A school that Ofsted rates well, with happy, well performing children and supportive parents is great. But a school that is also valued and respected by the community has much more to shout about!
If your strategic intent is to deepen relationships with the local community, here are five suggestions to get you started.
1. Involve your young people in the community
We know you don’t need this advice; you would love to have your pupils out volunteering in the community – doing litter picks, visiting younger children, singing in care homes etc – but making it happen takes resources.
Nevertheless, any time you put into getting your students out and about in the community is an investment. It presents you as a school that knows education is more than classroom learning, that you and your pupils care about their surroundings and that your students benefit from the experience of working together on a common goal.
2. Bring people into your school by building up your volunteer base
By inviting people into your school, they will not only see the great work your staff team does but also get to understand your challenges. School governing boards, mentoring schemes, reading support, extra-curricular clubs can all benefit through help from people living nearby, working in local businesses or from recent graduates. Make sure your website includes easy-to-find information telling would-be volunteers or supporters what you need and how they can get in touch.
3. Make your school a community resource
School halls, school car parks, sports, swimming pools and other facilities have long been valued as community resources. Let’s be honest, hall hire income is handy but probably won’t pay this year’s heating bill! However, the value of presenting your school as a place that benefits the wider community isn’t measured in £s. It shows you as welcoming, outward looking and community focussed.
Provide clear information on your website showing what facilities are for hire and when, the cost and how to book and pay. Make the booking process as easy as possible and treat hirers as customers rather than visitors. For more complex hiring requests, make it easy for a customer to discuss their options with you. Put the word out through your school newsletter and, from time to time, on social media. Consider using websites such as SchoolHire, Hallshire.com and your local council’s halls for hire webpage. Make sure you price realistically to cover wear and tear.
4. Take part in community life
Join in major community events by sending a delegation of your children to key events in faith calendars or to take part in local festivals or fetes. Participating in this way enables your school to build links with other schools and organisations and shows your students in a positive light. Similarly, consider using facilities such as leisure centres and swimming pools, public theatres or parks for your events where this benefits the event or your students’ experience of it.
5. Keep the community informed
Building works? Expansion plans? Big events? Keep the community, particularly your close neighbours informed and be as open as you can about what might or might not be on the cards. The void created by a lack of information is usually filled very swiftly with assumption and speculation. Pre-empt it with the facts.
Neighbours are likely to be quick to worry about impacts on traffic, parking, noise and litter and often for understandable reasons. For building projects, be prepared to invite neighbours to see plans under consideration and encourage them to discuss their views with you. For long-term projects, be clear that your engagement will be an ongoing conversation with the community and not a one-off check in.
We hope some of these suggestions are achievable for your school. Contact us if you would like to discuss how you can implement them.