About The School Edge
An edge, by design.
The thinking behind a boutique specialist consultancy, and the belief that every school and every leader can be the one that stands out.
The name says it all.
The School Edge was founded on a simple idea. In a crowded field of schools, the difference between being considered and being chosen is often a matter of edge.
The edge is not about being louder. It is about being clearer, more consistent, and more credible than the rest. Every school and every leader already has the raw material of an edge. The work is to find it, shape it, and make it impossible to ignore.
That is the promise carried in the name: to give a school, and the people who lead it, the edge against its competitors.
An advantage, not an attitude.
Competition is not something to shy away from. It is the very condition that makes standing out worthwhile. A competitive landscape is treated here as an opportunity, not a threat.
The aim is to give a school or a leader the quiet confidence of knowing their story is sharper, their numbers are stronger, and their reputation is earned. That is the edge: the advantage that turns attention into trust, and trust into enrolment, support, and loyalty.
Nishel Turpin
Principal Consultant
I have spent my career in international schools, not advising from the outside, but sitting in the room when a crisis needed a calm, clear response, when an admissions pipeline needed rebuilding from scratch, when a school needed its story told for the first time.
Most recently, I served as Director of Marketing and Communications at the United Nations International School of Hanoi (UNIS Hanoi), working alongside Heads, Board Members and as part of the Senior Leadership Team on strategic research, crisis communications, community engagement surveys, parent education, third-party tender processes and so much more.
Before that, as Director of Communications, Admissions & Development at Harrow Hong Kong and St Margaret's School UK, I built both schools' first development and alumni offices, wrote and created multiple prospectuses, and helped increase Reception to Year 12 applications by 50% within a year.
I did not learn this work from a textbook.
I did not learn this work from a textbook. The School Edge exists because I have worked with brilliant school leaders and teams who have empowered me to invest in myself and keep on pushing and testing the limits in my roles.
Whether you are a school leader preparing for your next step, or a school navigating a moment in time; I bring the expertise of 20 years spanning the world, relishing a challenge, achieving the most impossible of targets and committed to understanding the uniqueness of you.
Curiosity that keeps on learning.
A commitment to lifelong learning keeps us at the forefront of change, continually refining our craft through advanced study and professional development so every engagement benefits from thinking that is current, credible, and ahead of the curve.
- MSc Digital Education, University of Edinburgh (in progress)
- MSP® Foundation & Practitioner (PRINCE2 Programme Management)
- Oxford Digital Marketing: Disruptive Strategy Programme, University of Oxford
- PROSCI Certified Change Practitioner
- Leading Change, Harvard University
- Certificate in Digital Marketing, Wharton, UPENN
- Diploma in Crisis Communications, Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)
- Diploma in Marketing, Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
Four principles, held to every day.
Consistency and hard work
Reputation is built in small, repeated moments, not single campaigns. The work shows up, again and again, until excellence becomes the expectation rather than the exception.
A unique combination
Private sector experience, paired with project management and change management tools, applied across both the international education sector and the independent UK sector.
An empowering approach
The goal is to leave schools and leaders more capable than they were before, not more dependent. Knowledge is shared, not hoarded, so the edge keeps working long after the engagement ends.
A head for the digital
An early adopter in the sector, combining data, AI, and hard-won experience with deep research and continual training. A unique combination that ensures every decision is evidence-led and future-ready.
Find your edge.
Every school and every leader has one. The work is to bring it to the surface and make it count.
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