smj: school marketing journal – Details, episodes & analysis

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 Links:

• Reflection and Leadership Guide: Mission Alignment

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

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

Parents are becoming far more sensitive to how schools communicate fees, and fee transparency is now one of the top factors shaping enrolment decisions. In this interview episode, Brad is joined by Anthony McCausland, Founder and CEO of Feesable, to discuss new national insights from the School Fees in Australia: 2025 Report. They explore how Gen Z parents are reshaping expectations, why clarity and simplicity build trust and retention, and the practical steps Heads can take to modernise fee communication and strengthen every stage of the enrolment journey.

Episode Links

• School Fees in Australia: 2025 Report – Feesable

 Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

Suzanne Willcock, our Senior Consultant at imageseven, joins us to breakdown the who, what and why of parent, student and alumni personas, revealing the purpose and intensive quantitative and qualitative data used in the creation of these semi-fictional characters. 

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

Every aspect of a school tour – from the confirmation email to the inside of the classroom – is an opportunity to build trust with parents, as well as exemplify how much you care about families. Brad and Andrew are joined by imageseven team members Mikayla Coombes and Cassandra Kirkpatrick who share their tips and tricks for leading a successful school tour and Open Day.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

Sue Ellson, an independent LinkedIn Specialist and author who helps businesses and individuals maximise their presence on LinkedIn, reveals why you should have a separate LinkedIn page for yourself, as a school Head, and for your school. She also touches on how LinkedIn can be utilised to increase your digital presence and how to recruit staff on LinkedIn. 

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

Every Head has fallen into the trap of biting off more than they can chew at one point or another. The reality is, Heads are faced with endless marketing and communication options in today's landscape. But with limited budgets, how can you lead your school towards meeting marketing aspirations and effectively marketing your school brand? In this episode, we discuss some tactics and strategies that you can use to align your aspirations with your capabilities. 

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

To provide the best experience for families at your school, you first need to understand the experiences they have with you. In this interview with David Willows and Suzette Parlevliet, from [YELLOW CAR], we discuss the questions they have developed to best measure families' experiences within your school at every stage of their school lifecycle. 

Find the blog mentioned by David in the episode here https://www.yellowcar.io/post/introducing-the-future-of-parent-feedback-to-schools

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

For an opportunity to be involved in [YELLOW CAR]'s research, get in touch at hello@yellowcar.io

In part 2 of the 'You're writing, but is anyone reading?' episode, we challenge you to inject your brand personality into your writing, as we discuss the difference between voice and tone and why they are important for your writing. We also focus on the need to provoke a response from your readers and how best to implement a Call to Action (CTA) into your work.  

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

If you missed part 1 of this episode, watch it here: https://www.imageseven.com.au/school-marketing-journal-podcast/

Unlearn everything you've learnt about writing. That's the key message we elaborate on as we explore how school Heads can effectively write to capture and maintain their audience's attention. In this episode, we provide some tips and advice on how to best come across as your authentic self in your writing and communicate genuinely to your audience. 

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au