How A Playground Can Boost Your MAT's Branding!

In today’s increasingly competitive educational marketplace, building a strong brand is imperative for Multi-Academy Trusts.

Established or newly formed, looking to take on new schools, striving to recruit and retain high quality staff and to attract students and families as a Multi Academy Trust of choice - good branding showcases all the qualities and strength of your MAT.

It’s a first-face look through the window, helping prospective pupils and parents to connect, to identify schools within your trust and importantly, to understand your trust’s ethos and core values.

A strong and consistent brand will positively impact how a Multi Academy Trust is seen by families and by the educational community as a whole - a powerful tool to help you stand out from the crowd and create a lasting impression.

Building a Strong Brand

A good brand is very much more than just a logo, a motto or a mission-statement. Of course they all have their place - but they don’t provide the entire ‘substance’. 

Multi Academy Trusts know all too well that it’s not enough to simply tell a community what they strive for, why another Academy should join forces, why pupils should attend or why educators should consider them as an employer.

Yes there are league tables to look at, but the proof is in the pudding so to speak. It needs to be visible, demonstrated - people need to see it and feel it for themselves.

There are a number of key elements to take into account in most branding processes. When establishing a Multi Academy Trust brand, typically the following come into play:

• Core values
• Educational program
• Logo
• School uniform
• Website design and content
• Prospectus
• Signage/Art
• Building design/decor/equipment/facilities
• Photography/Videos
• Social Media

And while not all of these are about branding in the first instance - but rather the essential day to day running of a school and how the curriculum is delivered - it is important to the success of a Multi Academy Trust that their brand comes shining through in each of them.

The Brand Power of Playground Schemes

Multi Academy Trusts are a group of aligned educational academies that come together to form a trust, sharing knowledge and expertise and striving for better outcomes. Their approach to outdoor learning and play, especially at EYFS, KS1, and KS2, and the way it’s delivered, can be hugely impactful in achieving that alignment as between schools within the trust.

And with that alignment comes a great opportunity, with a clear and consistent approach across each school, to demonstrate the very best of a Multi Academy Trust’s brand.

The best playgrounds can be used not only to deliver an outstanding outdoor learning curriculum across all of your MAT academies - but also to beautifully reflect, showcase, demonstrate a Multi Academy Trust’s brand in each and every one of the key elements of MAT branding, as highlighted above. 

Consider - what do families look for when it comes to choosing a good school for their child?

What sets your MAT apart from the rest? What is your Unique Selling Point and what makes your MAT one of a kind?

Since the global pandemic, people are all too aware of the importance of spending time outdoors and the positive impact that this can have on a child’s learning, development and wellbeing.

It is well-known that schools can see a boost in their attendance records when their pupils have great spaces to play. Spaces that encourage good behavior, positive social development and interactions.

At the same time, good quality outdoor play facilities bring plenty of scope for supporting teachers as they deliver lesson plans, improving learning, staff retention, and helping individuals to thrive in an inclusive environment.

Outdoor play, outdoor learning and sports opportunities are right up there on the hit-list of what families want for their children. Good playground facilities are a sure-fire way to capture their attention and to attract pupil numbers, and this should be reflected in a MAT’s branding.

Consider - due diligence led by schools looking to join forces

Also consider due diligence led by schools looking to join forces as Multi Academy Trusts. They will want to know what the existing facilities are like at potential trust partner schools, and where further spend may be needed. The outdoor learning environment is a significant consideration when seeking to attract like-minded academies to join a trust community.

MATs looking to build up their reputation with a strong brand and growth strategy can do well by demonstrating, across all of their media, exactly how they use their outdoor spaces to deliver all of the above.

How Pentagon Can Help Boost Your MAT Brand in the Playground

Are your outdoor learning and playground facilities up to standard and consistent with/reflective of your Multi Academy Trust brand?

This is where we come in!

Pentagon are the UK’s number one school playground specialist. We work with a large number of Multi Academy Trusts up and down the country, delivering outstanding outdoor learning, play and sports solutions across their academies that align sympathetically with their branding.

Our depth of experience spans over 25 years working within the education sector and with some of the UK’s largest Multi Academy Trusts.

As a recognised, trusted brand ourselves, we understand exactly the importance of clear and consistent branding for Multi Academy Trusts.

We bring our own unique experience and knowledge to the table - along with our unparalleled expertise in designing, crafting, and installing outstanding playground facilities - to assist Multi Academy Trusts in achieving exactly what they want from their outdoor environments, within their brand umbrella.

Our Project Management Services

Every Multi Academy Trust that works with us receives the benefit of our project management service. We allocate one of our dedicated Outdoor Learning Project Managers to work with your team - each one an experienced playground designer with a keen eye for aesthetics.

We work with you to understand your specific outdoor learning needs for each school within your Multi Academy Trust.

We will prepare designs and 3D visualisations along with a comprehensive overview of your project(s) and written quotations. We can help you to articulate your true brand value through your outdoor learning environment, guiding you towards continuity of branding and taking into account each academy’s individual needs and the scope of your budget.

Our Design Capabilities

We have an enormous range of outdoor learning products and equipment for schools and nurseries to choose from - all cleverly designed and perfectly crafted in-house.

But we’ve never been just an off-the-shelf company.

We recognise that every school is different - and this is key to branding for different Multi Academy Trusts - and so we like to cater to our customers’ specific needs with our bespoke design and install capabilities.

Our Quality Products and School Playground Equipment

Perhaps you would like to incorporate brand colours or signage in your playground surfacing - or you would like nature and gardening to feature heavily in your outdoor environment to reflect your MAT’s ethos?

Do you want to foster an environment of imaginative play, creative exploration with a focus on STEAM learning across your academies, or to encourage outdoor readers, active climbers or musical maestros in keeping with your professional reputation? Is access to outdoor classrooms part of your trusts's appeal?

There are far too many options and alternatives for us to talk to you about here - but we’re only ever a telephone call away from answering any questions you may have!

Showcasing Your Brand

A well-designed playground can be a huge asset when it comes to showcasing your MAT’s capabilities and clearly visualising your Multi Academy Trust brand - enhancing your credibility and reputation in the education landscape. But as we said earlier - it’s about more than just telling you about how we can assist trusts with their brand identity - the proof is in the pudding!

Boost Your Branding With An Innovative Playground Today!

Take a closer look at some of the wonderful Multi Academy Trusts we have worked with, and see what they have to say about us too.