Admissions Director

Halcyon London International School is seeking an highly motivated and experienced full-time Admissions Director with excellent digital skills.

The successful candidate will have oversight and responsibility for the management of all student admissions at Halcyon and the Community Engagement Team. They will be a member of the School Leadership Team, and will be responsible to the Director for the smooth-functioning of Halcyon’s Admissions and Community Engagement. They will have knowledge and experience of international school systems, and will enjoy leading and working in a collaborative, digitally­-focused environment. They should hold a Bachelor’s degree or a relevant professional qualification and/or  experience within admissions within the educational sector or similar. They must demonstrate compatibility with the Halcyon philosophy and a commitment to meet the demands of an innovative and expanding school.

Job Description

Person Specification

Applicants will be reviewed on an ongoing basis so early applications are encouraged. The school reserves the right to make an appointment at any stage. 

About us:

Halcyon London International School is the only not-for-profit, independent co-educational, exclusively International Baccalaureate (IB) School in London offering the IB Middle Years and Diploma Programmes.

We provide an exceptional education, where every child is recognised, valued and included. Our community is guided by the values of the IB and our mission is to draw out the unique potential of each student. Halcyon’s creative, inspiring educators enjoy a highly collaborative, student-centred learning environment and are excited to pioneer innovative, digitally-integrated, learning. We are a welcoming, reflective community and will provide the right applicant with a unique and rewarding professional challenge, supported by generous professional development.

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Job Description- Admissions Director

The Admissions Director is a member of the School Leadership Team and leads the Community Engagement Team. The Admissions Director is responsible to the Director for 

• processing all student admissions 
• the effective promotion of Halcyon’s curriculum, culture and values to prospective families 
• processing, developing and maintaining effective admissions data 
• the strategic development of the admissions office and Community Engagement Team (CET) 
• the successful promotion and marketing of the school, with the Marketing Leader
• safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children 

The following list serves to illustrate the scope and responsibilities of the post and is not intended to be an exhaustive list of duties. 

1. General responsibilities 

The Admissions Director will 

• be an active advocate for Halcyon’s vision, mission and core aims 
• be an active advocate for Halcyon’s curricular and philosophical commitments as an IB World School, ensuring alignment of admission policies and practices to IB Standards and Practices 
• lead the Community Engagement Team to develop, implement and deliver Halcyon’s strategic marketing goals, aligned to the school’s strategic planning 
• collaborate with the Administrative Team, to support and maintain the school’s operational goals, aligned to the school’s strategic planning 
• collaborate with curriculum teams and the Student Wellbeing Team, to ensure that at all times the admissions process reflects the school’s curriculum, and promotes a safe, supportive learning environment for students and parents 
• promote a culture where diversity and inclusion are encouraged and students learn to respect differences, take responsibility for their actions, exercise leadership, actively build community and strive for academic excellence 
• engage with teachers, students, parents and the wider school community to create a dynamic, aspirational and innovative culture – a professional learning community grounded in collaboration, focused on improving learning outcomes, and driven by data-informed decision-making 
• lead and support a culture accepting of innovation 
• be an active, life-long learner 

2. Specific responsibilities 

The Admissions Director will 

A. Lead, develop and maintain all essential elements of an intentionally inclusive, personal and applicant-oriented admissions process, fully aligned with our Admissions Policy and always including the following: 

1. focused, high quality customer care at all times 
2. a personal and immediate response to all enquiries, designed to be the foundation of a meaningful relationship with each prospective new family 
3. the provision for each new enquiry of accurate, detailed information about the school, its mission, and curriculum 
4. arranging and leading one-to-one on-site visits and tours 
5. providing all new enquirers with personal support and guidance through the admissions process, ensuring all components of the application process are completed correctly 
6. following every application to the point of final acceptance (or withdrawal of interest) by reviewing application forms, ensuring that all relevant documentation is received, recorded, and shared with the Admissions Committee for review 
7. arranging and supervising applicant testing, where appropriate 
8. explaining the nature of the school’s IB curriculum accurately and in detail, seeking guidance where necessary - liaising with the IB Coordinators, or the Student WellBeing Team, or the Director - and providing quick, personal follow-up with the family 
9. where necessary, and in consultation with Halcyon’s Designated Safeguarding Lead, contacting current/former school to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place 
10. preparing and arranging final applicant interviews 
11. maintaining regular contact with all applicants to share the status of their application, build relationships and anticipate potential questions or concerns 
12. advising parents and students about the provision of EAL, SEN and additional language services 
13. supporting Tier 4 (child) applications, ensuring full compliance with the UKVI Tier 4 sponsorship regulations 
14. providing the Director with complete files on each applicant in order to facilitate a decision on acceptance 
15. preparing and administering all formal communications, including offer letters and parent contracts for successful applicants 
16. with guidance of the Director, monitoring class lists with a view to filling each class with an appropriate balance of suitably qualified students 
17. recording and maintaining all enquiries in the school’s Management Information System (MIS) 
18. maintaining effective tracking of all applicants through the enrolment process, and ensuring this information is available to the Director at all times 
19. leading the yearly re-enrolment process 
20. maintaining effective tracking of all current students through the re-enrolment process, and ensuring this information is available to the Director at all times 
21. timely and effective liaison with the Finance and Operations Director to ensure that all relevant fees are billed and collected at appropriate times during both the admissions process and the re-enrolment process 
22. develop and communicate all new student and family Back-to-School information, liaising with the CET to ensure all information clearly and appropriately presented through our 
23. communications channels 
24. liaising with the IB Coordinators, the Learning Systems Coordinator and Tech support team, to ensure new student and parent accounts (in Google and ManageBac) are facilitated 
25. ensuring exit survey data is prepared and collected 
26. ensuring the effective hand-over, and integration, of alumni data 
27. leading, developing and organising all public promotional events - for example, Open Houses, Open Evenings, Glass Class - through the school year 
28. developing and nurturing an effective, positive ‘word of mouth’ school profile - with educational consultants, relocation consultants, embassy liaisons and parents - to build lasting, meaningful, and productive relationships. 

B. Lead, develop and maintain the collection and analysis of admissions’ data, including the secure management of all student records 

1. the secure management of the Admissions Register for inspections 
2. providing support for the annual school census (SLASC) 
3. meeting the school’s statutory obligation to notify Westminster Council of all student joiners and leavers, in consultation with Designated Safeguarding Lead and Director 
4. the provision of surveys for the effective review of the admissions process 
5. the secure maintenance of longitudinal data, offering insights into trends, changes, strengths and weaknesses in our admissions' profile 
6. the management of exit interviews to identify attrition patterns or trends 
7. the provision of short-term data for Board reports and SLT meetings 
8. the provision of data to support the strategic goals of the CET, and to ensure better, data-informed marketing decisions 

C.  Lead the Community Engagement Team, to ensure the effective strategic alignment of  admissions, marketing and communications

D.  Ensure the CET delivers and supports school-wide strategic goals 

E.  Collaborate with the Director, and lead the CET, to develop, implement and deliver strategies to meet yearly enrolment targets 

F.  Collaborate with the Director, and lead the CET, to develop, implement and deliver strategies to ensure the effective and timely promotion of the school 

G. Coordinate admissions’ outreach and marketing activities in collaboration with the CET 

H. Lead the student ambassador programme, to facilitate student groups to lead tours for Open House events, meet visitors, etc 

I. Collaborate and liaise with the Chair of the Halcyon Parent Community (HPC) to ensure a strong, well-developed Family Buddy Programme 

J. Collaborate with the Director and Student Wellbeing Leader to allocate students to appropriate Mentors 

K. Collaborate with the Student Wellbeing Leader to develop and maintain the Student Buddy Programme 

L. Ensure effective communication with all staff concerning new joiners and leavers 

M. Support the organisation of any special events (for example, external fairs, inter-school meetings, school visits) that promote admissions and/or develop the profile of the school 

N. Liaise and build positive relationships with all members of staff and external stakeholders 

O. Represent the school positively at all times 

Person Specification- Admissions Director

The Admissions Director  

• has oversight and responsibility for the management of all student admissions at Halcyon
• leads the Community Engagement Team, comprising admissions, marketing and communications
• is a member of the School Leadership Team
• is responsible to the Director

The successful candidate will be expected to have the following qualifications, experience and abilities:

Education to Bachelors degree level 

• Experience in an Admissions role
• Excellent organisational skills: able to set priorities and achieve them, able to be manage multiple strands effectively, both strategic and short term
• Excellent attention to detail
• Excellent time management skills
• Ability to take initiative and work independently
• Excellent digital skills, including experience maintaining critical database systems and spreadsheets
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills: clear, articulate, professional in speaking and writing
• Comfort in speaking to small and large groups 
• Marketing and advertising skills
• Experience working within, or leading, productive teams

The successful candidate will be expected to have the following personal attributes: 

• An international outlook and/or experience of living or working in an international environment 
• Keen to be part of a young growing organisation 
• Committed to collaborative, inclusive leadership
• Enjoys meeting people; is personable yet professional in demeanor
• A discreet, diplomatic and empathetic approach
• Self-motivated, flexible and adaptable
• Commitment to Continued Professional Development 
• A record of suitability to work with children

It would be to an applicant’s advantage to be able to work in more than one language have direct experience of the International Baccalaureate programmes have experience of international schooling or a similar international setting.