Academic standards remain a central consideration for families choosing a school, but our research has identified a significant shift in the weight parents give to atmosphere. More than 90% now rate it as important in their decision-making and we consistently see it emerge as their leading priority.
Atmosphere can sound too subjective to examine with any precision. Yet when parents describe the experiences behind it, they provide detailed evidence about the relationships, behaviours and interactions through which they judge a school. Their responses also show how closely atmosphere is connected to admissions.
Parents look for evidence that their child will be known
One parent described the contact they received shortly after making an application:
“The Head of Learning Support reached out as soon as we applied to discuss my daughter’s requirements, and she had clearly looked carefully at the report, and it felt that she already knew our daughter before she even met her. This really reassured us.”
The detailed preparation gave this parent confidence that the school was interested in their daughter as an individual. It also provided tangible evidence for qualities that many schools claim, including personal attention and strong pastoral support. Rather than being communicated through marketing copy, those qualities were demonstrated through the admissions experience.
Another parent described communication that appeared to respond to the circumstances of each family:
“I’m quite impressed so far with the communication that we’ve been receiving. They seem to know what to tailor for each parent and each child, because I’ve also seen them talking to others and the conversation changes with the family and the child.”
Neither parent uses the word atmosphere. Both are helping to explain what it means. Across our research, parents describe whether staff appear genuinely interested in their child, whether conversations feel personal and whether the school’s stated values are reflected in the way people behave. They observe pupil interactions and the relationships between pupils and adults. They notice the quality of the welcome and whether their questions receive thoughtful answers.
Atmosphere becomes a way of assessing the culture their child is likely to experience. For prospective families with only limited exposure to the school, each admissions interaction provides evidence from which that wider judgement is formed.
The admissions process is part of the school experience
Schools sometimes treat atmosphere as something families encounter predominantly during a visit or open day. Our research suggests that parents start forming an impression much earlier. The tone of an initial response and the quality of information provided can shape expectations before a family arrives. Later interactions either confirm that first impression or cause parents to question it.
This connects atmosphere directly to conversion. Parents may be attracted by the school’s reputation, results or facilities but their confidence develops through experience. A child who is welcomed warmly during an assessment day receives a signal about belonging. A parent whose circumstances are understood receives a signal about the quality of relationships. Where communication feels generic or an individual need is overlooked, families may question whether the school will deliver the personal attention it promises.
Schools with similar results, facilities and fee levels can therefore experience very different levels of demand. Families are not comparing provision alone. They are using the admissions process to picture what life at each school might feel like for their child.
Small details can carry considerable meaning
Children contribute strongly to that assessment. One parent recalled the effect of an assessment day on their son:
“I remember when my son went in for his assessment, they had amazing food, they got a water bottle. He left on a massive high – just the little touches made quite an impact on him and his views.”
The food and water bottle were memorable because of the experience around them. The child left feeling welcomed and positive about the school and his response became part of the family’s decision. An assessment event may be designed primarily to allow the school to evaluate a child, but the child is evaluating the school at the same time.
Positive impressions can also be undermined late in the process. Reflecting on an offer holder event, another parent said:
“To have an offer holder day where people are already cliquey in their own little groups and gangs and already being disrespectful to the teachers is a huge red sign.”
This family already held an offer, yet the event prompted fresh questions about behaviour, relationships and belonging. What the parent observed carried greater weight than any formal description of the school’s culture because it appeared to show that culture in practice.
Families do not experience admissions, marketing, pupil behaviour and pastoral care as separate functions. They experience one school. The welcome at reception, the interactions observed during a tour and the way the child is included in a conversation all contribute to a single impression.
Research gives greater precision to an apparently subjective idea
Simply knowing that parents value atmosphere does not give a school enough information to act. The useful insight lies in understanding which aspects of the experience influence families’ perceptions and whether those perceptions support the school’s intended positioning.
Research can reveal that different groups interpret the same school in different ways. Current parents may describe a warm and supportive community while prospective families perceive the school as formal or difficult to access. Families may value strengths that receive limited attention in the school’s communications or question claims that leaders believe to be well established.
Direct research also distinguishes between personal preference and a recurring pattern. An isolated comment should not drive strategic change. When similar observations arise repeatedly across survey data and interviews they provide evidence that an aspect of the school’s culture or admissions experience deserves closer attention.
For admissions and marketing leaders, the aim is not to manufacture atmosphere. It is to understand how it is being experienced and ensure that the process gives families an authentic view of the school. Where there is a gap between the intended promise and the experience of prospective families, research can identify where that gap is opening and what may be causing it.
Do you know what families experience behind your admissions figures?
RSAcademics’ research with current parents, recent joiners, prospective families and non-joiners explores how a school is perceived and how those perceptions influence choice. We identify the aspects of culture and experience that strengthen confidence as well as the points at which the school’s intended message may not be landing.