West House School is seeking a skilled, hands-on all-year round Caretaker to start as soon as possible. You will play a pivotal role in ensuring our buildings, grounds and facilities remain safe, secure and welcoming every day. The ideal candidate will be a proactive and friendly individual with the skills to organise and prioritise their workload, deliver excellent customer service for staff, pupils and external contractors, and be adaptable and flexible. We are looking for someone that can work independently but work promptly and effectively. A full, clean driving licence would be highly desirable, along with qualifications and experience in lifting, manual handling, working at height, and operating standard facilities machinery.

Job Description

Reporting to: Bursar

Key tasks:

Caretaking 

The role holder will be required to carry out all regular caretaking jobs around the school, including:

• General upkeep, maintenance and safety of the school premises. 
• Responsible for taking a proactive approach to the upkeep of the school premises to ensure that West House is a welcoming and attractive site. 
• Carrying out statutory testing and checks on a regular basis, such as fire alarms, fire extinguishers, fire safety, meter readings and water checks
• Undertake work promptly and effectively as directed after receipt of maintenance request; and respond or escalate, to ensure a safe working environment for all on site. 
• Act as a keyholder: Locking up the school, securing the school windows, doors, gates and alarms. Responding to incidents when school alarms are triggered and attending the school site as necessary
• Ensuring hazards are dealt with immediately wherever possible
• Distributing deliveries in a timely manner
• Moving furniture and other items, with assistance where required
• Looking after the school’s tools and equipment, completing checks and training where relevant
• Carrying out safety audits and risk assessments as required
• Communicating with and escorting contractors on site
• Emptying playground bins and collecting rubbish from around the site
• Assisting with preparation for school or lettings events; moving chairs, erecting staging. 

Maintenance

The School requires the role holder to be able to carry out basic, routine maintenance jobs, with assistance from external contractors as advised by the Bursar:

• Painting, decorating and wood staining rooms and furniture around the school and grounds as required. 
• Maintaining all fencing including the perimeter fencing around all-weather playing surfaces. 
• Programming and maintaining the school’s heating, radiator and boiler systems
• Carrying out any other general maintenance and repairs. 

Grounds

The role holder will be required to assist the Grounds Person on occasion with grounds and gardening jobs, including:

• Cutting and treating of lawns, grassed areas and onsite playing fields, using hand operated and ride on mowers and strimmers. 
• Carrying out low-level seasonal pruning and basic gardening as required
• Raking gravel areas
• Maintaining artificial surface pitches including weekly raking
• Clearing and maintaining the area to the front of the school buildings
• Assisting with the maintenance of the Forest School area in consultation with the Forest School team

Vehicles (dependent on qualifications and driving licence)

Depending on qualifications and licence, the role holder may be required to move minibuses around the site and occasionally drive children in the minibus to other locations to assist the other minibus drivers.

• Occasionally driving the minibuses on a regular basis for shuttle journeys, sports fixtures, school trips and swimming lessons as required
• Carrying out minibus safety checks weekly and prior to taking the minibus out if required. 

General

West House School is a small school. The role holder will be expected to be flexible and carry out any other duties as reasonably instructed by the Bursar, Headmaster or any other senior member of staff. In general, they will be expected to:

• Work effectively as part of a wider school team and to promote the smooth running and efficiency of the Bursar’s department and caretaking of the school.
• Work within the agreed framework of the school’s policies and procedures.
• Attend staff meetings, staff development and training as appropriate to your position.
• Carry out such other duties which will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the department and the school.
• Liaise with outside agencies as appropriate.
• Keep all information regarding the school, pupils and staff completely confidential at all times.

This job description is not exhaustive. Other tasks and responsibilities may be allocated as necessary and reasonable from time to time. 

• A good command of the English language
• First Aid training, or willingness to undertake training at start of employment
• Experience of working in a caretaking/grounds/maintenance role
• Knowledge of health and safety requirements relating to caretaking e.g. COSHH, manual handling, working at height, etc.
• Proven ability to work as a member of a team
• Ability to prioritise and carry out specific request in a timely manner
• Ability to work on own initiative
• Ability to communicate well with all stakeholders both verbally and in writing
• A flexible and self-motivated attitude
• A willingness to undertaken training and development as required
• Willingness to promote and support the school's aims, ethos, safeguarding policies and procedures

Desirable

• Educated to GCSE level (or equivalent) including Maths and English at grade C or above
• Facilities management qualification
• Full, clean driving licence with own vehicle
• Minibus driving either as part of driving licence or separate qualification
• Experience of working in a school

Type of position: Permanent, all-year round.

Salary: £13.54 - £14.03 per hour according to experience.

Hours of Work:

Monday to Friday: 10.30am to 6.15pm with a 30-minute unpaid break each day
A total of 36 hours and 15 minutes. There is opportunity for a split shift if appropriate.

(During school holiday periods, the hours will be adjusted to 9.30am to 5.15pm)

Holidays: 22 days annual leave plus bank holidays, to be taken during school holiday and shut down periods.

Benefits: Eligible for discount on school fees for pupils at West House School Nursery, West House School (for boys) and Edgbaston High School for Girls (subject to normal admissions procedures), eligible to join a Contributory Pension Scheme, free lunch and refreshments, free parking, Employee Assistance Programme including Wider Wallet discount scheme, Bike2Work scheme, enhanced Maternity scheme.

Start date: As soon as possible.

West House School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All successful candidates will be required to undergo all statutory checks including an enhanced DBS check. A copy of the Recruitment, Selection and Disclosure Policy is available on the website.  

This post involves working with children and is exempt from the Rehabilitation of the Offenders Act 1974 and all subsequent amendments. All convictions, police cautions or “bind overs”, including any that would otherwise be considered “spent” under the Act must be disclosed, and will be taken into account in deciding whether to make an appointment.