guide here, entirely dedicated to organising the perfect school event.
Did you know? One of our schools has generated £1.2 million worth of additional revenue for their school by using our product, Smart-Booker.
Improving parental engagement
It’s important for parents and carers to be involved in their children’s education; great parental engagement has shown better attendance rates, which is another issue schools around the country are facing this year. Your school should ensure all the best tools are in place to engage with parents and carers regularly; our platform WisePay is designed to help independent schools with this challenge, and it provides different modules to address it. Schools can pick and choose their favourite modules on WisePay depending on their needs, from school communications, to cashless payments for meals, trips, and clubs, to digital forms, and more. Find out more about WisePay here.
Giving parents a perfect digital school hub
Having a digital hub is important for many reasons, from attracting prospects to giving your students’ parents an easy way to access the tools they need, from timetables, to school information, to latest announcements, etc. You should ensure your website is up to date, provides a clean, user-friendly design, and reflects the school’s ethos and brand. Take a look at our school website design services if you’re thinking about giving your school website a makeover.
Empowering schools to lead the way
By integrating best-in-class software, independent schools can not only adapt to the new financial requirements, but also lead the way in educational excellence. Our solutions are here to help schools transform challenges into opportunities: book a free consultation with our expert team to find out the ways in which our software can help your school lead the way.