What came from the work
- A continuing stream of positive stories involving students and their achievements.
- A landmark event with Bear Grylls and growing relationships with local journalists.
- A front-page celebration of the school’s success by the end of the five-year partnership.
Change the relationship with the news
John O’Gaunt School in Hungerford had struggled to attract press coverage. The Purple Sheep’s task was to help the school find and share the stories that showed its pupils, their achievements and the opportunities available to them.
Over five years, Shane helped develop a continuing flow of positive, creative stories, with students themselves contributing to the process. The ambition was to make the school a familiar and worthwhile source of news for local journalists.
A memorable event, then a continuing story
A landmark event with adventurer Bear Grylls gave the school a particularly strong moment to share. Excalibur Academies Trust records that Grylls and author Gill Hornby opened the school’s library, a space intended to inspire pupils in their studies and ambitions.
The Bear Grylls Inspiration Centre became a focal point in the partnership. The emphasis was on using an exceptional occasion as a starting point for continuing interest in the school and its students.
Alongside that event, Shane worked to bring editors, journalists, teachers and pupils into closer contact. Regular stories helped those relationships develop. Students’ achievements gave the media reasons to return, and the school became more familiar to the people reporting on its community.
Give the opening a life beyond the day
Excalibur Academies Trust returned to the library story for its first anniversary in May 2017. Its report describes the space’s books, computers and opportunities for independent learning, with contributions from a pupil and the librarian.
That follow-up gives the event a practical context. The opening was a reason to pay attention; the way pupils used the space gave the school something further to say. For a school communications plan, milestones, student experiences and the work of staff can each provide a different perspective on the same investment.
An audience built over time
By the end of the five-year partnership, the school was celebrating its success on the front page of the local newspaper. Regular newspaper stories had replaced the earlier struggle to attract attention.
The lasting value was the relationship behind those stories. A school that knows how to recognise news, involve its pupils and work with journalists has a stronger basis for communicating its achievements.
For other schools, the useful lesson is that a high-profile event works best as part of sustained storytelling. The everyday work matters too: finding the next story, keeping in touch and giving pupils a meaningful part in how their school is represented.
