It is one of our priorities to get the best intelligence to our members as quickly as possible. We believe this information is crucial to your business and the whole sector, and it is part of our role to help you succeed.
But what do you actually do with the information? We’re talking to members to find out, and sharing their tips. We’d love to hear what you do too!
How to use English UK statistics
We spoke to Patrick Murphy, director of BLS English to find out how he uses our annual student statistics and quarterly data to inform his organisation and influence decisions. BLS English is in the Suffolk market town of Bury St Edmunds, which the school says is particularly brilliant for juniors. It also offers adult courses and uniquely, a course about the history of classic British cars.
BLS English is a member of the English UK QUIC quarterly statistics scheme. QUIC produces reports every quarter representing data from English UK members that are subscribed to the scheme.
What do you do with English UK statistics when they arrive?
“I use QUIC in a number of ways. Firstly, I am able to compare how BLS has done versus the UK as a whole in the most recent quarter. I find it a very useful benchmarking tool. For example, if one has grown by 4% year-on-year, this appears good. However, if this is against the background of the UK as a whole growing by 8%, then this puts a different gloss on things and one might need to take action.
"Secondly, I use the stats to analyse changes in market share.
"Thirdly, they’re very useful when looking for new opportunities. The QUIC student statistics are broken down into subsections - long stay, short stay, adults, juniors, groups, individuals…very useful information for targeting one’s recruitment efforts."
How else do you use the English UK statistics?
“Let’s take juniors - that’s our main market. It’s clear from QUIC that more and more schools are entering the junior market, which means that there’s increased competition; that’s an indicator one needs to be aware of. As a school owner, I believe it is good idea to get a helicopter view of the situation and try to keep abreast of trends and developments."
What do you do with the annual English UK student statistics report?
“It is always good to look at, and it includes more members; However, it’s a year before you get the report and in the present climate things change quickly. Looking at the most recent annual stats, one country showed real growth, but the latest QUIC stats showed that there had been a serious deterioration since then. QUIC is more up to date."
How else does QUIC help you?
“The thing about QUIC is that it is quick – you get it a few weeks after the end of the quarter and make the most of the information."
How do you make marketing decisions based on the statistics?
"One can make decisions on whether or not to spend funds/travel to a workshop in a particular country based on the number of actual student weeks that come from the region."
Would you advise other centres to use the statistics more?
"Yes, definitely. QUIC provides us with invaluable up-to-date market intelligence."
English UK members can join QUIC at the beginning of each year to receive timely in-depth reports that can help identify market trends and opportunities, ensuring time-critical business decisions are based on robust data to help UK ELT thrive.
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