Assistant Head of Grounds and Gardens

Role Overview

This is a hands-on, full-time role working as part of the Grounds and Gardens (G&G) team responsible for the professional maintenance, preparation, and enhancement of the School’s gardens, sports pitches, and general grounds across both Repton and Repton Prep campuses. You will support the Assistant Head of G&G and G&G team to deliver high standards across a variety of outdoor environments, ensuring all spaces are visually appealing, functionally prepared, and safe for use by pupils, staff, and external users.

Role Responsibilities

Grounds and gardens maintenance

• Maintain high-quality sporting facilities including cricket pitches, football fields, artificial/hybrid surfaces, and athletics areas in line with best practices.
• Carry out all horticultural practices to include maintaining established herbaceous borders, pruning, pest and disease control, plant division and propagation, designing and implementing planting schemes, as well as annual mulching and weed control, compost management, lawn care, formal hedge cutting practices, strimming, leaf sweeping, planting and soil enhancement 
• Help with the maintenance of all ancillary areas, driveways, car parks and paths including clearing leaves and other detritus, moss and weed killing.
• Operate, clean, maintain and properly store garden machinery to include strimmers, sprayers, chainsaws, hedge cutters, mowers, garden tractors and trailers, leaf blowers.
• Proactively respond to any changes is requirement or needs of the School. Promptly and professionally resolve any issues or concerns.

Health and Safety/Compliance

• Maintain a clean and safe working environment for all site users.
• Ensure all work is carried out safely and that all H&S concerns are reported and addressed.
• Identify and report equipment faults promptly to the Head of G&G.
• Ensure machinery and implements are used safely and securely stored.
• Ensure the safe and efficient operation, use and condition of machinery and equipment, to include tractors and associated implements. Ensuring the safe use of appropriate equipment for each task.
• Ensure that sports ground users do not have access to Grounds & Gardens equipment and implements.
• You are to follow COSHH and HAVs, and PPE usage guidelines at all times along with all relevant School Risk Assessments and Policies.

High Performing

• Act as a team leader, expert and role model for the G&G team. Being the first point of contact for queries and issues in the Grounds and Gardens Manager’s absence.
• You need to be a high performing individual, willing to learn, improve and contribute to the G&G Team.
• You will need to embrace training and development opportunities.
• Support other operatives, including apprentices or temporary staff, and contribute positively to a high-performing culture.
• Respond proactively to operational changes and weather-related adjustments.
• Assist with events setup and site-wide presentation.
• Work cooperatively with contractors and other site teams as needed.
• You will be expected to undertake all such other duties as the School may reasonably from time to time communicate either orally or in writing to you.

Person Specification

Relevant Prior Experience

• Proven experience in both horticulture and grounds maintenance Competent in operating a wide range of turf and garden machinery.
• Knowledge of sports pitch maintenance, marking out, and seasonal preparation.
• Experience in managing mixed planting schemes, formal borders, lawns, and glasshouse work.
• Knowledge of relevant Health and Safety.
• Point of escalation for queries or expert in a team with the ability to support and develop others
• Desirable but not essential qualifications:
  • Horticultural qualifications (RHS 2 or equivalent)
  • PA1 and PA6

Candidate Profile

• High energy, resilient, can-do attitude, proactive with a customer focussed approach.
• Strong work ethic, keen to be involved in a culture of continuous improvement.
• Willing to learn and happy to work across a wide variety of playing surfaces and areas.
• Care and attention, particularly for all aspects of health and safety.

Full UK Driving Licence (required).

Other Important Information

Safeguarding

Promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom you are responsible and with whom you come into contact is a critical part of all roles at Repton/Repton Prep.

Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 it is a criminal offence for a person over 18 (e.g. teacher, matron, sports coach) to have a sexual relationship with a child under 18 where that person is in a position of trust in respect of that child, even if the relationship is consensual. This applies where the child is in full-time education and the person works in the same establishment as the child, even if s/he does not teach the child.

Moreover, whatever the age of the pupil, a sexual relationship between an employee and a pupil will be considered an abuse of a position of trust and gross misconduct, likely to result in dismissal.

Health

The successful applicant will be required to complete a Health Declaration once a formal offer of employment has been made and accepted.

Children Act and Referees

Successful appointment will be dependent upon statutory criminal conviction checks including an enhanced DBS Check in accordance with the Children Act, as well as favourable reports from two referees. It will be assumed that the School may contact your nominated referees without further reference to you, unless you specify any alternative arrangements.

Child Protection Policy

All applicants must be familiar with our Child Protection Policy which can be found at Safeguarding_Children_and_Child_Protection_Policy_1-3027.pdf