Why reputation matters in an Academy Trust – and how to supercharge yours with smart marketing
Reputation. You can’t see it. You can’t touch it. Ofsted doesn’t grade it. But wow, does it matter.
As Academy Trusts have grown (big time), more and more education leaders are switching on to this truth: your reputation is one of your biggest, boldest, most business-critical assets.
And if you want to grow your Trust, you’ve got to grow your reputation.
Parents talk. Make sure they’re saying the right things.
When parents are choosing where to send their children, they’re not just glancing at your latest Ofsted and ticking a box. They’re deep-diving. Googling. Scrolling. Chatting in WhatsApp groups.
Your website is scrutinised. Your socials are scanned. Your vibe? Fully felt.
And what are they looking for? Clarity, confidence, and a sense that this is the place where their child will thrive. That’s where clever, consistent marketing comes in. It gets the right messages in front of the right people at just the right moment. Magic.
Teachers have choices. Give them a reason to choose you.
Recruiting top talent is a competitive game. And a pricey one if you get it wrong. But here’s the secret sauce: a sparkling reputation makes you magnetic.
When people love where they work, they tell others. When your culture sings, people hear it. So if you’re proud of your team (and we know you are), shout about it. Build a buzz. Create a culture that people want to join – and never want to leave.
Strong reputations build stronger communities.
Academy Trusts don’t exist in a bubble. You’re part of a bigger picture – local groups, councils, contractors, families, funders. When your reputation says “we care, we show up, we do good stuff,” doors open. Partnerships happen. Trust grows.
But where do you start?
With purpose. With clarity. With your mission and values.
These are your foundation blocks. Your compass. Your North Star. If they’re foggy or missing, that’s job one. Make them clear. Make them memorable. Make them sing.
Once you’ve nailed that, it’s time to roll out the good stuff. Marketing that actually markets. Here’s what works:
📣 Share the wins
News updates are your best friends. Kids smashing it in the community? Shiny new facilities? Glorious exam results? That time your Year 6s ran a bake sale and raised a fortune? Tell everyone.
Turn those feel-good moments into halo-building headlines. Pop them on your website. Slide them into newsletters. Post them on socials. (Need help gathering stories? Our Cudos Marketing Partner package has you covered.)
📱 Be social (and Strategic)
Lots of Trusts have social media. Fewer Trusts use it well. Different audiences hang out in different places, at different times, for different reasons. So yes – strategy matters.
What platform? What time? What tone? What pics? We’ve got answers. (And yes, we’ll even tell you how to make that 3pm Instagram post sing.)
📰 Nail that newsletter
Newsletters are brilliant. If they’re done right.
Who are you writing for? What’s the format? Digital or print? Weekly or termly? Let’s figure it out together. Then we’ll write it, design it, send it, and analyse what worked. Rinse. Repeat. Improve.
🗞️ Get noticed locally
Want to woo the local press? Keep parents and residents in the loop? Set up a snazzy newsroom on your site?
Choose the right channels for the right audiences and make sure your messages don’t just land – they resonate.
Reputation isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a must-have.
And the good news? You don’t have to leave it to chance.
At Cudos, we’ve helped Academy Trusts just like yours build rock-solid reputations that sparkle from the inside out. With the right words. The right visuals. The right strategy.
Want in?
Let’s chat.