General Assistant

Swanshurst School, Birmingham, West Midlands, B13 0TW

12 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  As soon as possible

• Closing date

  6 October 2026 at 12pm (midday)

• Date listed

  23 September 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Catering, cleaning and site management
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Part time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full time equivalent salary: £24,413.00 - £24,796.00 Annually (FTE) (Actual Salary £9,270 - £9,416 per annum)

General Assistant job summary

Swanshurst is a large, outstanding school for girls aged 11-19 years. We offer excellent support and CPD for staff at all stages of their career. Ofsted (May 2024) described our school to be “an exceptional place for pupils to learn”. They described the curriculum as “exemplary” and one which "explodes into life in the classroom". In relation to staff wellbeing, they noted that “The school is conscious of staff workload and well-being and is committed to achieving excellence in a sustainable way.” We are exceptionally proud to have been judged ‘Outstanding’ in two consecutive inspections. Our Ofsted report can be found here.

We currently have a permanent opportunity to work within a very busy catering environment, delivering high-quality, nutritious meals for our 1,920 pupils and over 200 staff.

The post is for 16 hours per week, with a working pattern as follows:-

11.30am - 2.30pm - 4 Days per week. Actual days of the week to be agreed on appointment.

10.30am - 2.30pm - 1 Day per week. Actual day of the week to be agreed on appointment.

Applicants should hold a Level 2 Certificate in Food Hygiene or have the willingness to achieve this qualification upon appointment. Successful completion of the relevant qualification(s) is a condition of probation. The need to be flexible is a necessity. The successful candidate will also undertake First Aid Training in order to become a First Aider in school.

WMAT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020 which means that when applying for certain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’ so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account.

Safeguarding is our top priority. We encourage all applicants to review our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy which outlines our commitment to the safety and wellbeing of students.

Please note that applications must be the creation of the candidate applying. While technology, including artificial intelligence, may be used to help the candidate select certain phraseology, if substantial use of AI is used, the application will be disregarded.

The successful applicant will be subject to all necessary pre-employment checks including enhanced DBS, Prohibition Check, qualifications (where applicable), medical fitness, identify and right to work.

This post is covered by Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016). Therefore, the ability to speak fluent and spoken English is an essential requirement for this role.

To comply with Keeping Children Safe in Education, we will seek and scrutinise references prior to interviews. Referees will be contacted to provide further clarification if needed. All information provided by referees will be compared for consistency against the information disclosed in your application form, and you will be asked about any discrepancies at interview.

Short listed candidates - an online search will also be carried out as part of due diligence on all short-listed candidates.

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 Swanshurst School

• Organisation type: Academy, ages 11 to 19
• Education phase: Secondary school
• Size: 1928 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 19
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• Website: Swanshurst School website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/swanshurst-school-birmingham

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