AMCIS:championingexcellence
This past year has marked continued growth and strategic development for AMCIS, reaffirming our role as a leading voice in admissions, marketing, and communications across the independent school sector. Membership has risen to almost 600 schools, supported by 43 valued corporate members—reflecting the growing trust in AMCIS as a sector leader.
We said goodbye to Tory Gillingham who retired in summer 2025 after over 21 tireless years as AMCIS CEO—grown from humble beginnings, her legacy is a strong, thriving association and we thanked her for her dedication with a special Lifetime Achievement AMCIS IMPACT Award. Oliver Smith joined us as CEO in June and immediately went out ‘on the road’ to meet members across the country.
In the rest of the team Ruth Kerr and Angela Dudley Warde joined us in the new roles of part-time Digital Communications Officer and Corporate Member Manager respectively. Naomi Chambers joined as Office Administrator, succeeding Sarah Thompson, whose contributions we gratefully acknowledge.
Professional development remains central to our mission. The AMCIS Diploma in Schools Admissions Management remains in high demand, with two fully subscribed courses this year. Members continue to benefit from our one-day training sessions, advancing their continuous professional development.
Our flagship events set the tone for sector-wide discussion. The Admissions Conference welcomed 149 delegates, while the Prep School Seminar—run in partnership with IAPS—had 129 and delivered one of our strongest programmes to date. Our Annual Conference welcomed 265 delegates and was well supported by exhibitors and sponsors.
Peer learning continued to thrive through our popular ‘Bubble’ Networking Meetings, and our webinar series has tackled vital topics—from a successful AI series to an important session on image consent and data usage in schools. In person, we held five summer term regional lunches across the country, enabling meaningful connection and dialogue among members.
While there was an initial reduction in the number of vacancies advertised through AMCIS following the introduction of VAT on fees, we saw a recovery from February onwards. By mid July 2025, 313 roles were advertised, compared to 371 in the same period last year.
The association is in a healthy financial position and this year we implemented the Flagstone cash flow platform to manage short-term investments and operational costs more effectively, reinforcing our financial stability. As we move forward, AMCIS is well positioned to continue leading, connecting, and supporting schools in an evolving educational environment. Our mission remains clear: to help our members—and the wider sector—thrive by navigating change with confidence and clarity in admissions, marketing and communications.
Jennifer Hirst AMCIS Chair
2024/25
MEMBERSHIP
594 School members
668+ Diploma graduates At a
43 Corporate members
VACANCIES
313+
school admissions, marketing & communications vacancies have been advertised on the AMCIS jobs board this year
CPD WORKSHOPS
18 Online workshops delivered
16 topics
68 AMCIS diplomas awarded
AMCIS Diploma in School Admissions Management
AMCIS Diploma in Schools' Marketing
WEBINARS
3 Free webinars delivered 691 registrants
CONFERENCES & SEMINARS
8 In-person events delivered
AMCIS Admissions Conference delegates 149
AMCIS & IAPS Prep School Marketing Seminar delegates 129
AMCIS Annual Conference delegates 265
AMCIS Regional Lunches x5 attendees
121
SEPTEMBER
Online 'bubble' meetings for AMCIS members
AMCIS podcast episode 21
OCTOBER
WEBINAR - AI to Support Day to Day Work (1)
AMCIS diploma courses commence
NOVEMBER
AMCIS Admissions Conference
Online 'bubble' meetings for AMCIS members
AMCIS podcast episodes 22 & 23
WEBINAR AI in 2024 & Beyond (1)
DECEMBER
JANUARY
AMCIS & IAPS Prep School Marketing Seminar (2)
CPD workshops
Online 'bubble' meetings for AMCIS members
AMCIS podcast episode 24
FEBRUARY
MARCH
CPD workshops
AMCIS IMPACT Awards - shortlist announced
Online 'bubble' meetings for AMCIS members
AMCIS podcast episode 25
APRIL
CPD workshops
Online 'bubble' meetings for AMCIS members
WEBINAR Taking, Storing & Using Images of Children (3)
MAY
AMCIS Annual Conference
AMCIS Annual General Meeting
AMCIS IMPACT Awards - winners announced
CPD workshops
JUNE
Regional Networking Lunches
CPD workshops
Online 'bubble' meetings for AMCIS members
AMCIS podcast episodes 26 & 27
JULY /AUGUST
A complete solution for your business!
CPD workshops
Online 'bubble' meetings for AMCIS members
’Behind the scenes’ strategy & planning
In collaboration with:
1.Marketing Advisers for Schools
2.Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS)
3.The Independent Schools’ Bursars Association (ISBA)
"This was BRILLIANT... experience and delivery was spot on and she really held the room."
"Excellent talk and take aways.”
"Programme
was excellent - good variety and great speakers and panel seminars."
SPEAKERS
55+
Conference, seminar & webinar speakers
8 CPD trainers
22 Podcast interviewees
“Lots of take-away advice and a real feeling of not being alone...”
“The content was very relevant to the current climate and it was valuable to meet other independent school marketers.”
The winning schools in the AMCIS 2025 IMPACT Awards were announced at a special awards ceremony hosted by AMCIS chair Jennifer Hirst (right) and immediate past chair David Milner (left).
The winning schools were: Ackworth School, Bedford Modern School, Dame Allen’s School, Hymer’s College, Ibstock School, Malvern College, and St Mary’s School, Hampstead. Tory Gillingham was awarded a special Lifetime Achievement award for contribution and service to the independent school ssector.
Above - representatives of the winning schools together with David Milner, Jennifer Hirst, and Lifetime Achievement AMCIS IMPACT Award winner Tory Gillingham.
The IMPACT Awards are our way of acknowledging the professional development and practice of AMCIS members, and the positive impact of well-executed admissions, marketing and communications on our member schools.
Read all about our 2025 winners and their winning projects
The AMCIS Team
L-R: Rachel Kerr, Communications Manager; Naomi Chambers, Office Administrator; Lucy Mason, Recruitment & Finance Manager; Tory Gillingham, retiring CEO; Melissa Huntsman, Events & Training Manager; Angela Dudley Warde, Corporate Member Manager; Ruth Kerr, Digital Communications Officer; new CEO Oliver Smith.
Tory Gillingham retired as CEO, following over 21 years in the role. Before leaving, Tory completed a handover period with her successor, Oliver Smith, who joined AMCIS in June 2025 During 2024/25 we also appointed Naomi Chambers as Office Administrator, following the resignation of Sarah Thompson, and welcomed Ruth Kerr and Angela Dudley Warde to the newly created roles of Digital Communications Officer and Corporate Member Manager respectively. Our thanks and best wishes to both Tory and Naomi.
The AMCIS Board of Directors
At the AGM in May, David Milner stepped down from the Board and role of Joint Chair, leaving Jennifer Hirst as sole Chair Laura Chell was voted successor, as Treasurer, to Jenny Dinning, who also leaves the Board along with longstanding director Claire Schofield Our thanks to David, Claire and Jenny for their years of dedication and support
Many thanks to (L-R) David Milner, Claire Schofield and Jenny Dinning who served on the AMCIS Board.
