Head Of Admissions And Parent Experience

Job Description

Job Description – Head Of Admissions And Parent Experience

This version December 2025

For all staff in school we share a responsibility to ensure that children are safe and properly supervised at all times. Our school is committed to ‘amazing learning’- providing enjoyable and meaningful learning experiences so that every pupil makes as much progress as possible. All staff are expected to adhere to The Aquila professional code of conduct and commit to promoting our vision – ‘A happy community school with amazing learning at its heart where pupils are empowered to make choices, engage in meaningful learning experiences and make exceptional progress’. Our focus is providing children with amazing learning and to be the school of choice for the community we serve.

The Aquila School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years’ employment history

Job purpose – to manage a team to ensure that we maximise enrolments and minimise leavers, while ensuring that all aspects of the customer journey – from visiting the school to the documentation provided and received are of the highest quality

Key Qualities And Skills

• To be able to sell our school to families who have expressed an interest
• To be warm and personable
• To be approachable, professional, calm and knowledgeable
• To be able to deal professionally with children, staff and families
• To be able to prioritise work load
• To be IT literate and an excellent and efficient administrator
• To have a high standard of written and verbal English

Key duties and areas of responsibility

Admissions

• Advise prospective parents & stakeholders on our value proposition (profile, program, fee structure and all services provided) across communications channels.
• Primary responsibility of implementing the school’s admissions process, including lead generation, family journey, customer service, negotiation and objection handling, call scripts and parent communications.
• Make calls to potential digital and non-digital leads to convert them into school tours and enrolments.
• Organise admissions meetings and open events while displaying excellent customer service.
• Support the phase leaders in carrying out assessment of prospective pupils per the admissions policy and Ministry of Education regulations.
• Work in partnership with the registrar to meet the school and Ministry of Education admissions criteria, including collecting and reviewing all necessary documentation.
• Assessment, development and coordination of all policies and documentation related to pupil admissions (including admissions toolkits, templates, scholarship programs), with the support of stakeholders within the school, ISP, Ministry of Education and other relevant authorities.
• Monitor and develop lead generation activities, work with the ISP heads of marketing and admissions, to ensure admissions targets are met.
• Work with the principal and SLT to develop appropriate programs and campaigns, such as referral schemes, scholarships, or working with feeder schools.
• Regularly review and develop admissions documents, parent communication platforms and templates, and marketing collaterals to ensure accurate information and best practice.
• Develop and nurture mutually beneficial relationships with feeder schools, nurseries, universities, local businesses, government entities, education agents and other organisations to maximise pupil recruitment and retention.
• Along with the marketing officer, support the principal to develop the school’s communication and engagement strategy, based on the strengths and development areas, promoting the same within and beyond the school community.
• Support the principal with participation in relevant national and regional conferences, events and competitions to raise the profile of the school, pupils and faculty.
• Lead direct reports in the school to pursue excellence in operational efficiency and customer service delivery. Systems should be reviewed regularly, and written and verbal communication are to be customized to maximize engagement.
• Advise on effective continued support and communication to new families after pupils enrol at the school - ‘after sales care’.
• Maintain positive vibes and good work relationships between team members
• Manage the reception team and attendance coordinator to ensure they consistently deliver an outstanding customer experience to both existing and prospective families.
• Keep records of the team performance and follow up on their performance reviews on time
• To ensure that families receive excellent service both on line and when visiting the school

School Marketing Activities In Collaboration With The Marketing Officer

• Develop and nurture personal links with nurseries, feeder schools, education agents, estate and relocation agents, universities, alumni, and developers to maximize pupil recruitment opportunities.
• Develop and nurture partnerships with local businesses and attend events to promote the school.
• Keep educational agents up to date with new developments at the school, including improvements to facilities, addition of new courses, academic results, recruitment events, and capacities. To maintain links with pupils as they leave the school (alumni), keeping them involved in the life of the school to support future recruitment and promotion.
• Lead and attend school functions involving current parents and pupils as requested.
• Propose industry events and other opportunities to support pupil recruitment.
• Liaise with local and national newspapers, magazines, and appropriate specialist publications for advertising opportunities, including billboards and posters.
• Help the school to develop their school stories and promises.
• Ensure that learning and demonstrating pupil progress is at the heart of the school marketing initiatives.
• Manage and implement effective campaigns within the school to achieve lead generation targets.
• Work with ISP Middle East head of marketing to create and support a clear marketing strategy and budget for the school.
• Lead on social media techniques and strategies to engage wider digital audiences.
• Oversee and help plan open day, pupil recruitment and profile-raising advertising within the schools.
• Foster a culture of successful marketing campaigns with tracking systems to measure campaigns.
• Assist in delivery of internal communication campaigns to support the school with retention strategies.
• Ensure accurate reporting of data, effective data management and analysis on which to base marketing decisions and track impact.
• Ensure effective budget management of all marketing activities within the school budget

Reporting

• Complete regular KPI and enrolment tracking information with the admissions team, providing reports to the principal and ISP as required.
• Manage and oversee surveys of all stakeholders, assessing satisfaction and advising accordingly, as required.
• Manage team in producing termly reports on activity and expenditure to monitor effective use of budget.
• Produce reports on competitors including fees, numbers and provisions, identifying opportunities to the principal and ISP Heads.

Annual Financial Targets

• New enrolment and annual retention numbers
• Enquiry and enrolment conversion rates
• Number of activities and events

In addition, all staff are required to carry out any tasks required by the school or the regional office to facilitate the smooth day to day running of the school

To be line managed by the school principal and the ISP ME head of admissions.

Hours of work- 8.15-5pm Monday to Thursday and 8.15 am to 1pm on Fridays plus occasional evening and weekend work. Friday afternoons – the school is open to see families and admissions and senior staff work about one in four Friday afternoons on a rota basis

Holidays- 30 days per calendar year

ISP Commitment to Safeguarding Principles

ISP is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures, including an online due diligence search, references and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years’ employment history.

ISP Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

ISP is committed to strengthening our inclusive culture by identifying, hiring, developing, and retaining high-performing teammates regardless of gender, age, disability status, neurodivergence, socio-economic background or other demographic characteristics. Candidates who share our vision and principles and are interested in contributing to the success of ISP through this role are strongly encouraged to apply.

ISP Principles

Begin with our children and students. Our children and students are at the heart of what we do. Simply, their success is our success. Wellbeing and safety are both essential for learners and learning. Therefore, we are consistent in identifying potential safeguarding and Health & Safety issues and acting and following up on all concerns appropriately.

Treat everyone with care and respect. We look after one another, embrace similarities and differences and promote the well-being of self and others.

Operate effectively. We focus relentlessly on the things that are most important and will make the most difference. We apply school policies and procedures and embody the shared ideas of our community.

Are financially responsible. We make financial choices carefully based on the needs of the children, students and our schools.

Learn continuously. Getting better is what drives us. We positively engage with personal and professional development and school improvement.

You consistently demonstrate and role-model the ISP Leadership Competencies in all that you do.

• Learning & Getting Better. Continually demonstrates personal commitment and passion for learning and getting better using evidence and feedback; supporting others in their continual learning, development and growth.
• Outcome driven. Can be counted on to find solutions. Is consistently looking to exceed goals and is focused on KPIs.
• Resilience. Can deal with setbacks and challenges calmly and effectively.
• Community Focus. Is committed to meeting and exceeding the needs and expectations of our students and their families.
• Integrity & Ethical Management. Has the ability to work ethically and with integrity; helps others feel valued; upholds and models the ISP Vision, Purpose and Principles.
• Agile. Responds and adapts to changing circumstances; manages and solves problems by providing solutions in a climate of ambiguity.
• Planning & Decision Making. Makes decisions on the best course of action and then plans, organises, prioritises and balances resources to achieve the desired outcome.
• Diversity & Equity. Has the sensitivity, awareness and skill to understand the values, behaviours, attitudes and practices across cultures that supports all children and adults to learn and work effectively.

Requirements