Caretaker

Solent Junior School, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO6 1HJ

33 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  Monday 5th January 2026 or earlier by mutual agreement

• Closing date

  20 November 2025 at 12pm (midday)

• Date listed

  18 October 2025

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: £501.00 - £436.00 Annually (FTE) 37 hours per week, (7am to 4pm 4 days per week and 7am to 12 noon 1 day per week – day tbc) 52 weeks

Caretaker job summary

Job details: Caretaker

Salary : Band 4 (£25,501 - £26,473 FTE) 37 hours per week,

(7am to 4pm 4 days per week and 7am to 12 noon

1 day per week - day tbc) 52 weeks a year

Contract : Permanent, Fulltime

Closing Date: Midday on Thursday 20th November 2025

Interview Date(s): Thursday 27th November 2025

Job Start Date: Monday 5th January 2026 (or sooner by agreement)

We are looking for a well organised, self-motivated person with a range of practical skills who likes a challenge, to join our friendly and approachable staff team. Both experienced and new to role would be welcome to apply given relevant skills. The Caretaker will report directly to the Head of School and Bursar. As well as undertaking general maintenance, you will assist in the day to day operational management, safety and security of the school site, along with accurate record keeping in line with compliance checks. Although you will primarily be based at Solent Junior School, there may also be the need to work across both the Solent School sites, with Solent Infant School.

The applicant would need to be practically minded and able to apply their skills to any areas required of a site team. The applicant may would also be required to undertake the occasional minibus driving duty transporting children to and from events. Experience of this is desirable although MIDAS training can be given. There may also be the need to be flexible to meet the needs of the school and support out of school events.

The successful candidate will:-

• Primarily manage the Solent Junior School school site, grounds and buildings including undertaking morning site inspection identifying any issues/risks

• Oversee general security for the site, arrange locking and unlocking of the premises and be a key holder

• Manage site utilisation during times that facilities are required, ensuring users special requirements are, as far as possible, met

• Line manage the cleaners, ensuring workloads are prioritised effectively assisting the team in times of absence/high need

• Maintain accurate paperwork in line with related administrative processes

• Arrange and supervise contractors on site

• Carry out regular compliance checks such as water, fire alarms, emergency lighting, fire extinguishers, visual checks of electrical equipment etc

• Undertake a range of repairs, maintenance and decoration which may include working at height

• Be flexible to meet the needs of the school and support out of school events

• Ensure that the highest standards of Health and Safety are maintained including undertaking regular training to ensure compliance with current legislation

• Know how to assess risk, reporting where necessary and taking remedial action

• Be required to drive the school minibus, transporting children to and from trips. Experience is desirable, although full training can be provided

• Ensure gullies, gutters, down pipes and drainage systems, including foul drains, are free from blockages, arranging maintenance where required whilst being mindful of Health and Safety Regulations.

• Undertake emergency cleaning during the school day where required due to accidents, illness, vandalism, building and equipment failure

• Operate and monitor the heating and plant throughout the school, carrying out frost protection procedures when required

• Ensure the boiler/plant room, site office and other designated areas of the school (identified through consultation with Head of School/Bursar) are kept clean and tidy

• Enjoy working in a child-centred environment taking pride in all aspects of their work to ensure our school buildings and grounds are maintained to a high standard

• Ensure that a high level of confidentiality and professionalism is maintained

Visits to our school are warmly welcomed and encouraged. To arrange a convenient date and time please contact Tracy Dinsmore tdinsmore@thesolentschools.org. You will be based predominantly at Solent Junior School. However, as you will be appointed to The De Curci Trust, you may be required to work in any of The De Curci Trust’s academies or in any of the schools/academies that the Trust is supporting as reasonably directed by the CEO. The ability to travel independently between DCT academies/schools is therefore essential.

Please note we do not accept CV’s.

The De Curci Trust and Solent Junior School are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers and other third parties to share this commitment. Safer recruitment practice and pre-employment background checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. All successful candidates will be subject to Disclosure and Barring checks along with all other relevant employment checks. Completed application forms will be passed to the recruitment panel for shortlisting and will be reviewed against the person specification detailed in the advert. Applications will be assessed upon receipt, and we reserve the right to interview and appoint prior to the closing date. An early application is therefore strongly advised.

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

Commitment to safeguarding

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.

Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.

Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children

You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.

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.

About Solent Junior School

• School type: Academy, ages 7 to 11
• Education phase: Primary
• School size: 360 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 7 to 11
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Solent Junior School website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/solent-junior-school

Solent Junior School is a thriving, oversubscribed three form entry Junior school. It is situated in Drayton on the Northern boundary between the city of Portsmouth and Hampshire. The school is one of three main feeder schools for Springfield Secondary School. In April 2017, Solent Junior School converted into an academy and is now proud to be part of The De Curci Trust. The De Curci Trust is a small, recently established Multi Academy Trust, comprising just three schools; Solent Infant School, Solent Junior School and Springfield Secondary School.

Solent Junior School is well known amongst our community for being a bright, warm and happy school with a keen focus upon the good mental health of both our pupils and staff. Visitors to the school frequently comment upon how the ethos and values permeate throughout all that we do. Our pupils are extremely enthusiastic learners, a result of the unfaltering focus on developing the whole child through an enriched and rewarding curriculum. The school offers a truly inclusive education, focusing on individual achievement, celebrating successes that are entirely relevant to the special journey of each of our magical pupils.

The school has been through some challenging, yet exciting changes over the past few years. Leadership structure, in turn, has changed significantly to reflect the current educational landscape. This has ensured that we continue to provide our pupils with the best possible education and care. Despite still legally being defined as two separate schools, with two separate DfE numbers, Solent Infant and Junior Schools now work extremely closely together as The Solent Schools with one shared Local Governing Body. Those that are new to the school often mistake us for a through primary school. The Schools have a number of shared staff including The Executive Headteacher, Site, Administrative and Network Managers. Feedback has told us that this shared working offers our pupils and their families a truly consistent, cohesive and highly effective approach from the moment they arrive in Year R to the day they leave Year 6. Our staff wellbeing surveys tell us that Solent is a lovely, caring and supportive place to learn and work where staff and pupil wellbeing is given a high priority.

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