Job Introduction

Westminster School has a 10-acre playing field at Vincent Square, the largest square in Central London, which allows for pupils to engage in sport close to the School. The playing field is comprised of cricket pitches, football pitches, along with tennis courts of both and tarmac and artificial grass surfaces. In addition, there is an activity area with apparatus which are used by the pupils who attend Westminster Under School.

The grounds staff at Westminster School are expected to maintain the School’s playing surfaces and surrounding areas to the highest of standards, under the supervision of the Head Groundsperson.

Role Responsibility

• Undertake grounds maintenance duties (e.g. grass cutting, hedge trimming, strimming, weeding, tractor operation, ride-on and pedestrian machinery).
• Undertake initial marking and overmarking of sports areas (football pitches, cricket squares and athletic tracks etc.).
• Maintain artificial / synthetic playing areas.
• Undertake horticultural operations (e.g. ground preparation, planting, turfing, seeding and pruning)
• Undertake the erection, dismantling and maintenance of sports equipment.
• In the absence of the Head Groundsperson, liaise closely with games staff and external parties to ensure the availability of sports pitches and equipment.
• Arrange the correct provision of sports kits for the various teams, via liaison with the school’s Site Services.
• Ensure the highest standards of works are achieved in a timely and efficient manner.
• Provide effective materials and machinery management to ensure all equipment is correctly stored and maintained.
• Ensure the security of equipment, machinery, and buildings.
• Maintain cleanliness and general tidiness of all internal / external areas.
• Clear leaves, snow, ice, moss, and detritus as appropriate, including treatment of surfaces with salt etc.
• Report of any minor works issues through the chain of command.
• Supervise the weekly inspections of the activity play equipment.
• Assist, when necessary, with the erection and maintenance of school equipment.
• In the absence of the Head Groundsperson, be the point of contact for all visitors and staff.
• Maintain good communications with stake holders.
• Ensure vehicles and equipment used by the team are regularly maintained in accordance with routine operating requirements and recorded with any defects reported to the Head Groundsperson in a timely manner.
• Adhere to Health & Safety requirements, complying with current legislation and the School’s Health and Safety Policy.
• Carry out regular stock checks of consumables and replace where required.
• Ensure the safe use, storage, calibration and disposal of pesticides and other similar substances.
• Use the irrigation system, when required, to maintain the grass sports pitches to optimum condition.
• Promote the health and safety of others, responding to emergencies where possible.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with managers, colleagues, and end users.
• Make recommendations, where possible, to the Head Groundsperson regarding improved work systems, labour, and machinery utilisation.

This job description is written at a specific time and is subject to change as the demands of Westminster School and as the role develops. The role requires flexibility and adaptability, and the employees of the School need to be aware that they may be asked to perform tasks and be given responsibilities not detailed in this job description. Any changes to the job description will be discussed with the postholder before being implemented.

Line Manager

The Deputy Head Groundsperson is line managed by the Head Groundsperson and reports directly to them.

Hours of Work

This is a full-time role, equating to 37.5 hours per week, including a requirement to work Saturdays on rotation (equating to 13 Saturdays to be worked per year).

Hours worked in addition to those above will be paid at the standard overtime rates.  All overtime must be approved in advance by the Head Groundsperson.

The Ideal Candidate

Please refer to the below (attached) person specification.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation.

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Westminster School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Package Description

Required for: as soon as possible

Location: Vincent Square, Westminster School

Contract: Permanent, full time

Salary: £34,000 per annum

Additional benefits:

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays and discretionary Christmas stand-down period. Leave should be taken when convenient with the workload and deadlines
• Pension – Contributory Defined Contribution Scheme
• Free school lunch is provided
• Use of School gym (restricted hours)
• Private medical cover (opt-in)

The deadline for applications is midday, Thursday 4th July 2024. Interviews will take place w/c Monday 8th July 2024.

About the School

Working at Westminster

Westminster School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of 750 pupils, 120 teaching staff and 108 support staff.

Westminster School is friendly and welcoming, and all newcomers quickly become part of the rhythm of life here.

There is a real sense of community here as, being a boarding school many members of staff and pupils live on site and the School’s premises are very much treated as a home away from home. School life starts before breakfast and continues way beyond the working day; as a result, there is always a lively atmosphere in and around School and always someone to share a tea and biscuit with in the Common Room. Support staff as much as teaching staff are encouraged to embrace the School’s day-to-day activities, whether that be attending an evening concert or a morning service in the Abbey.

At Westminster we will always select the best candidate for every position. We do know, however, that we can only truly choose the best person on every occasion if a broad and diverse pool of candidates see the job advertised and are encouraged to apply.

As such, we continue to work on how our job roles are encountered, and particularly welcome applications from groups who have traditionally been underrepresented here.

Westminster School is for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. We hope you are encouraged to apply.

The School

Westminster School is a selective day and boarding school for boys aged 13 to 18 and girls aged 16 to 18. There are approximately 360 boys in the Lower School (Years 9 to 11) and 400 boys and girls in the Upper School (Years 12 and 13). One quarter of the pupils board, and the School is structured and run as a boarding school, with an extended day and week and a strong House-based system of pastoral welfare, for boarding and day pupils alike.

Westminster is an ancient school, whose origins can be traced to a charity school established by the Benedictine monks of Westminster Abbey. Its continuous existence is certain from the early 14th century. Henry VIII personally ensured the School’s survival by statute and Elizabeth I, who confirmed royal patronage in 1560, is celebrated as the School’s foundress. Westminster is rare amongst long-established schools in remaining on its original site in the centre of London. Its proximity to Parliament and Westminster Abbey, and the use of the Abbey for its chapel, together with the stimulating diversity of the South Bank and West End, account in part for its special atmosphere and outlook.

The School is one of the foremost centres of academic excellence both in this country and internationally. Central to its academic ethos is the dialogue between teachers and their pupils, whether in the classroom or in tutorials, inspiring enjoyment of intellectual enquiry, debate and search for explanation and the development of skills of rational, independent thought well beyond any standard examination syllabus. The desired environment is happy, busy and purposeful; the pupils are intellectually, socially, ethically and politically engaged, with plenty of opportunities to develop initiatives and to articulate and defend their views, in line with the enduring values of the liberal tradition reflected in the School’s Charter. That tradition is fully committed also to the nurture of each pupil’s spiritual, moral, emotional and physical development and wellbeing – with a particular emphasis on drawing out individual talent wherever it lies - and to the preparation of young people for fulfilled private and public lives beyond School.

Westminster School