How St Michael’s Infant School Transformed Their Open Event Attendance with a Fresh, Community-Focused Campaign

St Michael’s Infant School in Surrey approached Smarter Reach with a challenge that many small schools are facing right now. Despite a warm, nurturing environment and a long-standing reputation within the community, their pupil numbers had declined in recent years. Footfall at open events had slowed to a trickle, and enquiries weren’t converting at the rate they needed. The school knew that families simply weren’t discovering the magic happening inside their classrooms – and that visibility needed a reset.

They asked us to help them turn that around.

A multi-channel campaign with community at its core

Our goal was clear: dramatically increase awareness, reach local families across multiple touchpoints, and get prospective parents through the door. To do this, we built a comprehensive campaign that blended online and offline marketing:

✔️ Local flyer distribution

Eye-catching, friendly designs introduced St Michael’s to 10,000 families across the local area, including those who weren’t actively searching for school places.

✔️ A full social media push

We delivered a mix of paid and organic content across social channels, including posts tailored for local Facebook groups. The campaign featured both:

• Two short-form reels showcasing life at St Michael’s

• Static assets repurposed from the videos

• Event-focused posts encouraging families to attend an open event or book a private tour

✔️ Outdoor banners for maximum visibility

Bold, location-targeted banners helped the school stand out on key walking and driving routes.

✔️ Parent-powered social proof

We gathered a collection of glowing reviews from current and former parents. These authentic voices were woven into the campaign to build trust and demonstrate the school’s values through lived experience.

A partnership built on trust and understanding

The team at St Michael’s were incredibly open, responsive and committed throughout the process. Their feedback meant a huge amount to us:

“It has been great getting Smarter Reach on board with raising the profile of our school. Vicky was a pleasure to work with, very proactive, enthusiastic, easy to communicate with and really took the time to get to know our school and what we wanted to achieve from our campaign.”

The results: reach, reviews, and – most importantly – real families walking through the door

The campaign delivered exceptional engagement across Meta, achieving:

⭐ 482,800 total reach

Generated through reels, static posts, and event promotions – all supported by a carefully managed ad spend of just £1,000.

⭐ A surge of interest in open events

Across two open mornings, 47 families attended – a dramatic turnaround for a school that described previous attendance as “a trickle”.

⭐ A significant rise in enquiries

The school saw a notable increase in private tour bookings and general admissions enquiries, helping them start the year with renewed confidence.

A small school with a big story – now seen and celebrated

St Michael’s Infant School has always offered a warm, family-centred learning environment. Our campaign simply gave more people the chance to discover it.

Through clear messaging, consistent branding, community-powered advocacy and targeted digital advertising, we helped the school reclaim visibility at a crucial moment.

And the response from parents – and the school – speaks for itself.

If your school is facing declining footfall, shrinking enquiries or challenges in reaching new families, we’d love to support you too. Get in touch at www.smarterreach.co.uk to see how we can help build the momentum your school deserves.