When it comes to school admissions, the work never stops, but there are definitely certain times of the year when the pressure is really on, to up your admissions game.
The autumn term has to be top of that list – when school open days are at the forefront of everyone’s minds for attracting prospective students and their families for the following year’s intake. As an independent school, this pressure is amplified by the need to meet enrolment targets and maintain your school’s outstanding reputation in a highly competitive field.
Given the rise of digital solutions such as virtual school tours promoted by the coronavirus pandemic, and the time that has lapsed with subsequent restrictions in place, do prospective students and their families now expect these digital solutions as standard?
A change has done us good
It’s safe to say the way we live, work and spend our leisure time has changed significantly since March 2020 and while some were slow to accept these changes, most have relished them.
More are valuing their personal time over their work time, more are looking for easier more convenient ways of carrying out those ‘must do’ tasks to be able to spend more time doing those ‘want to do’ activities with friends and family. Time has become more precious and appreciated and a responsibility towards the environment is also at front of mind.
Digital solutions are as natural for the younger generations, as learning to walk and talk, but even their parents and grandparents are embracing the opportunities available to them online.
Let your virtual tour do the legwork
While selecting a new school is right up there with the most important decisions a family can make for their child, no one likes the idea of wasting anyone’s time.
The first place any family is likely to start their decision-making is on your school website. Traditionally this only offers them a two dimensional introduction to your school, where they feel very much the spectator. Add an immersive 3D walkthrough or 360 virtual tour to your website and the experience suddenly becomes very different.
A 3D virtual tour of your school enables any interested family the opportunity to explore every corner of your school site as if they were really there. Additionally, with the use of an interactive school map, families can quickly familiarise themselves with the layout of your whole school site and the wider setting. This can very quickly provide families with strong instinct as to whether your school is the right one for their child and encourage them to progress their admissions journey.
The virtual tour might also prompt the family to skip the open day and opt instead for a 1:1 guided tour, or indeed their interest in your school might end there. Either way, they have saved themselves time and expense on travel and you have saved time and resources preparing your school site and opening it up to them for an open day or 1:1 guided tour.
Every day is an open day with a virtual school tour
One of the huge virtues of a virtual tour is that they can be viewed on any day, at any time, from anywhere in the world. Meaning that families can begin their decision-making long before any open day you might hold and ensuring you only attract truly invested parties to such events.
The only preparation required on your behalf, is for the day of filming, while viewers are free to explore your virtual tour as many times as they wish.
Inject some personality through your 360 virtual tour
Virtual tours not only provide families with the opportunity to walk through your school’s physical space, but they are the ideal platform for sharing personal experiences to appeal to your audience.
Interactive information points throughout your school virtual tour are not only ideal for introducing heads of departments and key academic staff, but student-centric content can provide prospective students with a genuine insight into school life from the student’s point of view.
Utilising platforms such as OpenHouse Live by Boost 3D in conjunction with your virtual school tour can also provide your school with the opportunity to host guided virtual school tours, for which you could enlist the help of existing students to assist. This can help these students develop their interpersonal and presentation skills, while providing interested families with a more personal perspective on life at your school.
Embracing the digital age
The advancement of technology isn’t going anywhere but forwards, so a school that acknowledges this by embracing digital solutions is likely to factor more highly on the radar of any digital native.
In an age where accessibility, convenience and environmental responsibility are a priority for consumers, they are increasingly likely to seek out opportunities to address these concerns – the solutions to which, such as virtual tours, will almost certainly be expected as standard.
