Gina Bailey, headteacher of St James’ Church of England Primary School and executive headteacher of William Martin Schools and Nursery, recently featured in The Headteacher magazine after writing an article about the benefits of filming a school prospectus video.
After the coronavirus pandemic prevented parents of prospective pupils from visiting schools, Mrs Bailey made it her mission to showcase her schools in an interactive way that would allow parents to see and experience the schools, despite social restrictions. Mrs Bailey therefore invited a local videography team to come and film a prospectus video.
There was much excitement amongst pupils and teachers alike when the camera crews arrived to start filming, with one half of the crew shooting the grounds and the other half collecting footage from interviews with various pupils. Watching the children’s confidence blossom during the interviews in such a short space of time was a personal highlight for Mrs Bailey, who felt it important to give each student a voice.
Mrs Bailey was pleased to have received such positive feedback about the videos from the rest of the community, with parents commenting that exploring the schools through the voices of its pupils made them feel like a valuable part of the community. She highlights the value that prospectus videos can add to other schools, with the footage becoming a valuable asset that both parents and carers can revisit as often as they’d like.
You can read Gina Bailey’s article about the value of school prospectus videos on The Headteacher website.