‘To instill a sense of personal responsibility, self discipline, respect and care for one another and the environment.’
Just one of the inspiring core values at the heart of the Ilford Ursuline Roman Catholic Preparatory School and Nursery. Among its highly developed value system is the strong belief that Catholic faith goes hand in hand with academic achievement. The excellent reputation and impressive levels of educational attainment, lends much support to this theory. Upon arriving in England in the late 1800s, The Ursuline Sisters established a number of preparatory day schools, including the Roman Catholic Girls School in the Essex town of Ilford in 1903. Formerly part of the historic Ilford Ursuline High School, the Preparatory School, whilst maintaining close links with the senior educational establishment, is now a fully independent school in its own right. The Ursuline principle focuses on delivering high returns and exceptional value, both academically and socially, for comparatively low cost… thus increasing accessibility to private education.
Akin with the Ursuline ethos is a huge emphasis on learning with a focused commitment to maintaining high levels of both academic performance and maximizing the pupil experience, all whilst remaining true to their traditional religious emphasis. Ilford Ursuline positions itself at the economically viable end of the local private education sector; focusing on delivering value and results for modest fees. This widens the opportunities for local girls between the ages of 3-11yrs to be well educated and socially well developed. By the time they reach 11 years old they are confident, well developed and academically equipped for the Grammar School, the High School or other educational establishments.
Established since 2001, the Ursuline Nursery pre-school provision for 3 and 4 year olds was widened when boys were admitted in 2007. The School, including the nursery, has approximately 180 pupils within its care during school hours. Out of 20 in the class – 4 go to grammar school via the 11 plus entrance exam, 10 go to independent secondary schools, other go to local schools.
Compact but perfected formed, The Ursuline Preparatory School has always received good press coverage within its local catchment. Children tend to come from within a five mile radius and when it became clear in 2007 that some parents were unaware of the school’s existence, the need to continually market the school had arrived. In July 2007 Bursar Mike King decided there was a need to increase local awareness, especially amongst parents newly located to the area and sought assistance from Clinton O’Rourke Owner of DOR-2-DOR Ilford.
What were you looking to achieve with your leaflet campaign?
“We had specific objectives in relation to our Nursery. We wanted to scale up our operation and attract more boys. Our second objective was to promote the Preparatory School to parents, both existing and new to the area.”
What format is the leaflet and who designed and printed it?
“We favoured A5 leaflets and had them designed and printed purposely to have a reasonable shelf life – 180k printed. Other leaflets promoted Open Days and the Nursery and special events.”
What areas did your campaign cover, over what period?
“15 thousand per month, 3750 a week, Clinton ensures areas are rotated, and we market to appropriate householders in adjacent areas to the school.”
What results did you see?
“Excellent… 80% of new pupils’ initial contact has been through leaflets. We are now fortunate enough to be oversubscribed and there is a waiting list for entry to both the Preparatory and the Nursery Schools. Our aim was to increase Nursery provision from 6 pupils to 40. By the spring of 2008 we had 38, and we were very close to achieving our goal. Now we have 40. The campaign has had the desired effect. We are filled to capacity and we have had to close the list. The nursery performs a dual function in that it feeds the school and it means we can take 20 girls into key stage 5.”
Would you recommend DOR-2-DOR?
“DOR-2-DOR was recommended to me and originally I was sceptical. Now I would recommend them. My first hand experience has been that they are a thoroughly decent, reliable company with a good reputation, nice to work with, obliging and accommodating to our needs. They have helped us to put the pieces in place for our continued growth.”
