School term ends on 26 March or 1 April (depending on where the school is based). Either way the schools have to spend this year’s money (or at least 92% of it) by April 5th.
Not every company has been experiencing a huge upturn in spending as some schools seek to get rid of their money before the due date – but it has been happening, and certainly in our publishing company at Hamilton House there has been quite an upturn.
There is still time to reach schools before the end of the term – with email now being the best route.
There are four different types of email service, ranging from emails to the teachers’ own email addresses, selected by subject, through to the generic email address of the school.
If you want more information, it is on www.emails.gs - or call 01536 399 000.
But what is going to happen in the new financial year?
The key point is that the spending for 2010/11 is exactly that laid down three years ago in the 3-year spending projection. Nothing has been cut.
In the Pre-Budget Report in November the Chancellor set out plans for the schools system with a real terms increase of 0.7 per cent combined with an expectation that schools should make efficiency savings of 0.9 per cent – equal to more than £1 billion over 2011-12 and 2012-13.
Those figures are likely to be bandied around by the press in the coming days – but it is vital to remember that these numbers are not for the year starting in April 2010 – but the year after that.
And of course, should all the teachers in the country decide to vote Liberal Democrat (as the party that has said they will immediately increase the education budget in England by £2bn) we could have a hung parliament or a Liberal government. Which would then mean a completely new set of figures for 2011.
But to step back from politics, my message is that 2010/11 is secure in terms of spending, and is looking rather promising. Apart from the email services, there are also the shared and solo mailings running as usual.
If you have any thoughts or questions on marketing to schools, please do give Hamilton House a call on 01536 399 000. Or email sales@hamilton-house.com