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Grounds Worker - Full-time

Five Acre Wood School, Maidstone

  • Ref:KCC886-7056-428S
  • Posted:18/01/2023
  • Pay:KR6 £23,143 inc. FAW Allowance
  • Start Date:TBC
  • App Close Date:01/02/2023 at 10:00
  • Interviews:TBC

Advert

We are looking for a Grounds Worker to join our school. The successful candidate will someone who takes pride in providing a clean, secure, safe and healthy environment for pupils, staff and visitors.  

Five Acre Wood School is based over three sites in the Maidstone area.  This role is primarily based at the Loose site, but duties will also be carried out across all sites.  

Primary purpose of the role:

To upkeep and maintain all external areas and facilities of the school including grass, shrubs, trees, path ways, hard standing, play surfaces, equipment, play equipment, fence lines and gates.

Essential for the post:

Previous grounds work experience or understanding of.

Full UK driver’s license.

Very good level of physical fitness to cope with the requirements of the role.

The successful candidate will be reliable, proactive and responsible for providing a high level of quality workmanship ensuring the grounds, facilities and gardens of the school are maintained to a high standard and are in a good, safe condition for school use.

Desirable requirements include:

MPTC Pesticides PA1, PA6 Spraying License and/or Level 2 NVQ in Horticulture.

Grounds related qualification / accreditation.

Knowledge and experience in relevant areas of health and safety, in particular COSHH would be advantageous.

Reporting to the Facilities Manager your key responsibilities will include (but are not limited to):

Undertake routine preparation and maintenance work on sports facilities and surfaces. Undertake all preparatory and cultivation work to maintain safe quality playing surfaces.

Carry out daily spot checks of all areas of the grounds, acting on defects and reporting concerns.

Recording of health and safety checks, to include perimeter fencing, equipment and play equipment.

Daily clearing of all grounds (to include car park and playground), to include rubbish collection and clearing, debris and animal foul removal, and sweeping.  Use of relevant machinery.

Maintain grass areas and field to include mowing and strimming around curriculum hours.

Maintenance of hedges, verge areas, entrance, clearing of brambles, and general site tidiness.

Maintain fences, ensuring painting and staining is up to date.

Jet wash path ways and hard standing as required, ensuring surfaces are safe and slip free.

Ensure wooden structures and benches are maintained and weather proof.

All outside facilities maintained in a tidy and good working order, including play equipment, sand and bark areas.

Create and review an annual plan to improve the school site – submit to Facilities Manager and SBM for approval.

Snow clearing and grounds preparation in all extreme weather conditions.  Flexibility of hours will be required to ensure the site is safe and clear from snow and ice during extreme weather (early start).

Ensure the site is looking attractive and welcoming.

Please see attached job description for a full range of duties.

Information about the school

Five Acre Wood is a successful outward looking and expanding Special School based over 4 sites in and around Maidstone, Kent. We are one of the largest special schools in the country with over 800 pupils on roll aged 2-19 years with profound, severe and complex needs.

Our ‘Outstanding’ school will continue to expand and we are looking for people with a positive approach to join us who share our vision of ‘Only the best will do’ for all our students and staff. We are a Teaching School and part of a collaborative alliance with other special schools. We have been awarded The Schools Wellbeing Award for pupils and staff which demonstrates we really value our people and want to work with them to fulfil their career ambitions.

In addition to your salary, FAW allowance and pension benefits, we have excellent additional staff benefits including:

Confidential staff counselling service A wellbeing app and platform A range of staff social and well-being events Annual flu vaccinations

Sometimes words cannot explain how something really is, we would encourage you to view the links below:

We hold an annual music festival for our pupils, it gives them the opportunity experience something they may not ordinarily be able to access. You can see it here.

Woodstock 2023 – Woodstock 2023 Festival at Five Acre Wood School - YouTube

Woodstock 2022 - Woodstock 2022 Festival at Five Acre Wood Schools - YouTube

Woodstock 2019 - Five Acre Wood School's "Woodstock 2019" - Amazing Festival in a Day! (Longer Film) - YouTube

We produced our own songs and music videos, you can watch them here: -

Beautiful – Five Acre Wood School featuring Taryn Charles - Youtube

Five Acre Wood School Featuring Jack Rose - Hall Of Fame - YouTube

Don’t Give Up – Nathan Grisdale and Five Acre Wood School - YouTube

We look forward to hearing from you.

Five Acre Wood is committed to the safeguarding of all its pupils, you will therefore be subject to an enhanced disclosure process. As part of our responsibility for safeguarding, in addition to the Kent policy of one employment and one personal reference, the school will request additional employment references. The school will also, as outlined in Keeping children Safe in Education 2022, complete an online search for shortlisted candidates.

Job Contact Information

  • Name:Nicola Devereux
  • Address:Boughton Lane, Maidstone , Kent, ME15 9QF
  • Telephone: (01622) 743925
  • Email: hr@five-acre.kent.sch.uk

Fax: 01622 744828

Documents

Below are documents that have been added to this vacancy.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our students. You are advised that this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and therefore this post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Please be aware that schools are also required to undertake online recruitment checks on shortlisted candidates under changes to Keeping Children Safe in Education.