Somerhill, near Tonbridge in Kent, is an independent day school for girls and boys from age 2 to 13 with close to 600 pupils.
The background
Based on their experiences of crises at former schools, the Headmaster and Bursar of Somerhill realised that the school’s crisis communications plan needed to be reviewed and updated. They commissioned Crisis Communications Audits to carry out this task.
Just as Crisis Communications Audits was about to carry out the review, the school experienced an unexpected incident which highlighted gaps in the school’s preparedness, particularly for communicating with parents and handling incoming press enquiries.
The solution
- Crisis Communications Audits carried out a full day review, interviewing staff who are responsible for communicating with each of the school’s audiences or for managing all the school’s communications channels and databases.
- A 20 page comprehensive report was presented highlighting the strengths, weaknesses and needs of the school’s Crisis Communications Plan.
- The Headmaster and Bursar subsequently asked Crisis Communications Audits to develop a new Crisis Communications Plan for the school.
- Workshops were carried out with the communications team and the senior leadership team to enable them to contribute to the new crisis communications plan and ensure that they understood their roles.
- An extensive new plan and manual were produced and are now an integral part of the school’s planning.
The outcome
“Dominic and Chris quickly understood the school and its needs and carried out a well-structured, thorough audit before producing a clear, incisive report. Their workshops were very engaging and hands-on, giving the teams a good understanding of their roles. They have now produced a superb, highly practical comprehensive plan and manual so that we are now thoroughly equipped to handle any future crisis as best we can.”
Julian Hunt, Bursar
“The Crisis Communications Audits team are highly professional experts in their specialism, easy to work with and provide a vital service. They are best-in-class. I whole heartedly recommend them - I already have to heads of other schools!”
Duncan Sinclair, Headmaster of Somerhill