Schools We Work With
Trusted by schools across the UK
We work with schools, colleges and academy trusts to create planners, exercise books and learning resources that fit the way they actually work.
Some customers come to us because they want more control over the content inside their planners. Others need help with artwork, delivery or managing different requirements across several schools. Some simply want a reliable product and a supplier they can work with year after year.
What matters to us is the same in every case: understand what the school needs, make the process manageable and deliver a finished product that does the job properly.
Over the years, schools including Co-op Academy Leeds, Bredon Hill Academy, Blackburn Central High School, John Taylor Free School, The De Montfort School, Onslow St Audrey’s School, St Catherine’s College, Bradon Forest School, Box Hill School and Mossbourne Community Academy have shared their experience of working with us.
Helping schools create products around their own needs
One of the main reasons schools work with us is flexibility.
A planner does not have to be an off-the-shelf product with the same content for every school. We can work with schools to combine their own material with existing Penstripe content, creating something that reflects the way they teach, communicate and organise the school year.
Bredon Hill Academy is a good example. The school wanted a planner that suited its own context as a middle school without creating every piece of content from scratch.
Mike Horton from Bredon Hill Academy explained that Penstripe allowed the school to combine its own material with existing content, which helped reduce the amount of work involved.
That flexibility is particularly useful where schools have their own:
- behaviour or reward systems;
- homework guidance;
- school policies;
- timetables;
- curriculum content;
- revision material;
- safeguarding information; or
- year-group-specific requirements.
Making the artwork process easier
We know that organising planners can become time-consuming very quickly, especially for somebody doing it for the first time.
Box Hill School came to us when responsibility for student planners had recently changed hands. The school was concerned about the amount of time the development and artwork process might take, particularly with Christmas approaching.
Our team guided the school through the production process and helped them use myPenstripe to create the planners.
The school later said the finished planners had been well received by students, teachers and parents, and that using the system again would save them valuable time in future years.
That is exactly what we want the process to do: remove unnecessary work rather than add to it.
Supporting long-term school relationships
We value repeat relationships because they give us a better understanding of the way each school works.
Bradon Forest School has worked with Penstripe over a number of years. The school highlighted both the quality of the planners and the support it received from its account manager, including advice and help throughout the ordering process.
The school also reported positive feedback from parents and students, particularly around personalised pages and the ability to use the school’s own artwork on the cover.
Co-op Academy Bebington has also worked with us for a number of years and has highlighted product quality, clear communication and the speed of delivery of its teacher planners.
For us, repeat business is not simply about producing the same item again. It means understanding what worked previously and making the next order easier.
Tailored planners for Mossbourne Community Academy
Mossbourne Community Academy had already used Penstripe for several years when responsibility for the student planners changed internally.
The school wanted to retain the quality and flexibility it had experienced previously.
It chose to continue working with us because of the product quality, value for money and the ability to customise the planners around its own requirements.
The school also described the development and artwork process as straightforward and found the myPenstripe templates easy to use.
Feedback from both staff and students was positive, and the finished planners were described as useful and professional.
Helping when deadlines matter
Schools often work to fixed dates, particularly when planners or books are needed before the start of term.
Onslow St Audrey’s School approached us after being let down by a previous supplier.
The school said the initial contact, quick delivery of samples and support from the Penstripe team gave them confidence that a solution could be found.
The team worked with the school to help ensure the planners were delivered before the end of the summer term.
St Catherine’s College has also commented positively on the delivery of its staff planners and student diaries, highlighting the work of the production team in getting the products to the school.
Delivery matters because the product only becomes useful when it reaches the school at the right time.
QUALITY ASSURED
What schools tell us
The feedback we receive tends to come back to the same themes:
Product quality.
Schools want planners and books that are well made and suitable for daily use.
A straightforward process.
Artwork, proofing and personalisation need to be manageable for busy school staff.
Reliable communication.
Customers want to know what is happening and who to speak to if they have a question.
Flexibility.
Schools often need something that reflects their own systems, branding or content rather than a completely standard product.
Delivery.
Products need to arrive when the school needs them.
That feedback helps us continue to improve the way we work with schools.
A few words from our customers
From our Testimonials page;
“We have worked with Penstripe for a number of years and always get a quality product. Communication is clear…”
Lisa Hesketh, Co-op Academy Bebington
“Good customer service and excellent delivery of product from start to finish.”
Lucy Massey, John Taylor Free School
“I was able to create a good mix of our own content to suit our context as a middle school…”
Mike Horton, Bredon Hill Academy
Schools looking for something more bespoke
Every school works slightly differently.
If you need personalised planners, subject-specific books, tailored content or a coordinated order across several schools, speak to us about what you need.
We can help you work through the available options and create a specification that is practical for your staff and students.