4-5 Admissions Award Winner
6-7 Branding Award Winner
8-9 Communications Award Winner
10-11 Digital Award Winner
12-13 Shortlisted Schools & Awards Presentation
14-15 Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Award Winner
16-17 Small Budget Award Winner
18-19 Strategic Marketing Award Winner
20-21 Team of the Year Winner
22-23 Making the most of AMCIS
The
ceremony is the perfect accompaniment to our Annual Conference gala dinner.
These awards are now in their fifth year and are proving to be a fitting way to celebrate the work of admissions, marketing and communications teams in AMCIS member schools This is a chance to highlight campaigns and other initiatives which have made a significant impact on schools and their communities. This year, there are seven categories plus a discretionary award for the Team of the Year.
Our thanks to everyone who took the time to join in and submit an entry – or, in some cases, multiple entries – and hearty congratulations to the winners during what was possibly the most difficult year yet for the judges.
Many of you have asked for more information about the initiatives undertaken by the winning schools, and so we have designed this brochure with that in mind.
Jennifer Hirst & David Milner | AMCIS Joint Chairs
“Atatimewheneveryoneistryingtodifferentiatethemselvesfrom theircompetitors,theWhitgiftadmissionsandmarketingteam’s reinventionoftheirtraditionalopendaywasatrulyinventive move.Takinginspirationfromadifferentsector;applyingitso effectivelytoaschooleventandachievingoutcomesthatexceeded expectationsdeservesthisaccolade Reallywelldone!”
NBtheprojectdescriptionandimpactdataoppositeisanabbreviated/paraphrasedversionof thefullsubmission.
Using innovative imagery and a multi-channel campaign changed the perception of In 2023 Whitgift transitioned to a completely uncapped ticketed approach to its open events, with a ‘design-your-own’ tour platform that created specific zones –something we likened to visiting a theme park. Prospective families would be warmly welcomed, and a friendly prefect would explain the format to them, sharing a zone map and key events (our theme park and its ‘rides’) and asking them to collect a Whitgift Ambassador to take them to any part of the school they wanted to visit when they felt ready.
This was supported by:
New guides (aged 11 & 12) training.
Senior prefects positioned in each zone as ‘How can I help’ contacts. A clearly designed map showing the order of events, suggestions on how to make the most of the visit and specific zones
Bold and easy to read signage – colour-coded per zone – allowing both Whitgift Ambassadors and families to travel easily around the school. Any families who had already visited could skip an area and focus on the departments they were most interested in exploring. Those who had not visited the school previously could take a pre-designed route that the Ambassadors were all aware of and which would encompass all departments.
Feedback was positive Visitors found it refreshing to explore at their own pace. Equally, those with less time liked the fact they did not have to attend the Headmaster’s Talk and would receive a video of it in our follow-up communication. The results include an increase in family attendance of more than double the previous year (from 328 families in 2022 to 717 in 2023 - 118% increase) for our Open Morning and around 45% for our Open Evening four days later.
“YourPlaceIsHere”
Developingtheemotionalconnectiontoschool
“Thiswasaverywellthoughtthroughandwell-integrated campaign.Thefocusandfeelofthecampaignisimmediately apparentandtheconsistentuseofaprop(thesofa)veryeffectively unifiesallaspectsoftheschool.Thecampaignismemorableand themessagingisstrong-thecleverportrayalofasenseofplace andbelongingappealstoparentsandchildrenofallagesand itisnosurprisethattherolloutofthiscampaignresultedina significantupliftininterest,openeventattendanceandultimately increasedenrolmenttoClairesCourt.WelldoneteamCC!”
NBtheprojectdescriptionandimpactdataoppositeisanabbreviated/paraphrasedversionof thefullsubmission.
Claires Court wanted to capitalise on a reputation for strong pastoral care in a new creative marketing campaign.
In focus groups and questionnaires, the sense of family and belonging was so strong that the idea of students gathering around a sofa was born The same sofa was the anchor in all creative concepts. We showed children on the sofa in different settings, illustrating the idea that, regardless of your interests, you could find your place at Claires Court. The campaign strapline became “Your place is here”.
The website went live in July 2023 and over the summer the creative concept was replicated through all digital and physical assets, creating a completely fresh bank of material. Children returned to their respective schools to a fanfare of activity including welcome back banners, bespoke postcards from each Head reinforcing the message of ‘Your place is here’ plus a branded water bottle. Staff were given reusable branded coffee cups
The concept of ‘Your place is here’ allows each school and department to have purpose and personality under the one umbrella of ‘Your place is here.’ For example, at Senior level, Your place to excel.
The creative rollout has now reached every customer touchpoint. There is even a real sofa within each school. The advertising has key calls to action and we have seen amazing results in the uplift to enquiries, personal visits and open event attendance.
% Increase Sep-Nov 2022 to Sep-Nov 2023
TELEPHONE ENQUIRIES
Whole School 47% increase (297 to 437)
OPEN EVENTS
Senior Boys 27% increase in attendance
Senior Girls 52% increase in attendance
Sixth Form 26% increase in attendance
No direct comparative for Juniors
GreenGivingDayatMalvernCollege
“MalvernCollegehitthesweetspotofconveyingastrongmessage whilstpursuingafundraisingobjectivetoretrofittheirbuildings tomeetsustainabilityobjectives.Communicationsfortheir firstGreenGivingDaycampaigndeftlypositionedtheschoolas environmentallyawareandactive,whilstexceedingtheirinitial fundraisingtarget.Thecampaigninvolvedallmembersofthe internationalschoolcommunity,inashort,highlyfocussedburst oftime,withinnovativewaysofenthusingstaff,pupils,parents, alumniandotherstocontribute.Boththeimmediateimpactofthis firstGreenGivingDay,anditsintendedroleintheschool’slongtermplanning,wereclearlypresented.”
NBtheprojectdescriptionandimpactdataoppositeisanabbreviated/paraphrasedversionof thefullsubmission.
Green Giving Day at a glance
Total raised: £134,766 (target £100,000)
Total donors: 336 (target 300)
Alumni donors: 208
Parent donors: 103
First time donors: 262 (78%)
Under 30 donors: 6%
Donation continents: 5 (Africa America Asia Australia, Europe)
Pupil, Staff & Alumni Activities & Initiatives:
Whole school virtual address by Earthshot Prize winning alumnus to launch GGD
Wheelie Green Kilowatt Cycling Challenge
Green clothes day
Green bake sale
Green House competition
50 trees planted IB Pupils Group 4 project on sustainability Fashion Reimagined film screening
House Green Suggestion Boxes
Appointment of House Eco Reps
New alumni ‘Green Club’ launched
Alumni GGD Ambassadors appointed
Discussions regarding two bursary places on the back of GGD
The inaugural Green Giving Day (‘GGD’) at Malvern College took place over a 36hour period – intentionally longer than a 24-hour day, so that all international time zones were able to take part. We used GGD as a platform to launch our sustainability objectives, set out our long-term environmental targets and deliver a large-scale event to kickstart our campaigning.
In June 2023, we rallied the Malvernian community (alumni, parents, staff, pupils, friends), creating a new Green Fund to realise our ambitions: reducing our carbon footprint; preserving our heritage buildings; making learning environments sustainable for future generations Transforming how we fundraise, we used a digital multi-channel approach, including segmented and personalised emails, social media, video, events, and a designated website to reach and bring together the Malvernian community.
For GGD to be effective, communications had to appeal to a wide range of stakeholders. Our messaging to current pupils had to drive the climate crisis and urgency to act. Parents and donors needed to be aware that GGD will create a legacy of which their child is a part. Communications to alumni had to spark nostalgia and a sense of leading by example. All messages were appropriately targeted.
• £134,766 raised (£100,000 target)
• 336 donors (300 target) across five continents
• 78% first-time donors
• 6% under 30
• GGD launch with whole-school address from an Earthshot-Prize-winning alumnus
• 300 pupils joined sustainability challenges on campus
• Whole school green non-uniform day
• 50 trees planted
• Appointment of pupil Eco Reps and Sustainability Suggestion Boxes for each House
• New alumni ‘Green Club’ launched to champion GGD and sustainability
• Alumni GGD Ambassadors created
• Ongoing stewardship discussions with current GGD supporters and the wider community regarding impact and future fundraising
• 2024 GGD date confirmed
JurassicAcademy
“Thiscampaigndeliveredagreat,ROARINGcreativeandtook advantageofanimmersivedinosaurexperiencecominginto school.Theimpactonengagementandadmissionswasterrific.The campaignwasawonderfulexampleofhowvisualstorytellingcan breakthroughmedianoise.”
NBtheprojectdescriptionandimpactdataoppositeisanabbreviated/paraphrasedversionof thefullsubmission.
Kelvinside Academy is always looking for new ways to push the boundaries of education and offer pupils experience beyond the traditional classroom experience. We booked TeachRex for a visit to Junior School in May after identifying the 30-year film anniversary (9 June 2023) of Jurassic Park as the perfect opportunity to maximise the TeachRex visit and its live-action immersive workshops with a digital campaign and video: “Welcome to Jurassic Academy”.
Our video was created with the help of Glasgow-based video production company Lost Clock Productions. Pupils and teachers recreate iconic scenes from the 1993 smash hit and dinosaurs came alive thanks to a giant T-Rex from the creative learning workshop team at TeachRex.
Developed with our agency, Story Shop, our media targeted key stakeholders and prospective parents and included:
A punchy press release paraphrased iconic scenes in the video, celebrating 30 years of Jurassic Park while showcasing Kelvinside Academy’s fun approach. Social media based around the video, engaging with the original actors and Jurassic Academy fan base and community, e.g. Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, Joseph Malezzo, Samuel L Jackson, Stephen Spielberg & Sam Neill. We also used photography taken during filming for the video.
A two-week ad campaign using YouTube, Instagram and Meta.
Four pieces of media coverage secured in STV News, The Herald, Glasgow Live and Scottish Business
100+ social engagements
350,000 advert viewings resulting in a an extremely rare video viewing rate of 40.7%, plus 1,570 click-throughs to the school website
3 million total audience
Open Day (2023) registrations for 157 families – a 16% increase on 2022
An increase was experienced across all areas, the most notable being a 61% increase in Nursery Open Day visitors.
Admissions Category
Edgeborough School
King’s Ely School
Lady Barn House School
Strathallan School
Whitgift School
Branding Category
Claires Court School
Dame Allan’s School
Felsted School
Strathallan School
Terrington Hall School
Communications Category
Headington School
Lady Barn House School
Malvern College
St Christopher School
The Mall School
Highly Commended:
Edgbaston High School for Girls & Langley School
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Category
Dame Allan’s School
Lady Barn House School
Millfield School
Small Budget Category
Chigwell School
Claremont Fan Court School
Stamford Schools
St Edmund’s College
The Leys School
Strategic Marketing Category
Devonshire House Preparatory School
Lady Barn House School
Stamford Schools
Strathallan School
The Mall School
Digital Category
Kelvinside Academy
Kingston Grammar School
Norwich School
St Swithun’s School
Woldingham School
The winning schools were announced live at an awards ceremony during the AMCIS Annual Conference on 13 May 2024.
Watch the awards presentation here, which includes further details of all shortlisted schools.
Music by Joystock - https://www.joystock.org
PioneeringGirlsinSport
“ThesignificantandclearlypresentedimpactofMillfieldSchool’s PioneeringGirlsinSportinitiativemakeitthewinnerinthis category.Theirdrivetohaveanopendialogue–andembrace theeducationalimplications-aboutthetaboosthatcanoften hampergirls’sportsprogress,hasmadeapositiveimpactonnot onlyexistingstudents,butalsoexternalperceptionsandschool enquiries,oftenwellinadvanceofthesameissuesbeingaired inthenationalmedia.Evidenceofthisimpactwasverywell presented.”
TheJudges
NBtheprojectdescriptionandimpactdataoppositeisanabbreviated/paraphrasedversion ofthefullsubmission.
In collaboration with women’s health organisation, The Well HQ, and a student-run (girls and boys) committee, this programme aimed to educate, raise awareness and remove taboos around girls’ needs that can hamper their progress in sports – eg puberty, menstruation, hip and breast health and concussion in females - and to equal provision and opportunity for girls in traditionally male-dominated sports.
Content in our week-long takeover of Millfield’s social media channels featured a campaign graphic, a video showing a girl in every sport Millfield offers, Day in the Life videos of a swimmer and horse rider, a committee podcast, and a blog profiling a fencer.
Millfield’s initiatives were often ‘ahead of the curve’:
Swapping white shorts/skirts for blue, over concerns about periods. Months later, England women changed to blue shorts, and dark undershorts were allowed at Wimbledon.
Talks for staff and students on the impact of the menstrual cycle on girls.
Training for coaches eg awareness of female-specific injury prevention. Predates investigations around the proliferation of ACL injuries to female footballers.
Specialist sports bra fittings.
Girls feel equal and more valued, boys have greater understanding.
Football participation rose from six girls to over 100.
For the first time, girls have joined Millfield on football-only scholarships. Interest from top female sports journalists.
Facebook reach 92.6% up from the previous month along with engagement.
Video clip of girl footballers had the most impressions of a tweet since July 2023. This video and the Day in the Life of one of our swimmers together had 87,100 views across all channels.
The swimming video reached 12 6k views on TikTok alone
The podcast episode had 122 listens in two weeks.
Instagram followers increased by 69 more than the average week.
Flurry of open day bookings from girls.
Stamford Schools
DiscoverStamford–marketingforStamfordSchools’ admissionsevents
“TheStamfordSchoolsmarketingteamclinchedtheSmallBudget Awardbydemonstratingaremarkableabilitytoboostenquiries forbothseniorandsixthformprograms Despiteworkingwith amodestbudget,theystrategicallyharnessedcost-effective marketingchannelsandcreativelyengagedtheirtargetaudience. Theirinnovativecampaignsnotonlyincreasedvisibilitybutalso translatedintoasubstantialuptickininquiries.Thisachievement ispoisedtohaveasignificantimpactontheinstitution’sincome, showcasingtheteam’sadeptnessatmaximisingresourcestoyield impressiveresultsinpupilrecruitment.”
TheJudges
In October 2022, a personnel shift left just two members in the Stamford admissions team with ambitious recruitment goals for a newly merged co-educational school of 1,200 students To address historically low attendance at open mornings (particularly since Covid-19) and unclear communication regarding admissions processes, the external relations team devised a comprehensive marketing strategy.
The strategy involved multi-channel campaigns targeting relevant families through digital, print, and out-of-home advertising, as well as paid and organic social media and targeted parent communications. Specifically, Stamford Schools collaborated with 15th Media to create targeted paid social media adverts and organic posts, alongside print adverts and out-of-home banners in key locations. An additional entrance exam assessment morning was scheduled to coincide with national announcement day for secondary school places, accompanied by an email campaign targeting families who had attended open days in 2022.
The impact of these initiatives was significant. Registration numbers, assessments sat, site visitors for Discovery Mornings, open days, and website traffic all increased substantially. For instance, Stamford Senior School saw a 43% year-on-year increase in registrations for open days, while Stamford Sixth Form experienced an 80% increase. Moreover, the targeted assessment morning campaign resulted in five additional children taking the entrance assessment and securing places for Year 7
Website traffic also surged, with substantial growth in views, users, and engagement rates across both Discovery Morning and Senior School landing page segments. The success was further highlighted by the impressive uplift in metrics such as click-through rates and engagement rates in Google Ads campaigns, especially for open days advertising. These results underscored the effectiveness of the strategic marketing approach in achieving the school’s recruitment objectives and enhancing visibility and engagement with prospective families.
DemystifyingBursaries-raisingawarenessanddispellingmyths, acampaigntoachieveawiderreachandmoresuccessful applications
“LadyBarnHouseSchool’s‘DemystifyingBursaries’initiative isanexcellentstrategicresponsetoaveryrealchallenge.It demonstratesagoodmixofdigitalandprintmarketingwith impressivereach.Thestrategyhasmeaningfulandgenuineimpact, benefittingboththefamiliesandtheschool Thestrategyaligns wellwiththeethosoftheschoolandwasverywell-timedinterms ofthenationallandscape.”
TheJudges
NBtheprojectdescriptionandimpactdataoppositeisanabbreviated/paraphrasedversionof thefullsubmission.
Lady Barn House School will offer a number of scholarships to children moving into Prep 3 (Year 3) in September 2024. Scholarships will be awarded to children who not only show ability in English and Maths, but who can demonstrate strength or potential in another subject area.
Parents of both internal and external candidates are welcome to apply.
The School will assess the children on the allocated Scholarship Day:
Thursday 25 January 2024
The school identified a need to expand the reach of its bursary scheme, recognising that many families were unaware of the opportunity due to limited visibility and potentially confusing terminology A report from the third-party processor of bursary applications, BAA, supported this observation, highlighting that while close-knit communities were well-informed about bursaries, low-income families and those without strong networks lacked awareness.
To address these challenges, the school implemented various strategies to enhance awareness and accessibility of the bursary scheme. They updated their website with a dedicated section on bursaries, providing clear explanations and testimonials to demystify the process and assure confidentiality. A social media campaign was launched alongside a separate scholarship campaign, engaging readers with pertinent questions Additionally, double-sided postcards were distributed to families using the school’s holiday club, and articles were published in local magazines with strong community reach.
Furthermore, the school revised its bursary policy to clarify application processes and differentiate between hardship funding and bursaries. To manage administrative costs associated with processing applications, an administration fee was introduced for current families, with discretion on refunds. Despite these efforts, geographical barriers, particularly the school’s location in an affluent area, posed challenges for attracting low-income families due to commuting issues
Efforts to overcome these barriers included a trial bus route, but uptake from current parents was insufficient to sustain the initiative. However, the school remains committed to broadening the reach of its bursary scheme and improving communication with prospective parents, integrating discussions about financial options into initial conversations.
Paid social media reach was 19,273 with 41,935 impressions and a click-through rate of 2 4% We have had 12 direct communications from brand new families since the campaigns for bursaries and scholarships went live.
“Amongst fierce competition, this year’s Team of the Year winners have truly captivated the judges with their exceptional marketing and admissions strategies. A standalone, northern prep school, their outstanding achievements have not gone unnoticed. They have been shortlisted in an impressive four categories and their success and teamwork exemplifies the very spirit of these awards. Congratulations!”
The Judges
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AMCIS membership
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