Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School, Bedford

Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School is an independent school in Bedford for children aged three months to seven years.

 

Our advertising arm, Prominent Media, has managed their advertising since 2012. Prominent PR began working with Pilgrims in 2018 to provide PR support.

We agreed to work alongside Prominent Media to promote Pilgrims’ open days and attract prospective parents from around the Bedford area. The PR support aimed to boost their advertising spend and target different platforms and subsequently a new target audience.

Objectives

Our original brief was to increase the profile of Jo Webster as headteacher. This included regularly finding opportunities to represent the views of Pilgrims school to the wider education community.

We were also asked to bring out her personality through column-style blogs. On top of this the school wanted to utilise its website to connect with existing and prospective parents.

An overarching tactic was to attract more pupils to the school and ensure that the Pilgrims name was synonymous with providing the best early years education in the county.

Some of our work was seasonal and ramped up around the spring and the autumn in order to attract a higher level of attendance at their open days.

The school also wanted to strengthen its relationship with the press including local media and trade journalists, and increase following and interaction on its social media platforms.

Work has included:

• Managing the website and ensuring all information and documents are up to date
• Drafting monthly blogs
• Writing award entries
• Managing Pilgrims’ Twitter and Facebook accounts and using these platforms to promote open days
• Producing social media videos and graphics to promote the open days
• Managing Google Analytics and executing a monthly PPC campaign
• Attending and producing a comprehensive report for quarterly governors' meetings
• Designing and arranging the printing of collateral including Pilgrims’ Little Book of Extras
• Identifying editorial opportunities and news stories to secure coverage in the press
• Creating a new website page to update parents on the school’s coronavirus policy and home learning
• Producing video content to promote Pilgrims’ offering
• Creating and updating new website pages to showcase Pilgrims’ facilities
• Creating and managing a digital campaign to attract new families

Outcomes

Over the last few years, attendance at Pilgrims’ open days has increased and enquiries from parents have also increased.

Social media analytics have increased due to new video content.

Enquiries have increased as a result of the recruitment campaign.

Pilgrims was also shortlisted in the Independent School of the Year Awards 2019.

Client feedback:

“Not only do Prominent provide strategic thinking across a number of different media outlets, but they deliver creative solutions to our communications requirements. Their overall approach results in our message reaching the parent with whom we want to engage and attracting them along to our open days and other events throughout the year.”
Karen Sinclair, Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School.