From Idea to Inbox – 5 Steps to Confidently Market Your Activity Programme to Schools or Nurseries

If you’ve been wondering how to market to schools with your children’s activity or wellbeing programme, you’re not alone. Many providers dream of expanding their businesses into schools and nurseries, but get stuck wondering:

• “Do schools even want what I offer?”
  
  
• “What if they don’t have the budget?”
  
  
• “How do I even start school or nursery outreach?”
  
  

The truth is, schools do want what you provide but successful outreach requires confidence, clarity, and a strategy.

That’s where the IDEA TO INBOX process comes in… a simple, 5-step framework designed to help you move from a vague idea to confident school outreach that actually gets results.

Here’s how to get into schools as a children’s activity provider in five clear steps.

Step 1: Recognise That Schools Are Waiting for You

Right now, schools and nurseries are under enormous pressure from staff shortages, wellbeing concerns, Ofsted inspections, and parent expectations.

What does that mean for you? You’re not a nuisance… you’re a solution.
When you position your activity programme as part of the answer, school leaders listen.

Here’s a helpful mindset reframe – Schools aren’t ignoring you. They just don’t know you exist yet.

Step 2: Step Into Your Role as an Education Partner, Not “Just a Provider”

One of the biggest blocks to successful school outreach for activity providers is imposter syndrome. Too many think they’re “just” a club leader.

Here’s the shift:

• Providers say: “I run dance classes, would you like one?”
  
  
• Education Partners say: “I help schools improve resilience and teamwork through dance.”
  
  

Schools and nurseries don’t want favours. They want trusted partners who help them achieve outcomes. When you show up as a partner in education, you stand out. Even if you feel your market is saturated.

Step 3: Find Your Big Idea

When you’re selling activity programmes to schools, less is more. If you present too many options, headteachers and nursery managers get overwhelmed and choose none.

Instead, create a single clear Big Idea – your “hero” programme that schools will remember you for.

Examples:

• Drama… framed as confidence & speaking skills.
  
  
• Sports… framed as resilience & teamwork.
  
  
• Yoga… framed as staff or pupil wellbeing.
  
  

Formula: Passion + Strength + School Priority = Big Idea.

Have a go at crafting your Big Idea into one clear sentence: “I help schools/nurseries [achieve outcome] through [activity].”

Step 4: Link Your Idea to What Schools and Nurseries Already Care About

Here’s the secret to how to market to schools: they don’t buy activities. They buy outcomes.

That means your Big Idea should connect directly to the priorities schools or nurseries already have funding for, e.g.

• PE & Sport Premium … increasing engagement in physical activity
  
  
• EYFS … communication, language, emotional regulation and school readiness
  
  
• Wellbeing & enrichment… supporting the whole child or linking with cross-curricular topics
  
  

When your programme helps schools and nurseries tick these boxes, you stop being “optional” and become “essential.”

Step 5: Build the Confidence to Take Action

Knowing how to get into schools as a children’s activity provider is one thing, having the confidence to actually hit send is another.

Confidence doesn’t come first. It comes from action. Every outreach email you send, every price you say out loud, strengthens your confidence muscle.

Quick confidence hacks:

• Write your price 10 times until it feels neutral.
  
  
• Practise pairing your Big Idea with your price: “I help schools/nurseries achieve [outcome] through [activity]. The cost for a half-term package is £X.”
  
  
• Celebrate progress, not perfection. Even a “no reply” is better than staying invisible.
  
  

Here’s the thing… the providers who grow their businesses in schools aren’t the most talented. They’re the ones who take consistent action.

Ready to Take Your Idea From Inbox to Impact?

Now you know the 5 steps:

• Schools and nurseries want your services
• You’re an education partner, not just a provider.
• You have a Big Idea.
• You can link it to school or nursery priorities.
• And you’re ready to build confidence by taking action.
  
  

The next step? Putting it into practice with real school outreach.

That’s exactly what we’ll do together in the Approaching Challenge – a 5-day programme where you’ll:

• Craft your first outreach email/letter to schools or nurseries
  
  
• Learn the 5 steps for confident, successful outreach.
  
  
• Get feedback and support so you can hit send with confidence.
  
  

By the end, you’ll know exactly how to start selling activity programmes to schools and nurseries… without overwhelm.

Join the Approaching Schools Challenge now at https://www.ceryskeneally.co.uk

About the Author

Cerys Keneally is a former teacher, TEDx speaker and award-winning mentor, delivering industry-leading training for the children’s activity sector. With 20 years experience in education, she pioneered a process for conscientiously communicating with decision makers that has since seen thousands of children’s activity providers get their business into schools and nurseries.

Through her CPD accredited professional development programme (Approaching Schools Academy), hundreds of providers have been able to build lasting partnerships with schools and nurseries, grow a stable business around their families and have a bigger impact on children’s lives as a result.

Having been a shy child who gained confidence through extra-curricular activities, Cerys is deeply passionate about helping the children’s activity sector to integrate with education so we can all make a difference together.

Find out more about Cerys Keneally’s work at https://www.ceryskeneally.com