Google - penalising schools and parents

After Google's announcement to schools in the UK and Ireland...

We published our initial response last Monday. Since then, we have spent time reviewing that response and the response of the educational community, including specialist sites such as Edugeek and Schoolsweek and sites used by parents, such as Mumsnet. 

We get Justin Cowley, the deputy head of Mendell Primary's point - he petitioned Google on behalf of 60 other teachers and schools, on the basis that 'out-of-date and off-topic reviews were of no help to anyone, parent or school'. But only so far as it goes.

We have commented, year-in year-out, on the fact that the responsibility for ensuring that Google reviews add value - in this case: for parents searching for the right school for their child is split, equally, between Google and the schools. 

Google's responsibility

 

Every teacher on the planet will recognise this kind of review. The question is - was - how would Google not have a mechanism to allow the school to have them deleted? They certainly don't add vlue for Google. One click - on the three dots to the right of the review ('report this review') and job done.

 

Google allows appeals against reviews publsihed on its site. The problem is, and always has been, that those appeals don't cover the kind of 'Mrs S hates me' or 'All the kids at [insert name of school] are snobs' review that so dilute the overall value of the reviews they host. But they should. Schools should be able to have this kind of review deleted. Full stop.

The school's responsibility

 

If estate agencies, with half-a-dozen staff and a similar amount of clients - per month, can achieve these results, why not schools? 

 

...is - was! - to mobilise it's parents to write on-topic valuable reviews of their own, and their children's, experiences of the school. But so few have. Schools will invest time - and somethimes even valuable financial resources - promoting themselves. But so few have taken the opportunity to mobilise Google reviews. Is anyone seriously saying that a Google review such as this...

 

 

...is not helpful? To both future parents and the school concerned? The review was deleted by Google this month.

Conclusion

The plethora of agencies already offering to replace - at a cost to schools - Google's imperfect but easily fixed free reviews service proves our point. Commercial entities are always the first to fill a vacuum. Let us know if you receive a sales call for Trustpilot or any of the other review sites. The very first to do so? You guessed it: Google...

The first page of a local search - full of schools now paying Google to appear before the organic listings (some still don't realise that 'Sponsored' listings are paid for by the entity listed) - no reviews by parents of course! And the cost of the advertisement? Up until recently between £3 and £4 per click through to the school's website. Now, with more schools forced to use that avenue? Please let us know in the comments below.

And finally...

We thought all of you English teachers out there would appreciate this - genuine - Google review, still showing for a school in Derby in spite of Google's recent announcement...