| The Q Factor - and excellent example in PR |
| Tuesday, 10 January 2012 07:36 |
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Schools are not the natural place for professionals to discover a best case study in PR but I recently had the absolute pleasure of stumbling across one in that usually most uncomfortable place - the school Christmas Show. I know we are now into the New Year but I think the lessons (no pun intended) are there to be learnt by everyone - not just those in academia. One of my girls goes to Quarrydale Comprehensive School in Sutton in Ashfield, and so when she ended up dancing in the end of term show we simply had to attend. Instead of the usual Christmas panto or musical performance the school puts on week The Q Factor, it's very own version of The X Factor, except with far more positivity and no bitching. For the first time in my life I came away from a school feeling jealousy; jealous that I was not a student attending that school. The Q Factor combines a singing talent competition among the students and a fantastically hilarious and entertaining set of performances on stage by some of the less talented teachers. I sat delighted as students of all ages took the stage and gave confident performances. The total support for each other was wonderful to see, as was the commitment of the staff to encouraging the students. Hours had obviously been spent preparing sets, costumes and lighting for the two sell out nights, with over 700 people paying to watch great entertainment - I laughed and cried in equal amount.
However, what really hit me was the tangible buzz among the students and staff, the respect for each other they so obviously had and the determination they shared in celebrating each others' abilities. I can only imagine the positive impact Q Factor must have on the whole school and its connected communities. Everyone involved with Q Factor should be incredibly proud of what they have achieved; it really is something many schools could learn from as an example of how to inspire students, staff and parents. But more than that, any organisation that wants to bring about change in its people, alter its own public reputation and use real public relations to great effect would do well to take note - you don't need a huge budget to be successful, you simply need to focus on the people that really matter to your organisation and engage fully with them for fantastic results. If you can think of a better example of PR in education please share it with us by adding a link or commenting yourself.
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