Gardener & Grounds Assistant - (Part Time - 20 Hrs per week)

Gardener & Grounds Assistant – (Part Time - 20 Hours per week)

(Leading independent, co-educational boarding and day school - Bloxham, North Oxfordshire)

To work as part of the Grounds team to principally undertake gardening duties of the grounds and support the grounds staff when required.

Duties include;

• Lawn maintenance and cultivation.
• Soil cultivation, digging, forking, mulching, watering, raking, weeding, edging, pruning, seed sowing, bed preparation and planting.
• Undertake routine maintenance work of surfaces and landscapes.
• Use and maintain hand tools and basic light machinery and plant.
• Possible requirement to drive vehicles and equipment as required for the grounds operations.
• Help keep the tool store clean and tidy.
• Identify and recommend improvements to work systems, staff and machinery utilisation.
• Build and maintain good communication with other staff, students and visitors whilst responding politely to any enquiries.
• Report any mechanical defects or damage to equipment to Grounds Manager.
• To assist when required on any major school events eg. Founderstide with maintenance and site team.
• To be aware of health and safety requirements.

Qualifications/ Skills/ Experience

Essential:

• Good knowledge of plant care within formal settings
• Proven experience of lawn care
• A horticulture qualification
• Good level of general secondary education
• Clean driving license
• Flexible approach
• Good understanding of Health and Safety legislation
• Able to work unsupervised and as part of a team
• Well organized and capable of prioritizing work

Desirable:

• Experience of working within an education setting
• First Aid Qualification
• PA1 PA6 Spraying certificate
• RHS Qualification Level 3 or above
• Previous training in manual handling

Working Hours:

• 20 hours over 4 or 5 days per week.
• Normal working hours 8am to 12noon 5 days per week or 8am to 1:30pm 4 days per week (including 30 mins unpaid lunch break)

Salary and Conditions:

• Salary £10,764 per annum @ £10.35 per hour. Additional hours worked over and above contracted hours are paid as overtime
• 25 days’ holiday per annum (pro-rated) plus statutory bank holidays (or days off in lieu); up to 5 days may be designated over the Christmas/New Year closedown
• Free school lunches when on duty
• Membership of school’s defined benefit pension scheme with a maximum of 5% employer contribution
• You will be required to attend safeguarding training at the school on 31^st August 2017.

Start Date: 4^th September 2017

If you have the relevant skills and experience and are interested in this opportunity, please apply ASAP.

*PLEASE NOTE – by applying to this position, you agree for your CV to be submitted to our client, who shall contact you directly, should your application make their short-list