Schools Crisis and Issues Management

In our experience of managing issues and crises communications in independent schools, the following are the top crisis fears that keep school leaders awake at night:

• Sexual abuse scandals
• Traditional and social media campaigns by disgruntled parents
• Bullying and cyberbullying: sometimes leading to extreme consequences such as self-harm or suicide
• Substance abuse issues: Instances of drug and alcohol abuse
• Staff retention and performance
• Declining enrolment numbers
• Leadership challenges and complaints
• Student wellbeing and safety – Death or injury to students on excursion or camp
• Financial mismanagement

However, each school has its own unique concerns. Communication & Media Manoeuvres works with you to create a school crisis communications management plan and to prepare you and your executive team for managing media, school community and external stakeholder communications in a crisis or a high-level issue when it happens.

We provide:

• Crisis Planning – a crisis communications plan, including templates for media and school community communications
• Crisis Communication Training – leadership spokesperson training for addressing media and school community members
• Crisis Communications Management – in a high-level issue or crisis, time is of the essence. If a school does not communicate quickly with the right messages, the school’s reputation can be crucified and spiral out of control. We stand beside leadership and communications staff with the right strategy and communications -including dealing with the media and media statements to keep you and your school ‘safe’.

Managing communications in high-level issues and crisis situations is a crucial specialist skill that most schools do not have internally.

Communications & Media Manoeuvres’ expert crisis communications advisors and former journalists have over 15 years of successful experience in schools’ issues and crisis management communications, for dozens of independent schools in Australia. We have seen it all!

We identify the most likely risks that your school faces and together we minimise risk, increase compliance and support your team’s communications response capability. 

The schools Communication & Media Manoeuvres works with are ready to manage a crisis or high-level issue, whenever it may hit.