Job Description

Groundsperson/Duty Caretaker - Required for Immediate Start

(closing date for applications 14th March 2025)

Local Government Salary Scale:

Scale 5 Point 9-12 equating to £12.02 - £12.70 per hour (£23,194 - £24,496 pa full-time equivalent)

The Sweyne Park School is the lead school in the Rayleigh Schools Trust and works with a local primary school, providing a 0 - 19 educational experience for the local community. We are looking for a full-time, permanent weekday Groundsperson/Duty Caretaker who may have a variety of skills to assist with the day-to-day operation of the school. The role is a physical one involving the effective maintenance of the school grounds/site including maintenance of lawns, pitches and flowerbeds, lifting, moving furniture etc, navigating stairs and a lot of movement around the site, any prospective applicant should ensure that they can fulfil this requirement. The current Premises Team includes duty caretakers, groundsman, project staff, lettings, evening and weekend staff.

Duties:

· Maintain all lawns, grass areas, including pitches, except for the school playing fields. This will involve cutting, strimming, turfing, fertilising, maintaining pitches and marking/over marking pitches for all games and sports as required by the PE Department
· Maintain all flowerbeds to include digging, weeding, planting and pruning as required and keeping litter free
· Maintain all perimeter hedging and trees
· Keep all pathways and roadways clear of soil and weeds
· Store machinery, equipment and chemicals safely
· Assist with erection, removal and storage of all football, hockey and rugby posts
· Maintain sand pits e.g., filling and raking
· Maintain/sweep Astro
· Maintain and paint line markings around the site e.g., for parking, edging of steps etc.
· Plan own schedule of work with input from Facilities Manager
· Assist site staff with Duty Caretaking duties as required e.g.:-

• Carry duty phone when carrying out Duty Caretaker role
• External gate unlocking/locking routine
• Opening up of school and checking of fire doors
• Organising the filling of bins/recycling
• Dealing with toilet blockages
• Porterage of deliveries
• Supervision of contractors
• Setting up/taking down for assemblies/exams/lettings
• Litter picking and bin emptying
• Logging of tasks and defects
• Checking of swimming pool chemicals

General:

· Participate in the performance and development review process and undertake any training required

· Comply with individual responsibilities in accordance with the role

· Experience of grounds/caretaking and/or buildings maintenance/security

· Ability to undertake DIY tasks

· Excellent organisational skills

· Ability to remain calm under pressure and to manage time effectively with a flexible approach

· Ability to establish rapport and respectful and trusting relationships with others

· Meet with Line Manager(s)

The duties outlined above are neither exclusive or exhaustive and may be varied to meet the changing demands of the school at the reasonable direction of the Headteacher.

Personal skills include:

· The ability to work both independently and as part of a team

· The ability to maintain a professional rapport with all stakeholders

· Effective communication skills

· The ability to adapt to change, respond positively to challenges and a willingness to learn

· Resilience and a sense of humour

· Flexibility to cover holidays/sickness as required

Expectations:

· Ability to carry out all of the roles required

· Flexibility and team sprit to provide a top-class grounds/premises service to Sweyne Park School and Rayleigh Schools Trust

· A code of conduct is required to be observed with regard to pupils

· Acquisition of new skills and availability to attend training is essential

· Dress should remain appropriate to maintain a professional image (uniform provided)

· The ability to follow procedure is important both with and without supervision

· Regular operating duties (see separate sheets) take precedence, the priority of other tasks is decided on by discussion with the Management structure

· The smooth running of the school as a place in which children learn safely and effectively will always drive priority of what needs to be done. The premises team is here to serve those needs

Staff Development:

Support is offered to develop the effectiveness of the Premises Team. Training may include:

· Initial Induction and Safeguarding training

· Training courses as required

Pay - Working Structure
· A working week will be 30 hours (32.5 on site which includes a 30-minute unpaid break) over 5 days
· Flexibility on the normal shift pattern is required

Overtime will be required to cover holidays and sickness as necessary. Additional hours or variation to working hours may be required to cover other staff holidays, sickness and special events. Being part of the Emergency and Alarm Call Rota is also required.

There is a generous holiday entitlement along with a good pension scheme and employer contribution.

If you believe that you fit our criteria, we will look forward to receiving your application by 14th March 2025. To obtain further information please contact Andrea Twomey on 01268 784721 or via email at atwomey@sweynepark.com.

The Sweyne Park School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment. The successful applicant's appointment will be subject to satisfactory references and an enhanced clearance by the Disclosure & Barring Service.

We reserve the right to withdraw this advert prior to the closing date in the event that a suitable candidate is identified before that date.

Information about the School

Welcome to The Sweyne Park School, we are a larger than average mixed, 11-18 comprehensive school. The School became an academy on 1st April 2013 and opened its Sixth Form in September 2014.

Our school is a safe and happy environment and central to our school is a belief in respect - respect for yourself, respect for others and respect for the environment. We believe that our focus on respect leads to high expectations and excellent discipline, and this in turn leads to the highest possible achievement for each individual pupil. In December 2018 we were the first Secondary School in the East of England to achieve the prestigious Rights Respecting Gold Award.

At Sweyne Park we are determined to provide first class teaching and learning for all our pupils. This aim is supported by our commitment to recruiting and retaining the very best staff, and our nationally recognised programme of staff training. We do our utmost to ensure our pupils achieve strong examination results and progress on to high quality destinations. We provide a broad and balanced academic curriculum with a wide range of cultural, artistic, sporting and social opportunities. We are committed to very strong partnerships between home, school and community members. We believe that the whole community can contribute to motivating and supporting pupils’ progress. In October 2017, the Sweyne Park School and Glebe Primary formed a Multi-Academy Trust, the Rayleigh Schools Trust (“The RST”).