Caretaker
Downend School, Bristol, BS16 6XA13 days remaining to apply
Job start date
24 June 2026
Closing date
7 July 2026 at 9am
Date listed
24 June 2026
Job details
Job role
- Catering, cleaning and site management
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- CSET 12 £25,185 FTE, £9,869 prorated
Caretaker job summary
Job title: Caretaker
Hours: 14.5 per week
Working days: Thursday (12pm-7.30pm) & Friday (12pm-7pm)
Salary: CSET 12 £25,185 FTE, £9,869 prorated
Location: Downend School
About the role
We are looking for a handy, practical Caretaker to join our dedicated, friendly team on a part time contract.
In this role, you’ll be the go-to person keeping our school safe, welcoming and running smoothly for our pupils and staff. Working closely with our School Operations Manager, your main duties will include:
- General DIY & Maintenance: Handling everyday repairs, fixing fixtures, and taking care of basic plumbing, electrics, or carpentry tasks.
- Security & Keyholding: locking up the school buildings, setting alarms, and making sure the site is secure.
- Grounds & Safety Checks: Doing daily walks to check the building, clearing drains, managing grit/snow in the winter, and running simple safety checks (like fire alarms and water testing).
- Supervising & Helping Out: Keeping an eye on external contractors or cleaners, moving furniture around when needed, and stepping in to help keep things clean and tidy.
About You
You don’t need a background in education to succeed here—we are looking for reliable tradespeople, handypersons, or DIY enthusiasts who take pride in a job well done.
The successful candidate will:
- have solid experience or skills in building maintenance, plumbing, electrics, gardening, or cleaning. A specific trade qualification is a great bonus, but not essential.
- Be energetic, motivated, and completely comfortable working on your own initiative without someone looking over your shoulder.
- Be approachable, friendly, and ready to build good working relationships with school staff and the wider trust team.
- have a sensible approach to health and safety, and you're comfortable following straightforward safety procedures.
- be suitable to work around children and young people (the successful candidate will undergo an enhanced DBS check).
About us
At Downend School we provide a safe, supportive and challenging learning environment that aims to inspire and empower young people to grasp opportunity; to reach their potential and excel; to develop responsibility and integrity and to respect themselves and others.
We have a strong ethos based on our core PRIDE values of participation, respect, identity, determination and excellence. We set standards high and aim to nurture young people who are well equipped to become active and positive members of the school community and to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in a time of rapid change.
We are proud of the care and support we offer our students. We strongly believe in the value of creating a friendly and caring school community where youngsters feel a sense of belonging and feel valued and respected. Happy and motivated students will flourish and become successful young people. Above all, Downend is a happy school.
We can offer you:
- A supportive trust and school community
- Strong collaboration across the trust family of schools and access to a centralised team of specialists across all areas of school operations
- A commitment to high‑quality CPD, with dedicated time and budget for your development
- A values‑driven ethos where diversity, equity and inclusion are lived every day
- Recognition of continuous service (modification order) to protect employment rights and entitlements
- Local Authority Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions and death‑in‑service cover
- Occupational sick pay to support you during illness or unexpected emergencies
- Family‑friendly leave packages to help maintain a healthy work–life balance
In order to apply for this role please complete an application form by 9am, 7th July. Interviews will take place the week after the close date. Please let us know if you require any adjustments as part of the process.
Further details and additional information about our school may be viewed on our website.
Please know that depending on the number of applications received we may decide to close the advert early. If you do not hear from us by a week after the closing date then please assume that you have not been shortlisted for an interview. If you have previously applied for this role there is no requirement to apply again, all applications will be reviewed. We wish you all the best in your future and ask that you join our E-Teach Talent Pool so as to keep up to date with all of our latest current opportunities.
Join us in Providing a Great Education for Every Child
CSET is committed to equal opportunities and encourages applicants from all backgrounds and communities, as we recognise the importance and benefit this has for our students.
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
CSET is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful candidates are subject to child protection screening appropriate to the post, which will include an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check for the children’s workforce and a Children’s Barred List check.
Applying for the job
This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
View advert on external website (opens in new tab)About Downend School
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- School size
- 1429 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Downend School website
Downend School is an exciting and vibrant learning community where every student is supported to achieve their absolute best and every member of teaching and support staff play their part in creating this ethos. We are proud of the exciting curriculum, outstanding pastoral care and excellent opportunities for enrichment that Downend School provides.
Downend School is situated in leafy South Gloucestershire, but is less than 25 minutes away from the heart of the cosmopolitan vibrancy of Bristol City Centre. We offer the benefits not only of working in an exciting and supportive school, but also from being part of Castle School Education Trust.
School location
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