Head of Grounds and Gardens

The role of Head of Grounds and Gardens fulfils an essential element of our Estates Team maintaining the grounds and gardens at both Prior Park College, Bath and The Paragon School, Bath reporting to the Estates Manager.

The Head of Grounds and Gardens will lead a team of gardeners and grounds persons in maintaining the 45 acres at Prior Park College and 15 acres at The Paragon School ensuring that all sports pitches, play surfaces, gardens and outdoor spaces across the school sites are maintained to the required standard.

As well as being the direct line manager to members of the Grounds & Gardens team, this is a working role requiring a hands-on approach from the post holder. It is essential that the to communicate with staff at all levels, be self-motivated and to lead by example. They must also be able to manage and balance the needs of multiple sites and have a high degree of organisation skills and forward planning, all while being sympathetic to the educational, as well as practical, requirements of the Schools.

Responsibilities include:

· Preparation, maintenance and improvement of all sports pitches including Hockey, Rugby Tennis, cricket, summer athletics and all-weather surfaces.

· Prepare and implement a rolling seasonal and yearly tasks schedule for all works across the estates.

· Produce, review and monitor implementation of all grounds and gardens risk assessments and communicate controls to staff.

· Maintain statutory compliance checks and records including annual tree inspections/ spraying and sports/play equipment etc.

· Monitor compliance with good Health and Safety legislation and practice, ensuring a safe working environment for staff and visitors to our schools.

· Ensuring the estates at both schools are kept in a safe, tidy, litter-free condition.

· Managing the grounds and gardens budget ensuring that best value for supplies.

· Obtain quotations and work with external contractors as required.

· Liaise with specialist consultants to improve the grounds and gardens, as required.

· Meet routinely with internal stakeholders review and improve service performance. Hold regular team meetings and ensure each member of staff has a comprehensive rolling programme/schedule of work.

· Manage the training requirements for all staff in the team.

· Ensure that all vehicles, machinery, tools and safety equipment are regularly checked, serviced and maintained in safe working condition.

· Inspect, maintain and repair all hard /soft landscaping across the sites including gates, boundary fencing, garden huts, outbuildings, edging, top dressing, pruning shrubs and hedges, tree planting applying fertilisers etc.

· Carry out safely weed spraying, application of fertilisers, chemicals, etc.

· Maintain, enhance and develop all planting borders across all schools and keep accurate planting records (saving plans/designs on OneDrive).

· Manage the propagation of new plants at the schools and 168 North Road.

· Source and maintain all indoor and office planting.

· Be involved in the recruitment and induction of new team members.

Qualifications

· Minimum Level 2 or equivalent in turf management or Horticulture

· Full UK Driving Licence

· Proven experience working across both grounds and gardens roles in a large organisation similar organisation.

· Knowledge and awareness of the importance of confidentiality and data protection

· Good knowledge of machinery and vehicle maintenance.

· Sound understanding of relevant health and safety and industry legislation, including COSHH.

· Have a good knowledge of machinery and grounds equipment maintenance.

· Good interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills

· A confident IT user with experience of Microsoft Office applications

· Good organisational skills, able to work to strict and often conflicting deadlines

· An ability to work collaboratively across many departments and develop and maintain positive and supportive working relationships

· A flexible attitude towards duties and working patterns to fulfil the requirements of the role

· Very high standards with exceptional attention to detail

The role is all year round (not term time only) and will commence January 2025 and on completion of pre-employment checks.

Prior Park Schools are a family of Christian schools comprising Prior Park College (Bath), The Paragon Junior School (Bath) and Prior Park School Gibraltar.

The Schools’ Mission is to steward a thriving family of communities with love for the young people they serve at their heart. These vibrant communities cultivate creativity, foster integrity, and transform lives.

The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Applicants must undergo child protection screening, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the school is therefore permitted to ask job applicants to declare all convictions and cautions (including those which are “spent” unless they are “protected” under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with children.

If you are passionate about creating beautiful outdoor spaces and possess the necessary skills to maintain them, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity as a Head of Grounds and Gardens please apply for a position with Prior Park Educational Trust, by download and complete an application form, available from our website:

https://www.priorparkcollege.com/pps-vacancies

For further details, please contact Emma, HR on 01225 835385 or recruitment@priorparkschools.com

Closing date for applications 12:00noon Friday 10 January 2025.

Interview date Thursday 16 January 2025.

The School reserves the right to withdraw the position if an early appointment is made. Applicants are therefore encouraged to apply early.