How Haberdashers’ Monmouth School Combines Tradition and Innovation with Digital Publishing

Founded in 1614, Haberdashers' Monmouth School is one of Wales' most prestigious independent schools—a co-educational institution with a 400-year legacy of academic excellence, vibrant student life, and a community that takes pride in everything bearing its name.

For a school of this standing, every brochure, publication, and piece of communication reflects the institution's reputation. So when the time came to rethink how they shared their beloved annual school magazine, the stakes felt high. 

Challenge

For generations, Haberdashers' Monmouth School had printed and distributed hundreds of copies of its annual magazine to every family in its community. The magazine served as an overview of the school’s activities, important milestones, and students’ creative projects. But as a school with a firm commitment to sustainability, continuing a large-scale print run didn’t align with its values. 

The challenge was not simply finding a digital alternative—it was finding one befitting the school's reputation. The magazine needed to look refined, professional, and meet the high expectations of a community.

As Jess Zammit, Digital Marketing Manager at Haberdashers' Monmouth School, shares: 

Going digital was a significant step for us. I was concerned the new format might feel too modern—that teachers and parents wouldn't take to it.

The response put those concerns firmly to rest.

Solution 

The school chose FlippingBook, and the reception was clear. 

They loved FlippingBook, everyone did. The teachers loved it as well. Some of the teachers have been here for years, so they really enjoyed the fresh, new look to the magazine.

What set FlippingBook apart was its ability to enhance content, not just digitize it. The magazine came alive with a realistic page flip effect and embedded videos that complement the text as readers turn the pages.

The one thing I really liked is that we can embed videos, so when you turn the pages, the video pops up naturally. We've worked really hard on creating videos for the school, and we wanted to include them.

With FlippingBook, the school gained new ways to share its materials with the community: it can distribute publications via a simple link or embed them directly into its website for quick and easy access. In addition, all documents are branded with the school’s logo and background, ensuring a consistent visual identity. 

Keeping materials up to date also became effortless. When the edits were made in Canva and the file was re-uploaded to FlippingBook, every embedded video remained precisely in position, no extra work required.

Another key benefit was easier navigation. The school’s annual magazine, which runs to nearly 200 pages, is filled with stories about school life and students’ achievements. Parents appreciated being able to quickly find their child’s name and jump straight to the relevant page to read their story. It was a meaningful improvement in their experience. 

Results

The benefits went beyond presentation. Even on FlippingBook’s plan with the full functionality range, the cost was much lower than a full print run, making it a cost-efficient choice for the school. 

Encouraged by these results, the school quickly expanded FlippingBook across its full document library, going digital with internal documents and informational brochures and making them fully interactive.

For the first time, the school also gained real insight into how its content was being read.

We've had 1,500 views on the magazine. It was really good to see because we can't track printed brochures. We can see countries, reading time, and engagement, which was really valuable.

With FlippingBook, Haberdashers’ Monmouth School has reimagined how it delivers documents to students and parents. The platform enables the school to: 

• Create professional digital magazines and brochures with an authentic page flip effect, intuitive navigation, and embedded videos.
• Support its sustainability goals by reducing reliance on printed materials.
• Cut printing costs significantly.
• Gain valuable insights into how its materials are used and what resonates most with its community.
• Keep all documents up to date with ease, saving time on revisions and distribution.