Caretaker

Castle School Education Trust; Frenchay; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Castle School Education Trust's Downend School in Downend, South Gloucestershire is seeking a practical Caretaker to join the team on a permanent basis. You’ll be the go-to person for safe, well‑run facilities, doing general maintenance, security, grounds checks and helping with cleaners and contractors to keep the site welcoming for pupils and staff.

The role suits reliable tradespeople with hands-on skills in building maintenance, plumbing, electrics, gardening or cleaning.

Qualifications

• Solid experience or skills in building maintenance, plumbing, electrics, gardening or cleaning.
• A trade qualification is a bonus but not essential.

Responsibilities

• General DIY & maintenance of school facilities and fixtures.
• Security tasks including locking up and alarm checks.
• Grounds maintenance and safety checks around the site.
• Watch over contractors and cleaners to ensure smooth operations.

Skills

Building maintenance

Plumbing

Electrics

Gardening

Cleaning

Job description

# CaretakerEmployer: Downend SchoolLocation: Downend, South GloucestershireContract Type: PermanentHours: Full TimeSalary: CSET 12 £26,016Posted: 31st July 2026Expires: 4th September 2026 09:00 AMStart Date: As Soon As PossibleJob ID: 1568298* Share : LinkedIn Facebook X WhatsApp Email* Print**Job title: Caretaker****Hours: 37 per week****Contract type**: Permanent**Salary**: CSET 12 £26,016 per annum**Location**: Downend School**About the role**We are looking for a handy, practical Caretaker to join our dedicated, friendly team on a permanent 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 balanceIn order to apply for this role please complete an application form by 9am, 4th September. 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.*### Safeguarding Statement:CSET is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All roles across the trust have a varying level of responsibility for ensuring safeguarding practice, with some roles holding significant responsibility and involving working with children on a daily basis in regulated activity. Regardless of the level of responsibility and involvement in each role, we expect all staff, visiting professionals and volunteers to share this commitment.This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. Successful candidates will be required to provide a disclosure of any unspent convictions and cautions, as well as any spent convictions or cautions that are not "protected" (i.e., filtered) under the Amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013 and 2020). All appointments are subject to a comprehensive pre-employment checking process. This includes an Enhanced DBS check (including a Children’s Barred List check), satisfactory references, medical fitness, Right to Work in the UK, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching/management check. In line with KCSIE guidance, we will also conduct online searches on all shortlisted candidates.Our full Recruitment and Selection policy is available on our website.