Fieldnotes.

Jacob’s fortnightly email: reflections on school marketing, communications, experience and storytelling. Join over 100 others.

What’s inside.

What Jacob has been working on over the last fortnight: projects with schools, new tools, and the people he’s been working with.

The main piece: an idea about story, language, perception or how families experience a school.

An article or case study worth your time, and a free tool to try with your team.

“The loudest stories (often the negative ones) tend to win, and over time, those loud stories converge and give rise to a generalised ‘perception’ of your school.”

What does your community really think? Is it fair?October 2026
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“They sit at the intersection of what a school says and what a school is. They see the gaps.”

The storytellers are already in the buildingMay 2026
“Language doesn’t need to be invented for a school. It needs to be excavated from one.”

The best line in your school’s messaging? You probably didn’t write it.March 2026
“Differentiation says “here’s why we’re better.” Distinctiveness says “here’s who we are, clearly enough that you can decide whether you belong here.””

Why schools don’t need to be uniqueMay 2026
“Nobody is sitting down to write confusing communication on purpose. Yet somehow, parents end up feeling like outsiders in their own child’s education.”

There’s something strange in your parent handbook…April 2026
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Jun 2026: AI, photos, and your student’s privacy Moving beyond social media’s limits and opening better dialogue about school photography and image misuse.
Mar 2026: Three types of schools. Which one are you? You’ll probably know straight away.
Mar 2026: Something I’ve been building. Introducing the Experience Builder™ A new partnership with Yellow Car.