Job Description
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We are seeking to appoint a Groundsperson to join our School. The Groundsperson plays a vital role in maintaining the outdoor environment across all school sites, including sports pitches, gardens, and associated properties. The postholder contributes to the smooth running of the Estate Department, ensuring high standards of presentation, safety, and functionality. This role supports the wider school community and upholds the values and ethos of a Catholic independent boarding and day school.
Key responsibilities:
- to maintain the grounds, sports pitches, and gardens across all school sites
- to use a wide range of tools, hand equipment, and small machinery
- to operate machinery safely, including tractors, trailers, and grass-cutting equipment
- to carry out seasonal duties, including clearing pathways of snow and ice
- to support Gardens, Farm, and Equestrian teams with tasks such as mowing, strimming, and hedge cutting
- to assist with general site duties including traffic control and litter picking
- to drive school vehicles safely and responsibly when required (subject to appropriate licence)
- to ensure all work is carried out with due regard to personal safety and the safety of others
- to contribute to cross-curricular and cross-divisional initiatives where appropriate
- to support departmental promotion activities, including displays and Open Days
- to work cooperatively to create a safe, positive, and purposeful environment
- to promote and safeguard the welfare of students in line with safeguarding policies
- to report any safeguarding concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
- to comply with Health & Safety and Medical & First Aid policies and procedures
- to adhere to all school policies, including Health & Safety and environmental standards
- to read and implement risk assessments prior to undertaking tasks
- to identify hazards and take immediate action to make safe or report appropriately
- to attend training and continuous professional development opportunities
- to seek continuous improvement in service delivery and working practices
- to build positive working relationships based on care, trust, and respect
- to report accidents, incidents, and near misses and support preventative measures
- The successful candidate will be expected:
Essential
- to have a clear understanding of, and commitment to, the aims of a Catholic independent boarding and day school
- to uphold and demonstrate the values expressed in the Mission & Ethos Statement
- to be educated to GCSE level
- to hold a full, clean driving licence
- to have good communication skills
- to be physically capable of manual handling and working across a large outdoor site
- to have the ability to work efficiently, accurately, and with attention to detail
- to have basic IT skills
- to be able to work effectively both independently and as part of a team
Desirable
- to have affiliation with the Grounds Management Association
- to hold a Level 2 Diploma in Sport Turf or Amenity Horticulture
- to have completed basic Health & Safety training
- to have a clear understanding of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children
- to demonstrate integrity and consistently reflect values of care, trust, and respect
- to be highly motivated, proactive, and willing to learn
- to be willing to work outdoors in all weather conditions
- to be friendly, approachable, and professional
- to demonstrate flexibility and adaptability in response to change
What New Hall offers:
- Excellent benefits & CPD
- Lunch without charge in term time
- Discounted annual membership for New Hall Sport Club
- New Hall School offers an exceptional working environment
- The main campus occupies the stunning Grade I listed former Tudor palace of Beaulieu
- The School's conference and events venue is at the Grade I listed Boreham House, one mile away
- New Hall is a warm, welcoming, and supportive community, with a staff of around 300
Information about the School
New Hall is a Catholic independent boarding & day school for girls and boys aged 1-18. New Hall School operates the highly successful 'diamond model', where students are educated in co-educational classes from ages 1 to 11 and at Sixth Form. However, from ages 11 to 16 they are taught in single-sex lessons. Click on one of the four diamonds below to find out more about our divisions.
The main benefits of the 'diamond model' and five years of single-sex teaching, derive from the ability to tailor pastoral and academic provision more sensitively and expertly to the needs of young people going through the physical, emotional and social upheaval of adolescence. Young teenagers are liberated from the negative peer pressure of having to perform in mixed classes. The gender stereotyping of subjects is also removed. Girls and boys follow an identical curriculum and do not learn to perceive subjects as being more suited to either girls or boys.
The Sixth Form experience at New Hall is about expanding students' horizons, both in their specialist areas of study and, more generally, in terms of their personal development.
From the moment New Hall students first travel up the mile-long, tree-lined avenue that leads to the grand façade of the former Tudor palace, they will be given individual opportunities to grow, learn, be challenged and to develop into confident young men and women. New Hall is set in an idyllic and convenient location, on the outskirts of the City of Chelmsford, Essex, just 30 minutes by train from London and within easy reach of all major London airports.
As a Catholic independent boarding & day school, at New Hall with every student we aim to educate the whole person: academically, creatively and socially, in a community which also nurtures the spiritual dimensions of human life.