The Independent School Podcast with Juliet Corbett

In this episode, our topic of discussion is Community Fundraising. I talk with Ed Lang, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Buffalo Fundraising Consultants, who has worked in this sector since 2004. If you’re keen to map out your school’s fundraising programme in a way that is strategically right for your school, then listen in. This episode will help you work out your ‘Strategic Next Step’ for co...

In this episode I’m joined by Eilish McDowell (Managing Director) and David Rider (Associate) of Caithness Consulting as we converse about the war for finding fundraising talent in a world that now involves increased demand for remote, hybrid and flexible working environments. In the fundraising world of the independent school sector, we’re seeing some hesitancy. This is not something we’re used t...

In this second episode about Service and Leadership, I’m happy to be talking you through three steps for serving your audience. The three steps lead towards shifting our mindset so that we’re really serving our audience and offering true value. Ultimately, this is what our potential parents and students seek, isn’t it? I also encourage continued conversations with those parents at the decision-mak...

This episode reflects on the value of combining service with leadership. It is the first of two episodes in which I share thoughts on the value of embedding service into our leading roles in the educational sector. Since the mourning period in September following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, many school leaders have found it worthwhile to reflect on their interpretation of service and how it g...

In this episode I’m joined by Steve Spriggs, CEO of the William Clarence Education Group. Steve and I discuss how elements of the commercial market are influencing marketing, admissions and recruitment in the educational sector. He gives insightful observations on some of the big picture trends influencing the evolving dynamic between educational and commercial business within a school. Steve&apos...

It’s often the way that the culture of an organisation is taken for granted and can become invisible to us, particularly after having worked within it for some time. Last week, I spoke of culture and strategy and how important an understanding of culture can be for the successful implementation of strategic plans. In this episode, I help you initiate the process of analysing your school's cul...

This is the fourth and final episode in my 'Rethinking strategy' mini-series. To use a controversial quote, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” this episode prompts a rethink of how important it is to align culture and strategy within a school environment. Taking a new look at the underlying culture and values, beliefs and behaviours that each department of your school has could help...

In this third episode of my 'Rethinking strategy' mini-series, I encourage you to think of strategy as a learning, rather than a purely planning, process. I have talked in previous episodes of the continuum between planned and emergent strategy, the benefits of allowing ideas to emerge from all layers of an organisation and the impact of retaining a stable core, whilst encouraging a disr...

In this episode of my Rethinking strategy mini-series, I introduce an intriguing concept for independent schools to consider: a disruptive edge, yet stable core. The Harvard Business Review published some fascinating research in 2018 exploring how seven winning and well-respected organisations such as NASA, New Zealand All Blacks, the Royal College of Music and Eton College have thrived for more t...

The first episode in my mini-series: Rethinking strategy We often associate strategy with top-down planning, but it doesn't need to be that way.  Some start-ups and tech firms have been very successful by embracing a bottom-up approach to strategy, with individual staff members being encouraged to innovate and successful ideas driving the future direction of the organisation. So are strategie...

In this episode I look at cascading your strategy - starting at the top and then threading it through each department, so you are all working toward the same goals. This can be done by dividing it into an organisational-level strategy and several operational strategies that focus on the day-to-day delivery but consistently link back to the top line vision. If this episode inspires you, take a look...

Getting internal buy-in for bursary programmes can be tricky - everyone is so busy that additional tasks for a new project can sink to the bottom of the priority list. In this episode, I share with you the top areas to think about as you navigate this: 1. Educating   senior leadership 2. Inspiring internal buy-in 3. Strategic collaboration 4. Seamless journeys for recipients and donors References...

More and more independent schools are committing to bursary programmes but to run one well requires a team effort with input from many departments across the school. I often see one team - development - being drawn into doing too much of this, at the expense of fundraising. In this episode, I cover the three key elements of a bursary programme, who should be doing what in the school, splitting rem...

"Resilience, adaptability, inquisitiveness, imagination and an ability to think for one’s self are all qualities that will not only be front of mind for tomorrow’s employers but will also be fundamental for personal happiness and wellbeing." In this episode I'm joined by the brilliant Richard Jones, Head of Bryanston School, who shares his thoughts on the above and insights into how...

What does saying 'no' have to do with strategy? Schools are busy places and people are full of good ideas, but you can't do everything. If you do, the best outcome to hope for is you'll do everything just ok and the worst outcome is burnout and frequent mistakes. So mastering the art of saying 'no' is critical in order to have the capacity to say 'yes' to th...

Inclusivity and changing lives with education is something I am passionate about and so I'm excited to share this interview with the brilliant Laura Firth, Director of Development and Alumni Relations at Bolton School. Laura shares with us her belief in the importance of stewardship - the way schools look after their donors. She explains how she's put stewardship at the centre of Bolton&...

Strategy can not be done alone, so it will inevitably include meetings. However, meetings often require a lot of time and sometimes unnecessarily so.  In this episode, I explore one of my frequently asked questions - how can our meetings be more strategic?  I share with you three things that you can do to make your meetings more efficient and effective, allowing you to use the rest of your time to...

In this episode I'm joined by Margaret Giblin, Head of Marymount International School London.  Margaret has over 23 years of experience in education both in the UK and Ireland. Prior to her commencement at Marymount in 2021, she was the Deputy Head People at Woldingham Catholic School for Girls, where she has been working since 2012 in various roles. Margaret  champions all-girls education, t...

In this episode I'm joined by the insightful Julie Robinson, CEO of the Independent Schools Council (ISC). Julie and I have a conversation to share with you regarding trends in the independent school sector and how these interact with government priorities, policy-making and the media. Julie's role as CEO regularly involves navigating relationships with these external groups, bringing a...

I often talk with school leaders who are concerned that the strategy they have is not as effective as it needs to be. To know whether your strategy is fit for purpose, you have to start at the beginning and create a shared understanding of what a strategy is and how it's going to help. In this episode, I reflect on what defines a strategy and how to build a good one. If you're asking you...

In this episode I'm joined by the brilliant Paul Dwyer, Head of Redmaids' High School.  Paul has worked in all-girls education for much of his career and is currently Head at Redmaids' High School, the oldest girls' school in the UK. He is a passionate advocate for the use of research to inform best practice in schools, having been a Founding Trustee and President of the Counci...

I recently attended the IDPE annual conference, both in-person in Nottingham UK and virtually, where there were many brilliant sessions covering the latest topics development professionals are talking about in the independent school sector. Here are the four key takeaways for me - three are trends that I was already aware of, but one was a big surprise! Listen to find out more... References and Re...

Whether you're creating a new strategy or developing an existing one, it can be difficult to decide exactly what timeframe you should be thinking about. Set your strategy too far into the future and it may become irrelevant as your environment changes over the years, but set it too short and it's not really a strategy. In this episode, I explore the recommended timeframe for your strateg...

What is a culture of care? In this episode, I'm joined by the brilliant Margaret White of Sandpiper Consulting - a consultancy that helps schools to develop a strong culture of care for their staff so both they and the young people they educate can flourish.   Margaret shares her experience of working in the independent school sector and how she empowers leaders to embed various systems to lo...

Many Directors of Development ask me this: Can we fundraise without a clear school strategy? Without a clear, shared school strategy: - often fundraising projects keep changing - this means the fundraising messaging keeps changing - and we can get drawn off into non-fundraising tasks It can be hard to lead fundraising in these circumstances. In this episode I unpack: - why it's important for...