Independent schools

The independent education sector in the UK is in our blood and our heritage: the early years
of mtmconsulting were focused on independent schools and colleges.

The independent sector continues to be a significant focus for us and we have worked
extensively with day, boarding, single-sex, co-educational, charitable and for-profit schools
of all sizes. With increasing competition between independent schools, difficulties in
affordability for parents, a need to show real differentiation, and continually changing trends
amongst the various segments of the independent schools marketplace, the sector is as
dynamic and challenging as it has ever been.

Our services for independent schools fall into the following areas:

Research

• Sector-wide trend research
• ‘Mandarin’ catchment area analysis to identify buyers
• Parental satisfaction and marketing surveys
• Decliner research
• Door to door or telephone perception interviews
• Competitor research and mystery shops

Marketing

• Marketing strategy production
• Branding and design
• Marketing audits and reviews
• Web design, SEO and e-marketing
• PR and communications support
• Advertising
• Training

Strategy

• Business development
• Feasibility studies
• Mergers and restructuring
• Risk management and contingency planning
• Governor and SMT training

The vast majority of our client work starts with a free initial face-to-face consultation.
Please contact us to speak about our services and expertise.

Academies and free schools

With a continuing political and media focus on developing free schools and academies within
the state funded arena, independent business and marketing consultancy is in increasing
demand.

Our expertise is hugely beneficial for academies and free schools, who are continually
seeking to ensure that they meet the needs of their stakeholders, that their strategic plans
are right for their marketplace, and that they are operating as effectively and efficiently as
possible.

In recent years mtm has worked with new – and established – academies and free
schools in order to identify the likely marketplace, explore its needs and its nature, gauge
perceptions and awareness and formulate winning strategies for success – as well as
helping clients to implement and achieve these strategies.

Our services for academies and free schools tend to include:

Research

• Sector-wide trend research
• ‘Mandarin’ analysis to understand the catchment area
• Parental satisfaction and perception surveys
• Decliner research
• Door to door or telephone perception interviews
• Competitor research and mystery shops

Marketing

• Marketing strategy production
• Branding and design
• Marketing audits and reviews
• Web design, SEO and e-marketing
• PR and communications support
• Advertising
• Training

Strategy

• Business development
• Feasibility studies
• Mergers and restructuring
• Risk management and contingency planning
• Governor and SMT training

The vast majority of our client work starts with a free initial face-to-face consultation.
Please contact us to speak about our services and expertise.

State schools

With changes afoot throughout the education sector in the UK, accelerated by the
government’s free schools and academies campaigns, state schools have a crucial and
increasing need to ensure that their marketing and business strategies are right and that
they are meeting needs and demands amongst their stakeholders.

We are able to partner with school leadership teams, with governors, and with local
authority management, and work closely with our clients in order to ensure our
recommendations and work is appropriate and actionable.

We understand the constraints that many schools face and ensure that clients receive the
right service for their needs at all times. We also have a deep-rooted understanding of
parental demands and sentiment so are able to ensure our work is relevant and effective.

Our key project areas for state schools tend to be:

Research

• Sector-wide trend research
• Parental satisfaction and perception surveys
• Door to door or telephone awareness and perception interviews
• Competitor research and mystery shops

Marketing

• Marketing strategy production
• Branding and design
• Marketing audits and reviews
• Web design, SEO and e-marketing
• PR and communications support
• Advertising
• Staff training

Strategy

• Business development
• Feasibility studies
• Mergers and restructuring
• Risk management and contingency planning
• Governor and SMT training

The vast majority of our client work starts with a free initial face-to-face consultation.
Please contact us to speak about our services and expertise.

Further and Higher Education

The need for FE colleges – and HE education providers – to offer a strong and compelling
offering to students and their parents has never been greater. As the impact of recession
continues it is crucial that providers can demonstrate real value and benefit to all of their
stakeholders.

We help colleges to ensure they are positioned to meet their marketplace’s needs and
demands and that their internal strategies and organization will meet the challenge of
ensuring a successful future.

We offer our FE and HE clients a broad range of services to help them understand and
respond to conditions. These services range from research and marketing advice right
through to strategic expansion, re-configuration and change planning and management.

Some of our key services for FE and HE providers are:

Research

• Sector-wide trend research
• Stakeholder satisfaction and perception surveys
• Decliner research
• Door to door or telephone perception interviews
• Competitor research and mystery shops

Marketing

• Marketing strategy production
• Branding and design
• Marketing audits and reviews
• Web design, SEO and e-marketing
• PR and communications support
• Advertising
• Whole staff marketing and communications training

Strategy

• Business development
• Feasibility studies
• Mergers and restructuring
• Risk management and contingency planning
• Senior staff training

The vast majority of our client work starts with a free initial face-to-face consultation.
Please contact us to speak about our services and expertise.

Suppliers and investors in education

Our unmatched knowledge of schools, colleges and universities across private and state
sectors in the UK allows us to offer an outstanding level of insight and guidance to suppliers
and private investors in the education sector.

Private equity firms, investment banks, property development companies and venture
capitalists have all come to mtmconsulting in recent years for support in understanding the
opportunities in the educational arena and to determine their entry or investment decisions.
Through our research and knowledge we are able to help such businesses realize their
visions and profits as well as guiding their day-to-day decisions.

Equally we have worked extensively with firms such as school MIS software providers,
curriculum providers, fee payment solutions and insurance providers and with other
suppliers to the sector to help them understand their positioning in the market, how this can
be enhanced, and to clarify and achieve sound strategies for the future.

We have also in-depth experience of supporting the growth and acquisitions activity
amongst many of the largest chains of for-profit independent schools in the UK and
overseas.

Our services for suppliers and investors cover the following:

Research

• Sector-wide trend research
• ‘Mandarin’ analysis to understand the catchment area
• Parental satisfaction and perception surveys
• Decliner research
• Door to door or telephone perception interviews
• Competitor research and mystery shops

Marketing

• Marketing strategy production
• Branding and design
• Marketing audits and reviews
• Web design, SEO and e-marketing
• PR and communications support
• Advertising
• Training

Strategy

• Business development
• Feasibility studies
• Mergers and restructuring
• Risk management and contingency planning
• Governor and SMT training

The vast majority of our client work starts with a free initial face-to-face consultation.
Please contact us to speak about our services and expertise.