110 | School Reputation: Insights from Stephen Holmes, Founder of The 5Rs Partners

In this episode of the Ed Leaders podcast, Luke Callier and Mathew Irving sit down with Stephen Holmes, founder of The 5Rs Partnership, a global strategy consultancy for schools and universities. Stephen brings his wealth of experience—from navigating the quirks of school leadership to redefining reputation management in education. They discuss why schools need to stop being "vanilla," the secret sauce behind building reputation, and how facilities alone won't win the hearts of discerning parents. Stephen offers practical insights into strategic planning, aligning school culture with long-term goals, and managing the ever-evolving expectations of today’s "investor-like" parents. Tune in for a no-nonsense conversation packed with real-world advice and a side of wit that will leave school leaders thinking differently about their approach to reputation and strategy. Highlights: The three pillars schools must manage to shape perceptions. Why schools must define themselves to attract the right families. The importance of linking infrastructure to educational intent. How the “shopping mall mentality” has changed the parent-school relationship. Why bold, narrow focus beats being “exceptional at 50 things.” Stephen’s bold prediction for the next decade in education. You can also connect with us personally at LinkedIn: Luke Callier - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ljcallier/⁠ Mathew Irving - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathew-irving-b6b91430/  Guest Links: Website: https://5rspartnership.com/  Special thanks to our partners: People Bench - https://peoplebench.com.au/ Paperly - https://paperly.education/ Head on over to edleaders.com.au to hear more about our journey. If you'd like to know more about being a guest or would like to sponsor our show - check out https://www.edleaders.com.au/collabs As always if you have questions, feedback, or a suggestion from a leader you'd like to hear from - send us a message! Please remember if you have a spare minute, please leave us a review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player which will help more like-minded school leaders discover us. Go Well.

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