Improve Your Martial Arts School Retention with the Weekly Student Count

Introduction

Early identification is one of the best ways to prevent clogged arteries—or empty classes—from ruining your day. Even if your student retention issues are advanced, it’s never too late to turn things around. While teaching phenomenal classes is crucial, a staff meeting called "The Weekly Student Count" is a close second.

This meeting acts as a school's vitamin pill, fitness program, and medical check-up, focusing on prevention rather than therapy.

The Weekly Student Count Explained

The Weekly Student Count tackles the problem of student attrition and other issues simultaneously.

It’s like putting your entire student body through a weekly flour sifter, sorting out those needing immediate attention. Initially, you might encounter significant issues, but this step-by-step approach will soon clear up any operational clogs.

Step-by-Step Process

  1. Count Total Attendance Students:

    • Gather all student attendance Students from various boxes (e.g., “A” and “B” boxes, “On Vacation” box, “Sick and Hold” box).
    • Determine the total number of Students, then identify how many students did not attend classes in the past week.
    • Record these numbers in your statistics record book for future reference.

  2. Identify Non-Attenders:

    • Sort non-attenders by rank for a complete visual overview.
    • Look for patterns, such as high non-attendance among specific belt ranks.
    • Discuss potential improvements to classes, instructors, or schedules to improve retention.

  3. Investigate Reasons for Non-Attendance:

    • Review each non-attender’s Student and discuss reasons for their absence.
    • Categorize reasons such as vacation, busy schedules, or lack of motivation.
    • Develop targeted strategies to address these reasons and prevent future absences.

Addressing Non-Attendance

During the meeting, discuss each non-attender individually to understand their situation and develop a personalized plan to re-engage them. Here’s an example of how such a discussion might go:

You: “Ok, here’s the first Student, a white belt, John Smith. Does anyone know why he missed last week’s classes?”

Head Instructor: “No Sir.”

Assistant Instructor #1: “Yes, he said he was going on vacation for a week.”

You: “Good! So, re-file him in the active count since we know he’ll be back next week. Next time, when you hear that someone is going on vacation, please write 'vacation' across that week’s space – so that we won’t spend time and energy trying to determine where they are. Alright, here’s the next Student, Tom Jones. He’s been out for two weeks and prior to that, he had only been attending once-per-week for almost a month. Does anyone know what’s happening with Tom?”

Head Instructor: “Yes sir, I called Tom last week and he said he was really busy at work. I reminded him about his upcoming exam and generally tried to motivate him. He said he would try and make it next week.”

You: “Good job, and as a reminder, please make sure to note any phone calls you make to a student on their Student. That way we have a record of what’s going on with them. What’s your opinion, is Tom being straight with us or do you think his motivation is wavering?”

Head Instructor: “Honestly, I think he’s losing his motivation. I remember when he started he was really enthusiastic. But after I held him back at the last test, he seemed to lose it a little.”

You: “Ok, here’s what we will do with Tom. I think he’s showing every sign of a potential dropout. I’m going to call him myself and see if I can’t personally motivate him to come back. I’ll offer him a private lesson with me for Saturday morning – perhaps I’ll be able to get him back on track.”

Preventive Measures

To prevent future non-attendance:

  • Set immediate private lessons for students held back from testing to get them up to speed.
  • Make up missed classes to maintain consistent attendance.
  • Ensure all staff members understand the importance of monitoring attendance and promptly addressing absences.

Conclusion

The Weekly Student Count meeting provides numerous opportunities to train your staff and refine your operation. Initially, the workload may seem substantial, but over time it becomes more manageable. This proactive approach ensures you address potential issues before they become significant problems, leading to improved student retention and a healthier martial arts school overall.