Abstract

The market of educational services has an impact on decisions taken by schools to create a positive image. A school's good image makes it stand out from competition, attracts new students and their parents, leads to teachers' and students' satisfaction. The total population of children attending schools is steadily decreasing, and the market of educational services is becoming increasingly diverse. Schools must compete with each other for students, and their image has an increasing impact on parents' choices regarding their children's education. Those criteria were the reason for undertaking the research in this topic. The survey conducted among parents of pupils in the first grade of a primary school had a pilot character. The author of this article has used both primary (quantitative research) and secondary sources (GUS, SIO) as well as literature studies. The aim of the cognitive study was to identify the factors that contribute to the school image and to determine the extent to which they affect parents' choice of educational institution for their child. The author relied on studies for identifying determinants affecting the image of school. These factors are related to: the quality of teaching, the teaching staff, the educational offer, communication, information in the media about the school, organizing events aimed at students and parents as well as the introduction of pedagogical innovation. The school should continually analyze changes in the market of educational services, learn how to draw conclusions from the opinions and judgments of parents and students, provide promotional activities. The analysis of test results should be the starting point for a strategy of shaping the image of the school in the long term and for adopting the best solutions in order to build a competitive advantage.

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Keywords

school image; educational offer; market of educational services; pedagogical innovation; promotional activities