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 

Social researcher, trends analyst and Managing Director at McCrindle Research, Sophie Renton joins us to discuss her recent research push to understand the seven disruptors impacting the future of education and unveil what this means for the future of school Heads and school marketers.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

If you want to be part of McCrindle's virtual event on 11 May, sign up here: https://mccrindle.com.au/resource/event/2023-education-insights-event/

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

Is the perception of your school's brand far too important to be left solely to school marketers? How exactly has our digital world shifted the role of school staff in marketing? In this episode, we discuss who really is responsible and how your school, as a whole, can become best equipped to operate like a media company.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

The following key aspects should be considered when your school operates like a media company:

1. Develop a content strategy: Just like media companies, your school needs to have a clear and well-defined content strategy. This includes setting marketing objectives, identifying the target audience, determining the type of content to create (blogs, videos, podcasts, etc.), and establishing a content distribution plan.
2. Create compelling content: Your school should create engaging and valuable content that resonates with your target audience, whether it's prospective students, parents, or alumni. This content should showcase the school's unique offerings, culture, and successes, and also provide insights into the educational experience and outcomes.
3. Utilise multiple platforms: Schools, like media companies, should use a variety of platforms to distribute their content, such as websites, social media, email campaigns, and print materials. This will help to increase the reach and effectiveness of your school's marketing efforts.
4. Measure success and adjust strategy: Media companies monitor the success of their content through various metrics, such as views, shares, comments, and conversions. Your school should also track the performance of your marketing efforts and adjust your strategies accordingly to optimise results.
5. Build a strong brand identity: Like media companies, your school needs to develop a cohesive and recognisable brand identity that reflects your core values and mission. This involves creating a consistent visual identity and tone of voice across all content and marketing materials.

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

"The greatest delivery system for any idea is a story." Seems simple, right? Yet, before you can craft an effective narrative you must ask yourself three questions: Who is your story for? What is it for? How will you know if it's working? We cover the six types of stories – from personal anecdotes to the sceptics' story – that will clearly articulate your school's brand. 

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

Heads feel like they're constantly firefighting. In this episode, Brad and Scully discuss how to replace that reactive cycle with calm and confident leadership through marketing maturity. They explore how disciplined systems create clarity, resilience and trust across your school and outline five practical steps to embed structure, align marketing with strategy and lead with confidence – building stability that lasts beyond any single person or change.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

What is the best way to think of strategy for non-strategists? Is it possible to clearly distinguish strategy from tactical execution? In this episode, we're joined by CEO of Strategic Factors and Harvard Business Review author, Dr Graham Kenny, who knows what yields results and what doesn't when it comes to executing a strategy.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe 

As you're aware – as a school Head – switching hats from managing teachers to managing your marketing team can be quite the juggling act. So how can you adjust your management style to reflect this? In this episode, we go over our seven-step guide so you can effectively communicate with (and inspire) your team to achieve your school's objectives.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

McCrindle's Director of Advisory Ashley Fell summarises some surprising (and unsurprising) trends school Heads must be aware of leading into the year ahead, spanning from the virtuous needs of consumers (in this case, parents) to a shift in intergenerational connections in the workplace.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

How do prospective parents determine value? And most importantly, how do you increase your school's perceived value? In this episode, we discuss what the perceived value theory is and how you can apply this theory to prospective parents as a Chief Value Proposition Officer. 

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

Dr Christopher Duncan has 20 years' experience leading independent schools across Australia and is now the CEO of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA). He spoke with SMJ about the observed parallels between leadership, decisions made by the Board and marketing strategies – leading to his mission to improve school governance.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

How do you create enticing content to get your prospective parent to know, like, and then, ultimately, trust you? And most importantly, how do you leverage that trust into an opportunity? In this episode, we discuss how you can reach the seven key stages of the life cycle of your prospective parent's journey, resulting in the prospective parent becoming an advocate for your school.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

Despite staggering inflation costs, many schools have increased their fees well below the current inflation rate in recognition of the cost-of-living pressures on families. In this interview, Edstart founder and CEO, Jack Stevens dives into Edstart's School Fees Report 2023 to summarise the surprising tuition trends across the country and the financial implications this has had on schools. 

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

The future of artificial intelligence (AI) is here and with it comes the need for an answer to the big question: What does this mean for the future of school marketing? In this episode, we take a look at ChatGPT, the AI software stirring controversy, and reveal how you can utilise this powerful technology to augment and enhance your marketing and communication strategy.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

As a leader of school marketing, there are two simple questions you should be answering: Who are you as a school and why do you matter? In this second half of two parts, we continue analysing the complexities of your positioning and reveal how you can unravel what your school does at its core.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

When thinking about your school experience strategy, you must consider all the moments families will have as they journey through the lifecycle of your school experience – from the first time they ever connect with the school – all the way through to becoming members of the alumni community. In this episode, we speak with David Willows and Suzette Parlevliet from [YELLOW CAR] who have been on a whirlwind trip the last few months bringing their signature expertise in Customer Experience for Schools to Heads and marketers across the world.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

Brad speaks to Sue Ellson, independent LinkedIn Specialist and career development author, to discuss how schools can attract and retain quality staff in a competitive employment landscape. Sue shares practical ways to build a stronger professional presence online, position your school as an employer of choice, and use LinkedIn to reach candidates. Together, they explore how Heads can shape staff attraction strategies that align with a school's values, strengthen culture and enhance reputation.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

As a leader of school marketing, there are two simple questions you should be answering: Who are you as a school and why do you matter? In this episode, we analyse the complexities of your positioning and reveal how you can unravel what your school does at its core.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

Subtitle: School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

From the ongoing repercussions of COVID-19 to extended waitlists, prospective parents face uncertainty in many areas of their child's education. In this interview, CEO of Knuckleball Consulting, Mike Vachow joins us to discuss what he's learnt after serving in five independent schools, sharing his eight tips for eliminating this uncertainty in parents.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

It's easy to lose focus of your external audience – prospective and current parents – when internally marketing your school. We explore where you should place your focus in a world of endless distractions and growing demands as the end of Term 4 approaches. 

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

Often, school Heads find it difficult to prioritise the workload of their development team to maximize the dollars raised with the number of staff they have. In this interview, Jill Goodman shares the seven-step framework you can follow to meet your development and fundraising targets regardless of the size of your team.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

Everything your customers know about your brand comes from what they see, hear, watch, and read … so all of your content advertising needs to adequately represent your brand. In this episode, we continue discussing why consistency is the key factor in building customer trust and how this consistency can be translated through a writing style guide. 

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

When it comes to fundraising for schools, it seems everyone has an opinion, a favourite campaign format, or rules that should always be followed. These opinions are usually based on past success, but what works in one school won't necessarily work as well in another. We interview Dr Wendy Scaife, the Associate Professor and the Director of the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies at Queensland University of Technology to get a helicopter view of philanthropy in Australia and help you to navigate your way to success in this space.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

Your brand can only remain consistent if every team member is following the same decision-making process when creating content. We talk you through everything you need to know about writing and style guides, what a comprehensive branding guide looks like and how to avoid inconsistent messaging creeping into your content.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

Every school has a brand. However, perceptions and expectations of your school brand are constantly evolving. We interview the Director of Solutions at McCrindle, Geoff Brailey, to learn a thing or two about brand tracking and discover the brand-related questions school Heads should be asking.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

As a school Head, you have a vision for your school. Persuading your school community that your vision is worth pursuing is the most important challenge you will face in your career. While trying to sell this vision, it can often feel like no-one is listening, which can be equally as frustrating as it is disheartening. This week, we look at why your message often fails to capture your audience's attention and the six principles that will get your message to well and truly stick.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

When choosing a school, one of the first questions a prospective parent asks is, "Can I afford the fees?" Having designed a fee calculator which delivers a transparent fee experience to parents while generating valuable enrolment enquires, Founder of Feesable, Anthony McCausland, joins us to discuss the standout insights this data reveals.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

Even the strongest school brands can lose clarity through slow and silent erosion. Brad and Scully explore the hidden danger of message drift: how small, well-intentioned changes can blur your voice and weaken your impact. They discuss why drift is a leadership issue, how to spot it before it spreads, and share a five-step guide to re-anchor your school's story so it stays clear, consistent and trusted.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

Leaders have an obligation to be looking around corners and seeing what is ahead, even if it's not fully in focus yet. In this second half of two parts, we continue to look at some of the trends to watch in marketing and discuss why you and your team need to be thinking about them now.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

We sit down with expert in all matters of school financial management and Partner at Resolve Consulting, David Bartlett, who guides us through school fees increases. We look at the economic factors that you must communicate to the school community as the school Head in order to give parents greater financial confidence.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

This week, we try to predict the future! Well, not quite. Leaders have an obligation to be looking around corners and seeing what is ahead, even if it's not fully in focus yet. In this first of two parts, we look at some of the trends to watch in marketing and discuss why you and your team need to be thinking about them now.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

Experiences lead to enrolments. It's that simple. And also that complex! In this interview with Dr David Willows of [YELLOW CAR], we look at why that's the case, what the barriers are to designing good customer experiences and how you can overcome them.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

"I don't need marketing or a marketing plan." If you've said (or even thought) this, you aren't alone. But is it true? As a school Head, it would be unthinkable to begin a school year without a plan for how you will educate your students. Yet when it comes to attracting, enrolling and retaining students, many school Heads face the year without a plan, or think that they don't need one. We dig into what it means and what it might look like for your school.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

Where you set your school fees is one of your clearest positioning signals to prospective parents. With annual data obtained from over 500 independent Australian schools, CEO of EdStart, Jack Stevens, joins us to discuss the ins and outs (and ups and downs) of school fees, sharing his top tips for how to communicate them well.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

Having a vision and a strategy for your school — and your school marketing — is not enough. The long-term key to success is execution. Relentless consistency. Every day. Every term. Every year. Without a system for getting things done, your strategy will forever remain an unrealised dream. We discuss what it takes to make that dream a reality.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

There are things you can and can't control when it comes to managing your school's online reputation. Brendan Schneider, specialist in inbound marketing for schools, joins us to discuss what your school can and should be doing, along with what questions to ask your marketing team. We also share real-life examples of search engine optimisation done well … and really badly!

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

When we at imageseven look at a school through the lens of a prospective parent, we often discover a confusing maze of competing market positions. But you cannot win the positioning war with a positioning strategy that is constructed like a Swiss army knife. You need to be something ... for someone. In this episode, we show you how.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

Conducted by Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ), What Parents Want is the longest running survey in the country exploring why parents choose independent schools. CEO of ISQ, Chris Mountford, helps us dig into the goldmine of insight gathered in their 2021 research, highlighting the factors that matter to school Heads.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe

Brad is joined by US education marketing strategist and Founder of Caylor Solutions, Bart Caylor, to explore how rapid AI advances are reshaping school communication and leadership. With tools like OpenAI's Sora 2 creating lifelike videos in seconds, the discussion dives into what this means for authenticity, brand risk and crisis readiness. Brad and Bart explore the dangers of 'work slop', how AI-generated noise dilutes brand trust, and explain why Heads must become AI-literate, lead with human purpose and set guardrails to protect their school's brand in a synthetic world.

Episode links:

• Caylor Solutions
• OpenAI's Sora 2: AI Video Magic Meets Copyright Chaos – Mike Kaput – Marketing AI Institute
• Sora 2 System Card – OpenAI
• Sora 2 Blog – Sam Altman
• OpenAI launch of video app Sora plagued by violent and racist images: 'The guardrails are not real' – The Guardian
• AI-Generated "Workslop" Is Destroying Productivity – Harvard Business Review

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

Through our experience working with schools, we have identified three foundational building blocks of a robust school marketing system. In this episode, we chat with Claire Jones, our own Head of Strategy and Programs, to walk you through building a communications and marketing operation that's built on a solid foundation and minimises the 'trip hazards'.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

Welcome to the 100th episode of the SMJ podcast! To celebrate this milestone, we talk to Dr Alec O'Connell, Headmaster of Perth's Scotch College, where they're about to mark the College's 125th anniversary. We discuss what it looks like for schools to celebrate and capitalise on significant events, to enhance both your fundraising and your brand.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

How do parents choose schools? What motivates them to 'buy' your school experience? Dr David Willows, Director of Advancement at The International School of Brussels and Co-Founder of [YELLOW CAR], joins us to discuss his article, 'Dual-Factor Theory'. He highlights the important questions you should be asking in the wake of a pandemic and gives you the tools to answer them.

Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au