Social Media and Communications Officer

Lead the school’s day-to-day digital storytelling and multi-channel communications so that current families, prospective families, students, staff and the wider community hear from the school consistently and with purpose. The postholder turns school life (learning, achievement, events, parent information, wellbeing, university and career pathways) into audience-appropriate content across email, social media and the website.

The role goes well beyond posting content. It owns the annual communications and social-media strategy, one integrated content calendar, campaigns with clear objectives, and the data that shows whether engagement, parent confidence, reputation and admissions interest are improving.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Strategy, calendar and campaigns

• Build and deliver an annual communications and social-media strategy aligned with the school’s mission, enrolment objectives and family-engagement goals, with defined content pillars, audience segments, key messages and calls to action for each channel.

• Run one integrated editorial calendar (annual, termly, monthly, weekly) covering events, learning stories, achievement, parent information, admissions, staff recognition, wellbeing and awareness days, with capacity for live coverage.

• Write campaign briefs that set audience, objective, message, formats, schedule, budget and success measures, and advise school leaders on the right channel and format for each message.

2. Social media and community management

• Own the school’s organic presence on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok and other channels suited to its audiences and safeguarding requirements, creating platform-specific content rather than duplicating posts.

• Run integrated campaigns that build awareness, parent advocacy, admissions enquiries and reputation, using interactive formats (polls, Q&As, quizzes, parent-generated content) that prompt shares, saves, replies, registrations and referrals.

• Respond promptly and professionally to comments and direct messages, escalate concerns correctly, and monitor sentiment, misinformation and reputational risk.

3. Content and storytelling

• Source, write, design, publish and evaluate content: short-form video, photography, carousels, testimonials, news articles, blogs, newsletters, parent guides, FAQs and leadership messages.

• Spend regular time in classrooms and at events capturing authentic stories, and build relationships with teachers, heads of department and pastoral teams so that stories surface early.

• Maintain a searchable library of approved photography, video, templates and campaign assets.

4. Newsletters, email and cross-channel communications

• Lead or support newsletters, parent emails and event communications, with strong subject lines, mobile-friendly layouts, concise copy and audience segmentation.

• Turn each significant story into a cross-channel plan (email, social, web, admissions) with a priority message, call to action and follow-up, and use email analytics to improve future sends.

5. Parent, community and admissions engagement

• Strengthen trust, belonging and advocacy among current parents through participation campaigns such as polls, “Ask the School” and parent and student stories, within consent and brand standards.

• Work with Admissions to support the prospective-family journey from awareness to enrolment, answering likely questions on educational quality, culture, pastoral care, outcomes and inclusion.

• Support open days, tours, performances and milestones with pre-event promotion, live coverage and post-event follow-up.

6. Website and Head Office coordination

• Act as day-to-day liaison with Head Office, central Marketing and the website provider so that the site stays accurate, current and aligned with group brand standards.

• Maintain a content-update schedule and shared tracker (owner, status, approvals, publication and review dates), and correct outdated content within agreed turnaround times.

• Monitor traffic to priority pages, enquiry pathways and conversions, and recommend improvements based on evidence.

7. Long-form event coverage

• Before each term, identify the events that need substantive coverage (productions, sport, curriculum showcases, university and careers events, graduations, trips) and plan promotion, capture, interviews and a post-event article, photo essay or video recap.

• Show the educational purpose, student experience and outcomes of each event, archive the material for admissions, annual reports and accreditation evidence, and review coverage against the calendar monthly.

8. Brand, governance and safeguarding

• Guard brand identity, visual standards and tone of voice, keeping content accurate, inclusive, culturally appropriate and accessible (captions, clear language, mobile-friendly formats).

• Apply policies on photography, student names, consent, data protection and acceptable use, and keep a clear approval route for sensitive, high-profile or crisis communications.

9. Measurement and reporting

• Set success measures before activity begins and maintain a dashboard covering reach, shares, saves, replies, web traffic, email performance, registrations, enquiries, tour bookings and parent sentiment.

• Deliver a monthly report to senior leaders with insight, risks and recommended actions; use A/B testing where practical and benchmark against competitor and aspirational schools.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Strategy, channel plans and rolling calendar delivered on time and reviewed regularly, with consistent, brand-aligned content across all channels.

• Growth in meaningful parent engagement: shares, saves, comments, poll responses, event participation and positive feedback.

• Improved email delivery, open, click-through and action rates, and timely response or escalation of enquiries, comments and direct messages.

• Growth in qualified web traffic, admissions enquiries, open-day registrations, tour bookings and attributable conversions where tracking permits.

• Priority website pages reviewed on schedule, and Head Office update requests completed within agreed turnaround times.

• Percentage of priority events with substantive long-form coverage published within the agreed timeframe and repurposed across channels.

• Proven experience in social-media management, digital communications, content marketing, PR or journalism, including campaigns with clear objectives, audience targeting and measurable results.

• Excellent written English and strong visual storytelling across photography, short-form video, Reels, Stories and graphics, with the ability to adapt one story for different channels and audiences.

• Working knowledge of the major platforms, scheduling, analytics and listening tools, email marketing platforms and website content-management systems.

• Confident interpreting communications data and turning it into practical recommendations.

• Strong organisation across a rolling calendar, multiple deadlines and last-minute activity; works independently and builds relationships with busy school staff.

• Sound judgement and discretion on safeguarding, data protection and consent when communicating about children and families.