Best wishes to all Somerset Education blog followers for the 2026 year. I hope you had a wonderful break with family and friends over the year-end vacation period and feel refreshed and ready for the year ahead.
Below is a link to a complimentary webinar being run by Spectrum Analysis on changing student populations. Somerset Education Financial Survey for Schools participants have access to a demographic Geo Mapping tool where you can self-analyse student population changes in your catchment. This tool is powered by Spectrum Analysis.
I can’t emphasis enough the importance of responding in a timely manner to adverse changes in enrolments in particular identifying the likely effect on operating surpluses, debt servicing and campus reinvestment. From 30 years of working in the sector, typically schools that find themselves in financial difficulty have not clearly identified and addressed adverse enrolment and/or staff changes until they start to run out of cash, which can happen faster than expected. For example in a school of 500 students, a 5% reduction in enrolments, with no adjustment to costs, could result in a $700,000 decline in operating surplus. Depending on a school’s debt, they could quickly become financially stressed.
My long-term research highlights that financially healthy schools regularly re-forecast financial performance for changing scenarios to inform and take action. We therefore developed our SKI Scenario Builder™ to help schools effortlessly and instantly re-forecast budgets for changes in enrolments, staff, income and expenses. If you haven’t tried this tool, now is the perfect time being the beginning of the year when you know 2026 enrolments. Use the SKI Scenario Builder™ to give a “heads up” on the likely annual financial performance, then plan and take mitigating action now if required…. don’t wait until it’s too late.
🎥 | Here is a short video: SKI Scenario Builder™ (included with SKI subscription).
Over 500 schools have completed 2024 school-year data in the Financial Survey for Schools (FSS) with another 90 in progress. Don’t forget you can participate at anytime until we roll the FSS in April 2026 to gather 2025 school-year data
Complimentary webinar | x Spectrum Analysis
> Topic: Changing Student Populations—Where will your future students come from?
> Date: Thursday 22 January 2026
> Time: 12pm —1pm (AEDT)
> Cost: No charge—complimentary.
> Registration: Via this link Eventbrite (Slides and recording will be available post-webinar)ℹ️ | About the webinar
If you are feeling that there has been a slight drop in future enrolments at your school, especially over the last two years, this is probably NOT a market share issue. It is likely that the pool of school age children in your area is reducing, particularly if your school is in a higher socio-economic area close to a capital city in Australia.As we have had received a lot of interest in this change of student demographics and how this population change could affect the financial viability of a school, this webinar will look at:
- Children birth numbers and which way they are heading over large areas
- Where students are living and their socio economics
- Ability of the parent population to spend money on education
- Interest in single sex or co-educational school.
🚀 | Learning outcomes
✔ specific tips related to student locations
✔ data insights that are essential for your strategy in 2026
✔ ability to ask questions before, during, or after the webinar.🤔 | Who is this webinar for?
✔ owners, principals, leaders, centre managers, and board members of schools and early education centres
✔ business and operations managers in schools and early education centres
✔ staff in the areas of marketing, communications, website development, enrolments and community development in schools, and early education centres
✔ advisers and service providers to schools and early education centres
✔ students studying education management, governance, and finance.📣 | About the speaker
Peter Buckingham BSc GradDip MktMdl CMC CFE FFCA MEdPlus is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Spectrum Analysis Australia Pty Ltd, a boutique provider of quantitative geodemographic modelling, facts, data, and analysis services based in Surrey Hills, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Email: peterb@spectrumanalysis.com.auKindest regards
John and the Team.
🍎 Somerset Education | Simplicity | Integrity | Professionalism John Somerset is a Chartered Accountant. He has extensive knowledge of the independent school sector and is past President of Independent Schools Queensland and a past board member of the Independent Schools Australia.UPCOMING EVENTS:
Association Independent Schools of Western Australia: Financial Management of Independent Schools — Perth WA, 29 April 2026.
Independent Schools New Zealand: Financial Governance for Independent School Leaders — Wellington NZ, 11 June 2026.
Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia: Pre-conference financial workshop — Perth WA, 06 October 2026.
Somerset Education Training and Education: Webinars and Seminars — ‘Live’ and Videos-on-demand, John Somerset.
Somerset Education Customised Presentations: For School Boards and Business Managers — Ongoing, John Somerset.
Q | Any questions?
🍎 Somerset Education | For FSS, budgeting, reporting tools, or financial governance training contact us via email survey@somerseteducation.net; or telephone 1300 781 968 (International +61 7 3263 5300).
📊 Cole School Experts | For accounting, payroll and HR, cash and fee management contact us via email office@coleschoolexperts.com.au.
We look forward to your ongoing support, or if new to the survey, we warmly welcome you joining in.