Mayesbrook Park School

The brief

The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Alternative Provision was in a challenging situation having been judged as Requires Improvement. They hired Communitas  to create a new brand, website and information booklet that would bring together three separate schools under one identity and one ethos as part of wider work to build a positive reputation for the AP and work on from the Ofsted judgement. A key objective was to reassure parents and other stakeholders of the true nature and value of an AP education whether as a permanent move, or as a stepping stone back to mainstream. 

Our response

We designed research to get the views of parents, students and staff which revealed some confusion around the educational offering at each site, as well as negative perception around the curriculum and behaviour. 

We worked with the senior leadership team to develop a strategy which consisted of an over-arching brand and the naming of three campuses within it. We involved stakeholders, including governors, the Local Authority and referring schools, in a branding consultation. We then prepared a plan for the roll out of the new identity and created all deliverables, from signage to stationery. 

We then worked with staff from across the three campuses to develop a website strategy to ensure that our website design and content addressed concerns and aspirations of parents and students, and met all the requirements of Ofsted. 

Our work also included writing, designing and printing a general information booklet to be used as part of staff recruitment. We continue to work with the Executive Head providing content ideas for their website and social media.

The new brand has been well received by the Local Authority, parents and other education professionals. Parents report that it has provided clear, transparent information that has reassured them and given them confidence in the provision. Mayesbrook has subsequently been judged Good by Ofsted.