Crisp mornings, crackling fires, and an abundance of post-Christmas blues — as we bid a frosty farewell to January, our attention now shifts toward the fast-approaching season of spring. Amidst the changing seasons, the academic landscape is experiencing a transformation of its very own. We take a look at what’s going on in schools, and how EdTech and education brands can turn these developments into impactful marketing opportunities.

Between now and the Easter holidays, schools will become a hive of activity as exam pressure shifts into a new gear. Revision classes will be at their peak, addressing gaps uncovered in recent mock exams as the race to the finish line gains momentum. In addition to these sessions, schools will host a variety of educational events, themed activities, and awareness celebrations, ensuring a bustling schedule until their well-earned break.

To streamline all the key events taking place over the next two months, we’ve compiled a list of Education Marketing Hotspots for February and March, enabling you to harness the full potential of these opportunities in upcoming campaigns.

Plus: by scrolling to the very end of our round-up, you can discover how to gain access to our live Education Calendars (and so much more!) via our industry-leading education marketing platform, Campus.

School holidays

Understanding the academic calendar is crucial for planning school-focused marketing campaigns. It’s essential to know when your target audience will be in ‘work mode’, and therefore receptive to your message. For most educators, teaching days are the best to target, so let’s begin with when the holidays are:

England
Spring Half Term - 12th to 16th February.
Easter Holiday - 29th March to 12th April.

Northern Ireland
Mid-Term Holiday - 15th to 16th February.
Easter Holiday - 28th March to 5th April.

Scotland
Spring Half Term - 12th to 16th February.
Easter Holiday - 29th March to 12th April.

Wales
Spring Half Term - 12th to 16th February.
Easter Holiday - 25th March to 5th April.

It’s worth noting that these dates can vary by council, and not all schools follow the dates designated by local education authorities. If there’s a particular school you wish to target, always check on their website.

Funding releases

Throughout the academic year, schools will receive funding from the government. Targeting funding releases in your marketing to schools, especially if you reference how to access a specific fund, is a highly effective means of engaging education budget holders.

PE and Sports Premium
This grant focuses on a government aim to provide opportunities for students to be involved in 60 minutes of physical activity a day. During February, New Maintained Schools receive the first allocation of the PE and Sport Premium, and in March they will receive their second.

Recovery Premium
The Recovery Premium is a government package to support students whose learning has been affected by the pandemic. It’s limited in availability until the end of the 2023/24 academic year, but £1 billion was set aside for use across 2022/23 and 2023/24. Non-maintained special schools will receive the third of four instalments of the Recovery Premium on the 4th March.

School events

Aligning marketing campaigns with school events allows education businesses to tailor their messaging to the specific themes of the occasion, increasing the relevance of their content. The main school events to be aware of over the upcoming months are as follows:

Second Parents’ Evening
Schools are required to hold one parents’ evening a year in England. Many schools go further and the spring term sees schools starting to schedule these from early February on. In Secondary Schools, they tend to have a focus on learning progress, with results from mock exams often used to identify what students need to focus their efforts on when preparing for the summer term exams.

In Primary Schools, it will be about consolidating learning and making sure that parents are aware of their children's progress, especially in Year 6 as they work towards their Key Stage 2 SATs in May. Don't forget that Key Stage 1 SATs are now optional, but many schools will be holding similar tests if they decide against the government-set option.

Spring Concerts
The weeks leading up to the Easter break are a perfect time for the Music department to come to the fore as they present their annual Spring Concerts. These are often a showcase of the wide variety of music you might find in schools. In Secondary Schools, they are also a wonderful opportunity for students to give their exam pieces an outing before they record them to submit for their relevant qualifications. Ultimately, these are a celebration of some of the creativity so vital to a school’s culture and ethos.

Themed campaigns

We’ve collated below some of the strongest themes for the start of the new year so that you can time your education marketing campaign around the most relevant events. Just a handful of dates are shared below, but if you want to know about everything that’s going on, our live Education Calendars on Campus are the place to go.

Reading & storytelling
World Book Day - 7th March
Shakespeare Week - 18th March to 24th March
World Poetry Day - 21st March

Marking history
St David’s Day (Wales) - 1st March.
International Women’s Day - 8th March. This year’s campaign theme is ‘Inspire Inclusion’.

Participate for charity
Heart Month - 1st to 29th February. This year’s theme is ‘Go Red’ to raise money for lifesaving research.

Career pathways
National Careers Week - 4th to 9th March
British Science Week - 8th to 17th March. This year’s theme is ‘Smashing Stereotypes’.
Open Doors Construction Week - 18th to 23rd March

Sustainability
Food Waste Action Week - 18th to 24th March
World Water Day - 22nd March
Earth Hour - 23rd March

Access Marketing Intelligence

That concludes our rundown of education marketing hotspots coming up in February and March. If you found this useful for your preparations, imagine the impact that full access to all of our intelligence will have on your education marketing! Take advantage of everything Sprint Education has to offer by upgrading to our industry-changing education marketing platform - Campus.

Education Calendars

On Campus, you can access live education updates on our UK and International School calendar, so you can be sure not to miss a thing. Each calendar is divided into categories, from School Events to Exams, Budgets to Education Exhibitions – you’ll find the events most relevant to you at the click of a button! Not to mention, we’ll soon be adding a US education calendar so you can make a splash across the pond.

Want to gain a sneak preview of the must-know dates on our live education calendars?

Download your free UK Academic Year desktop calendar today.

Education News Bulletin

On Campus, you receive updates on the education developments that matter. Our Education News Bulletins are hosted by former teacher, Ben Sawyer, who focuses only on the news that impacts education businesses and their target audience. Exclusively available to Campus users, it sits alongside a wealth of education-focused reports designed to help you master the market.

Get in touch

To discover all that Campus has to offer as THE one-stop shop for businesses that market to schools, contact our team today to arrange a demo of our revolutionary platform that’s evolving education marketing.

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Education Marketing Emailing Teachers in Schools Marketing to Schools Marketing to Teachers

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