Gardener & Site Team Operative

Start date: As soon as possible

Working Pattern: Friday 9am - 5pm & Saturday 8:15am - 4:15pm (30 min unpaid break)

Responsible to: Commercial & Facilities Manager

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join Cheltenham Bournside School as a Gardener & Site Team Operative. We are looking to appoint a Gardener to join our Site Team.

You will support the school’s gardening and landscaping work, focusing on keeping the grounds maintained to a high standard throughout the year.

You will be working two shifts each week, typically on Friday and Saturday. There may be some flexibility to work a different weekday instead of Friday, alongside the Saturday shift.

This is an all year round role.

Job Description

Purpose

• To support the Commercial & Facilities Manager in leading all associated activities in order to best support the  school in achieving its strategic objectives.
• To support the school’s gardening and landscaping work, focusing on keeping the grounds maintained to a high standard throughout the year.
• To support the school’s maintenance programme, ensuring helpdesk tickets are resolved within the set SLAs.
• To promote the school’s aims and priorities, and to achieve targets in line with the school’s strategic framework and short-term priorities.
• To support the running of let facilities whilst on shift (only in the absence of the Sports Centre Receptionist/DutyManager), providing assistance and support to school facility users, promoting a customer-focused environment ,generating excellent public relations and customer care.

Overview of Key Responsibilities

• Responsible for the maintenance and presentation of the school’s smaller flower beds, planters and front of school entrance areas to create a welcoming environment for pupils, staff and visitors.
• During the growing season (typically Mar to Oct), carrying out regular weeding, edging, dead heading, pruning and general tidying of all designated planted areas to maintain a consistently high standard.
• Planning and implementing seasonal planting schemes for flower beds and entrance displays, working within agreed budget parameters.
• Maintaining healthy plant stock through appropriate watering, feeding and treatment for pests and disease ,accordance with COSHH regulations and the school’s health and safety policies, ensuring safe storage and disposal of all horticultural chemicals.
• Liaising with and supervising external grounds maintenance contractors when they are working on school site.
• Maintaining pathways, entrance areas and immediately adjacent hard surfaces in a clean and tidy condition, including sweeping, removing leaf fall, clearing moss and algae from paved areas.
• Carrying out regular trimming and shaping of hedges, shrubs and ornamental trees within the designated areas ,ensuring that growth does not obstruct signage, lighting, CCTV cameras, sightlines or pedestrian access routes.
• Proactively identifying opportunities to improve the visual amenity of the school’s front of house areas; including new planting, landscaping improvements or changes to seasonal displays that would enhance the school’s appearance and kerb appeal.
• Ensuring the safe and correct operation, regular cleaning and basic maintenance of all tools and equipment.
• Managing the collection, bagging and disposal of all green waste, ensuring correct segregation and disposal.
• Litter pick and empty bins around the school site.
• Working within the school’s health and safety framework at all times, adhering to relevant risk assessments, wearing appropriate personal protective equipment, and ensuring that operations do not create hazards for pupils, staff or members of the public during the school day.
• This role has key holder position responsibilities, in the absence of the Sports Centre Receptionist/DutyManager you will be required to open and closing of the facilities, ensuring security by activation of the alarm.

Site Team Operative

Specific responsibilities

• General maintenance and upkeep of the site and buildings, managing building/repair works including, internal fixtures, fittings and furniture; keeping appropriate records.
• As a key holder to respond to emergency call-outs in the event of fire damage, burglary, floods, snow or ice etc.
• Taking necessary steps for the security of the site from the start to the end of the school day.
• Assessing risks and taking all reasonable steps to restrict access to potential hazard
• Monitoring the site to ensure that all work areas are kept clear of obstruction, particularly those associated with fire escape routes.
• Ensuring that snow and ice are cleared in order to maintain entrance, exit and communication routes to all buildings for pedestrians and essential deliveries or emergency vehicles
• Opening and closing the school at times determined by the Commercial and Facilities Manager, including ensuring that the fire and intruder alarms are fully operational.
• Porterage/messenger duties both within and outside school premises.
• Movement of furniture and equipment around the school i.e. school events and assemblies.
• Setting out and marking of all sports pitches. Inspection of all goal posts and pitches. Painting and maintaining all posts (rugby, football and hockey).
• To drive the minibus, maintain the vehicle in a clean and tidy condition (internally and externally) and check oil,water and tyre pressures of the minibus.
• To undertake training as required.

Person Specification

Qualification

Essential:

• Good literacy and numeracy skills (GCSE and above orequivalent)

Desirable:

• Experience and working knowledge in gardening
• Experienced and proven record in carrying out general maintenance tasks to the required standard.
• Working knowledge of the application of Health and Safety legislation regarding general maintenance areas and safe systems of work or willing to undertake trainings courses that are required for the post.
• Computer literate and comfortable using Microsoft Office365 applications

Experience, understanding and knowledge

Essential: 

• Qualification in Horticulture/Gardening
• Experience of compliance monitoring in the workplace
• Qualified first aider

Desirable:

• Experience of working within a site team
• Experience of working in an education environment
• Knowledge of Safeguarding.
• An understanding of risk assessment.
• Lifting and handling course.
• Ability to work at heights and in a variety of different environments (hot, cold, humid, confined locations) as required.

Full, current driving licence.

If you would like to apply, please complete the online forms and email them via the email address to the right of this advert by the application deadline.