smj: school marketing journal

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle, Dr David Willows and Suzette Parlevliet In this interview episode, Brad is joined by [YELLOW CAR] co-founders Dr David Willows and Suzette Parlevliet to examine what 30,000 accounts of school life reveal about students, parents and employees. They explore why relationships matter and how a lack of coherence can surface as student pressure, parent confusion and employee workload concerns. The challenge for school Heads is to listen beyond surveys, communicate the insights and align what the school promises with what its community experiences. Episode link: [YELLOW CAR] website Get in touch with [YELLOW CAR] - hello@yellowcar.io Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe and Belinda McCubbin In this episode, Brad, Bel and Scully examine why quick wins can borrow from future trust. They distinguish acting quickly from short-termism, where immediate pressure replaces a school's long-term strategic direction. The discussion explores why marketing that reassures leaders can unsettle parents, whose school choice can unfold over years rather than campaign cycles. The trio challenge Heads to maintain continuity through change and consider families' longer decision journey. Episode link: Reflection and Leadership Guide: Short-termism weakens trust Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Chris Post In this interview episode, Brad is joined by Chris Post, Headmaster of the Boys' Latin School of Maryland in Baltimore, the United States of America, to examine how strategy can guide decisions and drive action. Chris explains why broad, agreeable plans fail to move a school forward and why sharper choices require rigorous debate and alignment between the Board and leadership team. He shares how a strategy-on-a-page keeps priorities visible, guides decisions about programs, positions and resources, and creates the discipline to ask what should continue, what should change and what needs to stop. Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe and Belinda McCubbin In this episode, Brad, Bel and Scully examine two connected principles: consistency builds trust and reputation lags behaviour. They explain how families build confidence from patterns across touchpoints, while contradictions act as a confidence tax. The discussion explores why reputation changes only after behaviour has been experienced long enough to be believed, and why pressure reveals whether a school's priorities and decision logic are genuinely stable. They challenge Heads to resist short-term reputational fixes and ensure communication reflects behaviour the school can repeatedly prove. Episode link: Reflection and Leadership Guide: Consistency builds trust; Reputation lags behaviour Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Ros Curtis AM In this deep dive episode, Brad is joined by Ros Curtis AM, Principal of St Margaret's Anglican Girls' School, to reflect on 16 years of leadership as the School grew from around 800 to more than 1,400 students. Ros explains how clear values, a relentless focus on students and consistent storytelling helped strengthen academic reputation while protecting the School's sense of community. She discusses why marketing must reflect reality, how trust is built through relationships and integrity, and why Heads are stewards who must guard against complacency and arrogance. Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Alan Jones In this interview episode, Brad is joined by Alan Jones, Principal of Christ Church Grammar School in Claremont, Western Australia. Together they examine why the Head is central to school philanthropy. Alan explains that the ask only becomes possible after trust has been built and the educational purpose is clear. He describes fundraising as a long-term relationship, strengthened when donors understand the difference their support can make and feel part of the school's direction. He also explains why Heads must thank donors personally, steward relationships carefully and show what their generosity has achieved. Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe and Belinda McCubbin In this episode, Brad, Bel and Scully continue examining two principles: differentiation or invisibility, and the market defines value. They explain why distinctiveness should create clarity without becoming rigid, and why differentiation communicates particular value rather than superiority. Parent language and enrolment feedback become leadership intelligence, testing whether the school is understood as leaders intend. They challenge Heads to decide what their school must be known for, sharpen that signal consistently and ensure the promise made to families aligns with their experience. Episode link: Reflection and Leadership Guide: Differentiation or invisibility , and the market defines value Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au .

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Tim Watson In this interview episode, Brad is joined by Tim Watson, Principal of Northern Beaches Christian School (NBCS), to explore how schools can replace assumed understanding with shared clarity. Tim explains how the school's Compass document illustrates NBCS's founding principles, beliefs, values and educational commitments, helping leaders distinguish what must remain fixed from what can change. He discusses how this concise reference point guides Board recruitment and decision-making, preserves continuity through generational change and gives the school freedom to face the future without losing the intent that shaped it. Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe and Belinda McCubbin In this episode, Brad, Bel and Scully examine two connected principles: differentiation or invisibility, and the market defines value. They explain why a school's strengths only influence choice when parents can recognise, understand and use them when comparing schools. They explore how presenting every program and proof point can obscure what matters most, why purpose must be translated into meaning for families, and why Heads must establish a clear hierarchy of strengths. The discussion challenges Heads to make the school clearer, not broader, without diluting its purpose. Episode link: Reflection and Leadership Guide: Differentiation or invisibility, and the market defines value Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Graham Catt In this interview episode, Brad is joined once again by Graham Catt, Chief Executive Officer of Independent Schools Australia, to discuss what School Choice Counts has achieved and what now matters for school leaders. Graham explains why the campaign's strongest stories were not about sectors, buildings or funding, but families, students and communities. He argues that Heads need to move beyond election-time advocacy by building ongoing relationships with local MPs, helping parents understand how policy affects fees and affordability, and equipping families and school communities to engage confidently in conversations about school choice. Episode link: Independent Schools Australia – School Choice Counts: The Great Education Shift Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle, Andrew Sculthorpe and Belinda McCubbin In this episode, Brad, Bel and Scully examine why strong school communication begins before the wording stage. Combining the principles of strategy drives story and meaning before message, they explain why schools can sound articulate while still leaving parents unsure about what matters most. The trio discuss how weak strategy turns communication into a list, why more content rarely builds confidence, and how clearer intent gives story direction and message weight. They challenge heads to settle purpose and meaning before asking marketing teams to write. Episode link: Reflection and Leadership Guide: Strategy drives story and meaning before message Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Tracey Cain In this interview episode, Brad is joined by Tracey Cain, Chief Executive Officer at H/Advisors, to unpack reputation risk in independent schools. Tracey explains why what matters to a school community must matter to the school, and why that community now extends beyond staff, parents and students to alumni, neighbours and local influencers. She explains how Heads and boards can prepare before risk eventuates by listening early, testing likely scenarios and building the trust, policies, processes and culture needed to manage risk as part of day-to-day school operations. Episode links: H/Advisors - Homepage Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle, Andrew Sculthorpe and Belinda McCubbin In this episode, Brad, Bel and Scully explore the sixth principle in the series: experience beats message. They discuss why messaging can open the door, but parent confidence is shaped by what families repeatedly experience through tours, follow-up, responsiveness and prospective parent touchpoints. The trio examines how mixed signals weaken trust, why the enrolment journey is the brand made visible, and why Heads must lead the standards, systems and behaviours that give the school's message something true to stand on. Episode links: Reflection and Leadership Guide: Experience beats message Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Shane Hogan In this deep dive episode, Brad is joined by Shane Hogan to explore what school leadership requires when communities need stability and confidence. Drawing on a career across Catholic and independent schools, boys' and girls' education, and interim roles in schools under pressure, Shane discusses why visibility, relationships and discernment matter as much as structure. He explains why marketing must reflect the school's lived experience, how staff, parents and alumni influence enrolment confidence, and why school Boards need to understand the long-term work behind positioning and enrolment growth. Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and David Woodgate In this interview episode, Brad is joined by David Woodgate, Chief Executive of the Independent Schools' Bursars Association (ISBA) in the UK, to examine how millennial parents are reshaping school choice. David explains why reputation, tradition and results are no longer enough to create confidence, as parents look for clearer evidence of value, individual care and alignment between a school's promise and lived experience. Together, they discuss what this shift means for Heads, admissions and marketing teams, and why every interaction must build trust in the school's value in a competitive market. Episode link: Independent Schools' Bursars Association Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle, Andrew Sculthorpe and Belinda McCubbin In this episode, Brad, Bel and Scully explore why external confidence depends on internal coherence. They discuss why staff goodwill is not the same as shared understanding, how parents sense mixed signals across tours, conversations and follow-up communication, and why alignment is built through repeated leadership decisions, not announcements. The trio examines the risk of a school sounding clearer than it feels, and why Heads must ensure the school's story is understood and reinforced by their own staff before it can be trusted by prospective families. Episode link: Reflection and Leadership Guide: Staff understanding comes first Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle , Pauline Shuttleworth and Chris Lang In this interview episode, Brad is joined by Pauline Shuttleworth, imageseven A dvancement Specialist , and Chris Lang, co-founder and Head of Sales for Asia Pacific at Digistorm, to examine the changing enrolment landscape for independent schools. Using the findings from Digistorm's 2025/26 State of K–12 School Admissions Report, they discuss how softening demand and growing enrolment pressure are shifting admissions from reactive management to data-informed planning. This requires Heads to sharpen their positioning and take a more intentional approach to the parent journey. Episode link: State of Admissions 2025/26 - Digistorm Insights Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle , Andrew Sculthorpe and Belinda McCubbin In this episode, Brad, Bel and Scully explore why school brands are not personal platforms for leaders to reshape They explore the difference between ownership and stewardship, explain why a school's brand is inherited rather than invented, and discuss how leaders can renew and clarify its message without distorting what families already trust. The trio also examines how pressure can tempt schools to broaden or soften their story, and why steadiness, coherence and conviction give parents confidence when enrolment decisions feel uncertain. Episode link: Reflection and Leadership Guide: Marketers and leaders are custodians of a legacy brand Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle , Andrew Sculthorpe and Belinda McCubbin In this episode, Brad, Bel and Scully discuss a confronting principle for school Heads: leadership is communication. Every decision, silence, delay and repeated phrase signals what matters most, and families read into those signals long before they read a strategy document. The trio explores why enrolment confidence is shaped by coherence, not volume, how pressure reveals a school's true priorities and why clarity cannot be delegated. Episode link: Reflection and Leadership Guide: Leadership is communication Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Jack Stevens In this interview episode, Brad speaks with Jack Stevens, CEO of Edstart, about what findings from Edstart's 2026 School Fees Report mean for school Heads. The discussion explores why fee increases have remained steady, yet continue to outpace inflation, how staffing costs and government funding pressures are reshaping school budgets and why parent perceptions of value matter more than ever. Brad and Jack reveal how flexible payment options can reduce friction, improve parent experience and support both enrolment and retention. Episode link: Edstart Edstart 2026 School Fees Report Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au