Regional Communications Officer & Clerk to Governors

Job Description

Shape Our Future: Regional Communications Officer & Clerk to Governors - Essex Region

Based at Hylands School, Chelmsford, Essex. While working in the region's primary schools and hybrid working options.

The expectation to travel to the Essex primary school in line with business requirements (Travel cost will be remunerated in line with the Trust's travel policy)

• Heybridge Primary School, CM9 4TU
• Maldon Primary School, CM9 5DQ
• Stapleford Abbotts Primary Academy, RM4 1EJ
• Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery, CO4 0DT

Role: Part-Time, 39 weeks per year, term time plus inset days, must have availability for a flexible working pattern. 32.5 hours per week. Monday to Friday 8.30am-3.30pm, with flexibility to accommodate late afternoon meetings.

Are you ready to embrace a dual role where your expertise in communication directly impacts the success and reputation of a leading educational trust, while your administrative excellence ensures critical strategic governance runs seamlessly?

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced professional to join our team in the Essex region. This unique, part-time position combines two critical functions: promoting the professional image of our academies in the public domain and providing indispensable procedural guidance to our Local Governing Bodies.

The Opportunity: Expert Communications & Culture Champion

Communication has a powerful impact on our sense of identity, meaning and connection. As an experienced professional in communications, copywriting or PR, you will be pivotal in ensuring our Essex group of primary schools stays connected and thrives.

You will step in as the expert in communication for our academies. This includes the challenge of supporting the creation, ownership, and execution of the internal comms strategy across our group of Essex primary schools. Teaming up with our trust's People & Culture colleagues, you'll foster a culture of sharing and recognition through fresh, varied communications for a diverse community and workforce. You will report to our Regional Business Manager, with links to our brilliant People & Culture team (who own generalist HR, including L&D, recruitment, and payroll) and the Director of Opportunity and the academies' Senior Leadership Team (SLT).

Key Responsibilities: Two Roles, One Vision

Your time will be strategically split between actively promoting our educational mission and maintaining the integrity of our governance structure.

Public Relations, Marketing & Communications:

• Brand Gatekeeper:Act as the brand gatekeeper for all public-facing documents and ensure the academies' brand standards are adhered to in all communication media.
• Strategy & Delivery:Map out and deliver the academies' marketing strategy across the academic year, including events, admissions, and open days.
• Digital Leadership:Manage the academies' social media platforms, promoting news and events in line with safeguarding and branding requirements whilst ensuring the schools adhere to statutory requirements through their websites.
• Community Cohesion:Work collaboratively to increase community cohesion with communities local to the academies.
• Fundraising:Work with the Director of Opportunity and the academies' SLT to identify funding sources and prepare and submit timely bids.
• Lettings Management:Manage and oversee lettings at each academy, acting as the day-to-day point of contact.

Governance and Clerking:

• Advisory Guidance:Advise the Local Governing Body (LGB) on its core functions, regulatory framework, governance legislation, and procedural matters before, during, and after meetings.
• Meeting Administration:Work with the Chair and Headteacher to prepare focused agendas, liaise for papers, ensure meetings are quorate, and draft/circulate accurate minutes.
• Compliance:Ensure statutory policies are in place and revised when necessary, and update GIAS websites to accurately reflect the structure of the LGB.
• Membership:Advise on the expiry of a governor's term of office and maintain up-to-date records of governors (e.g. pecuniary interests and training).

What You'll Bring: Expertise, Values, and Drive

Because we're relying on your expertise, we can only consider applicants who have strong experience in truly leading communications or a closely associated field in Primary school Public Relations and/or as a Clerk to Governors.

Essential Experience & Skills:

• Strong experience in communications, copywriting, or Public Relations.
• Experience in carrying out complex administrative tasks.
• Working knowledge of marketing procedures and practices.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, with strong listening skills.
• High level of ICT experience, including design packages, Google Suite, and/or MS Office/word processing, as well as the ability to update our websites
• Ability to plan, organise, and prioritise workloads under pressure to meet deadlines.
• Excellent attention to detail, aligned with brand standards.
• English and Maths to GCSE/Standard Grade or equivalent (at least Grade 4/C).

If you would like to have an informal discussion before applying,please contact Kenneth Sheard, Regional Business Manager, via kenneth.sheard@kemnal.org before the closing date. Internal applicants should discuss this role with their line manager before submitting an application form via the internal recruitment page on the one stop shop.

About our four primary schools in the Essex Region.

Heybridge Primary School currently has 405 pupils ranging from 4 - 11 years old. We have a bright, modern building, which is well equipped and is set within unusually generous grounds with playing fields and gardens. We are a friendly and engaging school with strong connections amongst our local community. To find out more, visit ourwebsite.

Maldon Primary School Our staff team is committed to providing a secure, happy and calm environment in which all children are able to thrive socially, emotionally and academically. We are a friendly and engaging school with strong connections amongst our local community, to find out more visit ourwebsite.

Stapleford Abbotts Primary Academy, a small, happy and successful Primary Academy, set on the borders of Essex and Havering in beautiful grounds, serving the community of Stapleford Abbotts since 1887. We are a friendly and engaging school with strong connections amongst our local community. We offer a supportive and nurturing environment for our staff as well as enthusiastic and incredibly well-behaved pupils. Our mission statement is Success for all, and we trulybelieve that a team approach between staff, children and parents is the best way to educate children for their lives ahead. To find out more, please visit ourwebsite.

Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery currently has 198 pupils ranging from 3 - 11 years old. At Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery, we ensure every child receives a well-rounded education, develops a lifelong love of learning and achieves their best. Our latest Ofsted Report (Nov 2022) recognised that children in Nursery and Reception classes are immersed in language. We are at the heart of the local community. To find out more, visit ourwebsite.

About Kemnal Academies Trust

Kemnal Academies Trust is a group of schools with ambition for every child and pride in the communities we serve. We provide a broad and rich education that opens doors. Working together, we give every pupil the support and the skills they need to build a life of purpose, agency, and contribution.

Our ultimate aim is to ensure we drive educational standards through the provision of outstanding teaching, leadership, and learning for all. Our leaders focus on pupil progress and attainment, regularly sharing knowledge, insight, and experience across our family of schools. We believe passionately in the power of collaborative working and actively promote school-to-school support because when we work together, every child benefits.

A Culture of Belonging: Equity, Inclusion & Diversity

Belonging is of utmost importance to us. We strive to create an atmosphere where everyone feels welcomed and respected, where expectations are high, and genuine support is provided. Here, colleagues are trusted to lead, contribute, and grow in alignment with our mission. At Kemnal Academies Trust, we are committed to Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, and Belonging. We embrace and celebrate differences, value individual experiences, aspirations, and achievements, and continuously learn how to grow better together. We actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, as we know diversity strengthens our community and drives us forward.

Flexible Working -Kemnal Academies Trust recognises the value of enabling our employees to develop their career while balancing their commitments and interests outside of work. We actively promote flexible working practices and opportunities to support a positive work-life balance.

Application Details & Next Steps -Interview dates for this role are listed in the key vacancy details above; please ensure you hold this date in your diary when applying. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early should we receive a high volume of applications, so early submission is encouraged.

Be Who You Are: Interview & Workplace Adjustments- Should you be selected and invited to interview, please let us know if you require us to adapt the recruitment process to enable you to participate fully. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments within both the recruitment process and the workplace to support every candidate.

Safeguarding & Safer Recruitment -Kemnal Academies Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all colleagues to share this commitment. All successful candidates will be subject to statutory safer recruitment checks prior to appointment. These include, but are not limited to, an Enhanced DBS check with Children's Barred List check, online searches (in line with KCSIE guidelines), identity and right-to-work verification, reference checks, relevant qualification/prohibition checks, and overseas checks where applicable. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended), certain spent convictions and cautions are 'protected' and do not need to be disclosed.

Information about the School

Heybridge Primary School currently has 396 pupils ranging from 4 – 11 years.

We have a bright modern building, which is well equipped and is set within unusually generous grounds with playing fields and gardens. We are acknowledged as a friendly school within our local community and benefit from easy access to local amenities.

In December 2012 we converted to Academy status and became part of the highly prestigious Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT). The School shares good links with other primary and secondary schools in the Maldon area, so can provide wider learning experiences and networking opportunities with our neighbours and also schools within the TKAT family.