Caretaker/ Site Maintenance

Wmjobs; Coventry; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

Exhall Cedars Infant Nursery & Pre-school in Coventry seeks a reliable Caretaker/Site Supervisor to maintain a clean, secure, and welcoming school environment across 52 weeks.

The role includes supervising a small cleaning team, basic maintenance, health and safety duties, and liaising with contractors, with a six-month probation. DBS required; permanent, Scale D salary.

Qualifications

• Good literacy skills to understand and complete administrative systems.
• Good numeracy skills to check goods, stock control and calculations.
• Good communication skills to explain concerns clearly and listen.
• Able to carry out procedures, routines and follow instructions.
• Able to operate cleaning equipment, machinery and tools.
• Understand layout and organisation of the school site.
• Able to supervise, co-ordinate and support cleaning staff.

Responsibilities

• Supervise cleaning staff and check their work.
• Maintain cleaning schedules and safety standards.
• Direct contractors for maintenance ensuring health and safety.
• Operate heating plant to maintain temperatures and hot water.
• Respond to maintenance requests and report issues.
• Manage security procedures and opening/closing.
• Ensure site is clean, secure, and welcoming.

Skills

Literacy

Numeracy

Communication

Supervision

Maintenance

Tools

Cleaning equipment

Job description

Job Title: SCHOOL CARETAKER / SITE SUPERVISOR
School or Organisation: Exhall Cedars Infant Nursery & Pre-school
Number of Jobs: 1
Employment Details Job Type: Non-Teaching
Salary Scale: Scale D
Type of Agreement or Contract: Permanent
Working Weeks: 52 weeks
DBS Required: Yes
Vulnerable Group: Children
Closing Date: 9TH September 2026 at 12pm
Offers will be subject to satisfactory references, DBS check and medical checks.
This school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and we expect all staff to share this commitment.

About the Role:

Due the recent retirement of our current caretaker, our teaching staff, the children, staff and governors of this happy and successful Infant and Nursery School wish to appoint someone with physical stamina and experience of DIY, general maintenance and record keeping to enhance our busy, nurturing and supportive school.
We have a committed team of teaching and non-teaching staff and are keen to recruit someone who wants to give us the best place to be each day!
The successful applicants will be resilient and great team players. They will be committed to providing the very best for the children in our school and for the local community that we serve.
The mental health and well-being of both children, staff and parents is a constant driving force at Cedars.
This role will be subject to a successful 6mth probationary period.

BROAD DESCRIPTION:

We are seeking a reliable and responsible Caretaker to join our team. As a Caretaker, you will be responsible for maintaining a clean, attractive, safe, secure and welcoming site through a process of regular monitoring of cleaning and routines and both the scheduled and dynamic maintenance of buildings, grounds, fixtures and fittings. This is a crucial role in ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for our children, staff and visitors.

This role has some staff supervisory responsibility and some limited budgetary responsibility.

• Responsibility for others: The post has significant impact on the well-being of individuals or groups (ie physical, mental, social, health and safety).
• Responsibility for staff: The post supervises, checks work and instructs a small number of cleaning staff.
• Responsibility for budget: The post had limited responsibility for financial resources (Placing orders, within a given budget, to maintain adequate stock).
• Responsibility for physical resources: The post has considerable responsibility for cleaning and maintenance of equipment or buildings and responsibility for security of buildings and school site.

TYPICAL TASKS

Security:

• Carry out security procedures for the school buildings and grounds.
• Routine and non-routine opening and closing and security of premises and grounds.
• Act to prevent trespass on the premises, ensuring perimeters are secure at all times.
• Ensure unauthorised parking of vehicles does not occur.
• Act as a nominated keyholder and respond appropriately to alarm company, police call-outs and other emergencies outside normal working hours, e.g. evenings or during the day, between shifts.

Cleaning:

• Limited cleaning other than during the school holidays.
• Ensure the premises and furnishings are cleaned in accordance with the school’s/authority’s standards, including carrying out regular checks of cleaning standards.
• Carry out holiday-specific cleaning/maintenance tasks and maintaining log sheets.
• Audit and order cleaning materials and equipment as required.

Maintenance:

• Respond to the school’s Maintenance Reporting System in a prompt manner, prioritising Health and Safety tasks.
• Responsible for basic tools and equipment.
• Report items, repairs, maintenance work that is required, then responding to this in a timely manner to resolve the issue. If this is beyond your own competence, contacting external professional services to resolve the issue.
• Direct contractors to sites of repair and maintenance work, ensure work is carried our to Health and Safety Standards and to the expectations of the school.
• Inspect work of contractors where satisfaction note required.
• Operate heating plant to maintain certain temperatures and ensure adequate supply of hot water available.

Other

• Carry out frost precaution procedures and procedures in event of fire, flood, breaking and entering, accident or major damage.
• Provide emergency access in the event of snow or minor flooding or similar emergency situations.
• Ensure playing areas and paths are free from litter, animal faeces or animal remains.
• Ensure drains and gullies are inspected regularly to ensure they are free flowing and clean, dealing with blockages or leaks as necessary.
• Ensure that caretaking and cleaning equipment is in a safe and working condition, and stored in an organised, easily accessible manner.
• To utilise the school holidays to deliver maintenance projects such as decorating that cannot being achieved when staff and pupils are on site.
• To maintain planters and flower beds to present a smart, attractive entrance to the school.

Stock:

• Receive delivery of stock, materials etc, ensuring appropriate storage.
• Check stock orders in a timely manner to ensure order is complete.

Lettings:

• Preparing for after-school activities and ensure accommodation is prepared for normal school use, which would be out of hours.
• Undertake school lettings in accordance with the lettings procedures.

Health & Safety:

• Be responsible for the well-being, health and safety of cleaning staff as a qualified First Aider at Work.
• Movement of equipment and resources as required, safely in accordance with Manual Handling Training.
• Assist the Head or other senior member of staff in undertaking risk assessments and Health and Safety Termly Checks.
• Respond to any alarm alerts eg Fire, Security, ensuring the safety of site users and buildings before leaving the premises.
• Be aware of and understand the Authority’s regulation, e.g. HSAW and COSHH guidelines.
• Literacy skills to complete forms and orders, write instructions, understand and follow H & S and COSHH instructions.
• Keep up to date and maintain COSHH Records in an organised and accessible manner.
• Undertake CPD relevant to roles and responsibilities, some of which may be outside of normal working hours.
• Be flexible to the daily needs of the school, responding to weather conditions or emergencies etc, outside of normal working hours.

QUALIFICATIONS/TRAINING AND LIKELY ABILITIES

• Good literacy skills to understand and complete administrative systems (lettings, Blue Maintenance Book, extra hours, maintenance hotline, ordering etc).
• Good numeracy skills to check goods, carry out stock control and undertake calculations.
• Good communication skills to explain clearly and concisely any concerns, problems or requests and to actively listen and respond.
• Able to carry out procedures, routines and follow instructions.
• Able to operate cleaning equipment, machinery and tools and undertake daily maintenance.
• Understand and be familiar with the layout and organisation of the school and its site.
• Able to supervise, co‑ordinate and support cleaning staff.
• To be able to investigate and think creatively, using initiative, to resolve unexpected problems.
• Can solve problems and respond to unforeseen circumstances (eg hazards, accidents etc).