Marketing & Communications Manager - Bruern Abbey School in Chilton

About Bruern Abbey

Bruern Abbey is an ambitious, inclusive, independent mainstream school specialising in the education of neurodiverse pupils. Operating across two sites, we offer both day and boarding provision, with our Prep School in Chesterton, Oxfordshire (Years 4–8), preparing pupils for Common Entrance and senior school, and our Senior School in Chilton, Buckinghamshire (Years 9–11), preparing pupils for GCSEs and their next steps into sixth form, college and the world of work. From September 2026, Bruern Abbey Prep School will become co‑educational, with our Senior School following in September 2027, marking an exciting new chapter in our continued growth and development.

This is an exciting time to join Bruern Abbey as we embark on the next phase of our journey with the introduction of co‑education. This is a unique opportunity to help shape our future, contribute to an evolving community, and play a key role in creating an outstanding educational experience for all pupils.

Role Overview

The Marketing & Communications Officer will play a key role in supporting pupil recruitment and retention across Bruern Abbey Prep and Senior Schools. The postholder will develop and deliver marketing, communications and relationship‑building activities that strengthen the schools' reputation, increase awareness amongst prospective families and professionals, and maintain a healthy admissions pipeline.

Working closely with school leaders, the successful candidate will promote the distinctive Bruern offer, develop relationships with feeder schools and referral partners, analyse admissions and market data, and create compelling communications that support recruitment, retention and progression from Prep to Senior School.

Key Responsibilities

Marketing & Communications

• Manage and update the school website, ensuring content is current, engaging and accurate.
• Create written and visual content for newsletters, blogs, prospectuses, case studies and marketing materials.
• Manage the school’s social media channels, planning and publishing regular content aligned with the school’s values and admissions objectives.
• Support the development and delivery of marketing campaigns for both Prep and Senior School admissions.
• Maintain brand consistency across all communications and materials.
• Capture and share stories that showcase pupil success, school life and specialist provision.

Parent & Community Communications

• Coordinate regular communications with parents and carers, including weekly newsletters, updates and key announcements, while managing communication channels to support effective engagement with families. Respond to queries, gather and monitor feedback, identify trends or recurring concerns, and elevate issues where appropriate. Work collaboratively with internal teams to improve the parent and carer experience and ensure feedback informs service delivery and continuous improvement.
• Work collaboratively with school leadership and staff to ensure communications are timely, clear and supportive.
• Develop communications and events that support smooth transition from Prep to Senior School for pupils and families.
• Build positive relationships with families to encourage long‑term engagement with the school community.
• Take responsibility for alumni relations and support Amici Bruerni (the school charity) in their fundraising and alumni partnership work.

PR

• Maintain strong relationships with feeder schools, professionals and referral partners.
• Fulfill the strategic aim of positioning the schools as the first choice settings for neurodivergent pupils and their families.
• Develop and promote the school’s public profile through the coordination of external engagement opportunities, including securing speaking engagements, seminars, conferences and other relevant events for the Head and wider leadership team which may, as the schools’ marketing events, fall outside of normal school hours.
• Develop regular communication plans for feeder schools to maintain engagement and awareness of the school’s offering.
• In conjunction with Amici Bruerni, identify opportunities for outreach, networking and partnership development.
• Help ensure a healthy and sustainable pupil pipeline through proactive relationship management.

Admissions & Data Analysis

• Work closely with Admissions teams across Prep and Senior School to monitor enquiry and conversion data.
• Monitor retention and transition data between Prep and Senior School to identify trends, opportunities and areas for targeted engagement.
• Analyse admissions trends, feeder patterns and demographic data to identify growth opportunities.
• Support targeted marketing initiatives in new geographic or referral areas.
• Maintain accurate records and reporting on marketing and admissions activity.
• Assist with the planning and promotion of admissions events and school visits.

General

• Support the wider life of the school and attend events where required.
• Ensure all communications reflect the school’s safeguarding, inclusion and confidentiality standards.
• Undertake any other reasonable duties in support of the school’s strategic objectives.

Person Specification

Essential Skills & Experience

• Experience in marketing, communications, admissions or stakeholder engagement.
• Experience analysing data to inform decision‑making.
• Strong written communication and content creation skills.
• Experience managing websites and social media platforms.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Confidence working with data and producing reports or insights.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship‑building skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and digital communication tools.

Desirable

• Experience within education, independent schools or SEND environments.
• Understanding of neurodiversity and inclusive communication approaches.
• Basic design skills using Canva, Adobe Creative Suite or similar platforms.
• Knowledge of SEO and digital marketing analytics.
• Experience working with CRM systems and admissions databases.
• Experience organising events and stakeholder engagement activities.

Personal Qualities

• Ability to build relationships with senior stakeholders and external partners.
• Empathetic, approachable and collaborative.
• Creative and proactive with strong attention to detail.
• Able to communicate sensitively with families and professionals.
• Flexible and solutions‑focused.
• Passionate about inclusive education and supporting neurodiverse young people.

Salary

£35-40K FTE

Contract Type

Part Time (3 days, all year round) across both school locations, hours to be discussed at interview stage