There’s a slight chill in the wind, the leaves are beginning to brown, and the aromas of pumpkin-spiced beverages are wafting from coffee shops. September’s in full swing, and the autumnal vibes are well and truly here.

Between now and the half-term holidays, schools are a hive of activity as students and teachers get to know one another, finding their way with their new schedules, all in time for the regular flow of learning activities to unfold.

Amid the hubbub of school corridors, we’re here to signpost the events and occasions that are rising to the top of each school’s to-do list.

No matter the speciality of your education business, you’ll find inspirational events to leverage your next marketing campaign upon in our 23 Education Marketing Campaign Hotspots below.

Plus, read right to the end to discover how you can get access to our live Education Calendars and our Education News Bulletins on our platform Campus.

Right, let’s jump in!

School holidays

The first question many education businesses have (as well as many students!), is ‘When are the holidays?’. Of course, this makes sense as teachers on holiday are less likely to check their emails than when they are in ‘work mode’. Here are the upcoming holidays in each part of the UK:

England Autumn Half Term - 23rd-27th October.

Northern Ireland Halloween - 30th-31st October.

Scotland Autumn Half Term Scotland - 22nd-25th September. October Holiday - 16-20th October.

Wales Autumn Half Term - 30th October to 3rd November.

It’s worth noting that these dates can vary as there are regional variations, and not all schools follow the dates designated by local education authorities. If there’s a particular school you wish to target, check their official website.

Funding releases

Throughout the year schools will receive funding from the government. Targeting these funding releases in your marketing to schools, especially if you reference knowledge of how to access a specific fund, is a highly effective means of engaging education budget holders.

Pupil Premium
State-maintained schools receive their second of four Pupil Premium payments on the 30th of September, with Academies and Free Schools waiting until the 10th of October.

PE and Sports Premium
The majority of these funds, seven-twelfths of it, will be provided to schools throughout October.

Condition Improvement Fund (CIF)
CIF targets urgent building repairs, but this year, the funding process will be more closely followed in news media. Recent crumbly concrete issues around buildings made from RAAC have shone a light on the government, especially as some schools that were unsuccessful in previous rounds of CIF funding have had to close classrooms, and in some cases, whole buildings. October will see the release of information on how schools can apply for the next round of funding.

School events

School doors will be swinging open as schools welcome the families of prospective students to open days and current families to parents' evenings.

Secondary school open days
Secondary schools kick things off from mid-September to mid-October, showcasing the full range of subjects and facilities they have to offer.

Primary school open days
Families can make that all-important decision about which Primary school to apply to as open days will take place until the end of November.

First Parents’ Evenings
The majority of schools will hold their first parents' evenings from the first full week of October until the start of November. Between the 2nd of October and around the 3rd of November.

University open days
Universities tend to spread their open days out from the end of September right through until the end of November, with Saturday being the most popular day of the week, as potential students fit trips in alongside their school commitments.

Harvest Festival
A popular fixture that tends to take place between mid-September and late October. Harvest Festival is an especially popular event in Primary Schools, as parents are invited to attend themed assemblies and local communities collaborate with schools to provide food parcels for care homes. This is a significant opportunity for arts and crafts resource providers, charities, and student workshop organisers to engage schools as they mark the occasion.

Exams and tuition

As you might expect, the start of the school year is not when many traditional exams take place. However, there are a couple of exceptions.

Reception Baseline Data
Primary schools are required to conduct reception baseline data assessments, with the cut-off period coming in mid-October.

International A-Levels
Students sitting International exams may need support with the Pearson Edexcel International Advanced Levels happening in October.

Themed campaigns

We’ve collated some of the stronger themes coming up that you could target a marketing campaign around. Just a handful of events are shared below, but if you want to know about everything that’s going on, our live Education Calendars on Campus are the place to go.

Wellbeing and awareness

• The Body Walk for Vascular Awareness Month - 1st-30th September.
• Cycle to School week - 25th-29th September.
• ADHD Awareness Month - 1st-31st October.
• Dyslexia Awareness Week - 2nd-8th October.

Literacy, arts, and creativity

• The Big Draw Festival - 1st-31st October.
• National Poetry Day - 5th October.
• Halloween - 31st October.

Trips and travel

• School Music Tours - 4th September - 31st October.
• School Trips - until the end of October.
• Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme expeditions - until the end of October.

Culture and Humanities

• The UN International Day of Peace - 21st September.
• Black History Month - 1st-31st October.
• World Habitat Day - 2nd October.

Careers and skills

• National Coding Week - 18th-24th September.
• National Apprenticeship Show - 26th-27th September.
• Colleges Week - 9th-20th October.

Teachers and professional development

• Rethinking Ed Conference - 23rd September.
• World Teachers' Day - 5th October.
• The National Education Show - 6th October.

Sporting events

• The Men’s Rugby Union World Cup - 8th September - 28th October.
• The Asian Games - 23rd September - 8th October.
• The Paris Masters - 28th October - 5th November.

Current affairs

Keeping up with what’s on top is best achieved by watching our Education News Bulletins, available to Campus users, with pressing stories covered in detail. Of course, there are some events we know about already that will be on teachers’ minds:

Industrial action
Teachers accepted a pay deal earlier in July 2023, but in September, members of the NASUWT will be carrying out industrial action focusing on issues around workload. This doesn’t just mean strikes, but also that some teachers will be declining to complete work activities outside of certain hours, which will impact some school activities such as extra-curricular clubs.

Party conference season
Beginning at the end of September with the Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference, all of the major UK parties have conferences scheduled throughout October, ending with the Scottish National Party Conference in mid-October. It’s worth being aware of what education issues are rising to the surface during these conferences, as significant developments will be discussed in staffrooms up and down the country.

Time to act

That concludes our rundown of education marketing hotspots coming up before the autumn half-term break. To feel the impact of education intelligence in your education marketing campaigns, take advantage of what Sprint Education has to offer, all through our industry-changing edu-marketing platform Campus.

Education Calendars
With live updates for the UK and for International Schools, soon to be joined by our US calendar, you can be sure not to miss a thing. Each calendar is divided into categories from School Events to Exams, Wellbeing/Safeguarding to Education Exhibitions - here, you’ll find the events most relevant to you at the click of a button.

To get a taste of just some of the education dates you'll be able to access on our live calendars, download our free UK Academic Year desktop calendar.

Education News Bulletin
Keep ahead of the stories that matter. Our Education News is hosted by an experienced former teacher, Ben Sawyer, and focuses only on the news that impacts edu-businesses and their target audience. Accessed exclusively on our new Resources module for Campus, it sits alongside a wealth of education-focused reports designed to help you master the market.

To discover all that Campus has to offer as THE one-stop shop for businesses that market to schools, contact our team today to arrange a demo of our revolutionary platform that’s evolving education marketing.

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