Schools already know curriculum change is coming. What they’re deciding now is what’s worth their investment.

Budgets are tight, staff are stretched, and demand for SEND and inclusion support continues to rise. With budgets under increasing pressure from rising costs, school leaders are having to justify every pound they spend – often with little time or capacity to spare.

In practice, that means schools are gravitating towards solutions that feel practical, straightforward and low risk to implement. While many suppliers are heavily focused on reform messaging, most schools are still focused on navigating everyday challenges.

Schools are not short of options – what they’re short of is time, clarity and confidence in what will genuinely help, which means suppliers need to make their value obvious quickly.

That could mean using short case studies with clear outcomes, showing how another school solved a similar challenge, or simply being clearer about what makes the offer different. Generic claims rarely cut through. Specific examples usually do.

The 30-Second School Test

Could a busy school leader quickly understand:

• what you do?
• why it matters?
• how it helps staff?
• whether it is worth the spend?

If not, your messaging may already be losing attention.

Research from Nielsen Norman Group shows people tend to scan online content rather than read every word in detail. Clear language helps people understand faster, reduces misunderstandings, and builds trust – especially when stressed or unfamiliar.

Why Strong Solutions Still Get Overlooked

Many education suppliers assume schools are making decisions mainly based on curriculum alignment or innovation. Schools tend to evaluate opportunities in a much more straightforward way:

• Will this create more workload?
• How quickly can staff use it?
• Can we justify this internally?
• Is implementation realistic?
• Will staff feel confident using it?

If those answers are unclear, even strong products can struggle to gain traction.

What Schools Actually Respond To

Instead of leading with reform, focus on outcomes schools care about now – especially those with immediate, visible value.

❌ Supports curriculum reform
✅ Helps departments refresh plans without adding workload

❌ Future-ready learning
✅ Builds practical skills pupils can use now

❌ Innovative curriculum-aligned platform
✅ Resources teachers can start using immediately

❌ Enhancing curriculum delivery
✅ Makes lessons easier to plan and deliver

❌ Contact us for pricing and funding options
✅ Clear pricing and guidance on relevant budget or funding routes

❌ Helps schools prepare for Ofsted
✅ Provides practical resources and evidence that support schools in demonstrating good practice during inspections

Schools don’t just respond to solutions that are easy to understand – they also respond to suppliers who make them easy to buy. Helping schools understand implementation, costs and the most appropriate budget or funding route removes uncertainty and makes it easier for busy decision-makers to take the next step.

Different School Buyers Need Different Messaging

School purchasing decisions rarely sit with one person. Senior leaders, subject leads, MAT leaders and business managers all assess suppliers differently.

• Senior Leaders: need to quickly justify value and prioritise spend.
• Subject Leads: need confidence it will genuinely support teaching.
• MAT Leaders: need confidence the solution can be implemented consistently across multiple schools and justify investment at trust level.
• Business Managers: need reassurance around value, implementation and how the purchase could be funded within existing budgets.

The suppliers who communicate most effectively are often the ones who adapt messaging to different audiences rather than relying on one generic message for everyone. Reaching the right schools and decision-makers is just as important as refining the message itself. Different schools and trusts are managing different pressures depending on factors such as SEND demand, staffing and funding, which means targeting and data quality matter too.

Accurate profiling, purchasing insight and role-specific contact data can make it much easier to tailor outreach to the schools and audiences most likely to engage. Tools such as Blueberry’s Education Data Hub can also help suppliers identify relevant schools, trusts and decision-makers more effectively.

Between Now and 2028

With the curriculum framework still evolving, many schools are prioritising solutions that deliver value now while remaining adaptable over time. Decision-making remains closely tied to current operational pressures rather than future reform messaging alone.

In a crowded market, the suppliers most likely to stand out are those who communicate clearly, make implementation feel straightforward and remove unnecessary friction from the buying process. Helping schools understand not only the educational value, but also how a purchase can be justified and funded, makes it far easier for decision-makers to say yes.

At Blueberry, we help education suppliers sharpen their messaging, improve targeting and start more meaningful conversations with schools. That includes helping suppliers position their offer in a way that reflects how schools actually buy, making it easier for decision-makers to see both the educational value and the commercial case for investing.

If you’d like a second opinion on how your messaging is landing with schools, we are always happy to take a look.

Call +44 (0)113 487 7013 or email info@blueberryms.co.uk

©2026 Angela Kunawicz & Blueberry Marketing Solutions. All rights reserved.

References:

• Institute for Fiscal Studies – Annual Report on Education Spending in England 2025–26
• UK Department for Education – What you need to know about the changes to the national curriculum
• The Guardian – Half of England’s state secondaries forced to cut staff in budget squeeze, poll finds
• Education Support – Teacher Wellbeing Index
• Nielsen Norman Group – How Users Read on the Web