The nights are drawing in, the last leaves litter the ground, crunching underfoot, and the crackle of fireworks punctuates the evening skies. November and December bring the festivities of early winter to life!

Between the autumn half-term and the Christmas holidays, plenty is sparking to life in schools too. From students revising for mock exams to the cacophony of Christmas play rehearsals and nativity plays, schools are abuzz during this hectic holiday season!

No matter the speciality of your education business, you’ll find plenty of events to inspire your next marketing campaign with our 20 Education Marketing Hotspots for November and December.

Read right to the end to discover how you can gain access to our live Education Calendars and so much more, via our industry-leading education marketing platform - Campus.

School Holidays

From Bonfire Night to Christmas, the latter months of the year are full of festivities to wrap up warm for. But when will most schools be closing their doors? Knowing when teachers are in is a great starting place, as it means you can plan your strategies around when most educators will be in ‘work mode’, and therefore more receptive to your messages.

England
Christmas Holidays - 22nd December to 5th January.

Northern Ireland
Christmas Holidays - 22nd December to 2nd January.

Scotland
St. Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday - 30th November.
Christmas Holidays - 25th December to 5th January.

Wales
Christmas Holidays - 25th December to 5th January.

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

Funding releases

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

PE and Sports Premium
While maintained schools received the majority of their PE and Sports Premium in October, November sees the turn of Academies, Free Schools, City Technology Colleges, and non-maintained schools, which will receive seven-twelfths of this funding allocation.

Condition Improvement Fund (CIF)
CIF targets urgent building repairs, but this year, the funding process will be more closely followed in news media due to issues around the crumbling concrete known as RAAC. The 1st of December is the deadline for schools to register their application for CIF funding, with applications due by the 7th of December.

Pupil Premium - Maintained Schools
Local authorities will receive the third of four instalments of Pupil Premium funding at the end of December.

National Tutoring Programme (NTP)
The NTP provides schools with funding to spend on tutoring students and was launched to help with learning gaps when schools returned post-lockdowns. Maintained schools will receive their second of three instalments at the end of December.

School events

The familiar theme of open days continues into November, but what makes this time of year distinct is the festive season.

School open days
While most secondary schools will have completed their open-day season, some will hold events in early November. Primary schools are far more likely to hold open days up until the end of November.

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

Christmas concert season
December sees the arrival of Christmas concerts, nativity plays, carol services, and in some schools, Christmas fêtes too. Now is the time to approach schools about any final resources, services, or facilities support you can provide for such events.

Exams and tuition

11+ Entrance Exams
For Independent Fee-Paying Schools, the 11+ exam period is quite long, as they are not required to synchronise their results around a national deadline. November is when many schools get started, with the 11+ exam period going all the way through until the end of January at some schools.

Mock exams
Ofqual guidance is that schools hold one ‘mock exam’ for students to complete as preparation for the summer exams. While schools have the freedom to choose when to hold mock exams, the December to January period is the most popular.

Themed campaigns

We’ve collated below some of the strongest themes for the run-up to Christmas so that you can time your education marketing campaign around the most relevant events. Just a handful of dates 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
Remembrance Day - 11th November.
Anti-Bullying Week - 13th-17th November.
Road Safety Week - 20th-25th November.

Literature and history
Children’s Book Week - 6th-12th November.
World Nursery Rhyme Week - 13th-17th November.
Disability History Month - 16th November to 16th December.

Festivities
Guy Fawkes Night - 5th November.
Diwali Festival of Lights - 10th-12th November.
Thanksgiving - 23rd November.

Humanity and helping
World Kindness Day - 13th November.
BBC Children in Need - 17th November.
Human Rights Day - 10th December.

Environmental action
Switch Off Fortnight - 13th-24th November.
National Tree Week - 25th November to 3rd December.
COP 28 - 30th November to 12th December.

STEM
Tomorrow’s Engineers Week - 6th-10th November.
World Science Day for Peace and Development - 10th November.
Maths Week England - 13th-18th November.

Education conferences
Education Forum - 13-14th November.
Schools & Academies Show - 22nd November.
ISBL National Conference - 23rd-24th November.

Time to act

That concludes our rundown of education marketing hotspots coming up before the Christmas holidays. 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 education marketing platform, Campus.

Education Calendars
With live updates for the UK and 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 free UK Academic Year desktop calendar.

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

Start planning ahead today

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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