Crafting compelling content for schools and those in them...

I spend much of my time writing copy that is aimed at engaging and informing teachers and other staff in schools - and ideally getting them to take action! Some of this is through articles for school-targeted media such as Education Executive or The Headteacher; I've also written a lot of blogs, case studies, reports, social media feeds and video scripts for companies targeting schools and teachers in areas including recruitment, edtech and advertising.

But why should you need an education specialist to do this? And, given that it's 2023, can't you just stick a few ideas into something like ChatGPT and get AI to do it for you? Here are three reasons why I think specialists still have a role...

1) You have to get the language right. It's probably not that hard to fathom most of the acronyms and jargon that teachers and other school staff use every day - but the problem for an ad-hoc writer is that they keep changing and if you get it wrong it really stands out! For example a couple of years ago a teacher in their first year in a school in England was an NQT (newly qualified teacher). Now they are an ECT (early career teacher). And the jury is still out for me and one of my current clients as to whether the teacher in charge of special needs in a school is a SENCO (special education needs coordinator) or a SENDCO (special education needs and disabilities coordinator) - your views welcome!

2) You have to understand how schools and those in them work. As a current part-time teacher and former head of department in both the state and private sector I have an insight into the pressures and issues that schools are facing and what will help them. At the moment this means a clear focus on helping schools with their financial and recruitment pressures and teachers with workload and post-pandemic catch-up issues. Unfortunately, it's much more difficult to get them to think long-term.

3) You have to sustain a longer buying process. Selling to teachers and those in schools isn't the same as other industries. Outside the largest academy chains there aren't specialist purchasing professionals, which means that the process can be longer and involve more people that you might expect. To support this it is vital that sellers can create detailed case studies, evidence of impact (teachers love research!) and share ongoing links to wider education trends.

If you'd like to talk about how I can help your organisation engage schools and those working in them, please email me at [email protected] or call me on 07914 399612.