St Swithun's WINCHE STER

Domestic Assistant (cleaner)

Starting at £13.08 per hour, rising to £13.54 after a six-month probation

Part Time, Permanent

Welcome from the Headmistress

Thankyou for your interest in St Swithun’s!

We are proud to be a High-Performance Learning School and a member of the Fellowship of World Class Schools.

The High-Performance Learning philosophy is that:

High achievement is an attainable target for everyone;

Intelligence is not fixed, we can all become cleverer;

High performers are made, not born, they work for it.

HPL involves the systematic and explicit encouragement and empowerment of students to develop the ways of thinking and ways of behaving that will equip them for success both in school and beyond. It is the cornerstone of our philosophy.

Jane Gandee, Headmistress

We are also a girls’ school and as such we expect and support a ll our students to enjoy and excel in a range of subjects and activities according to their interests and not their gender. We seek to be free from unhelpful stereotyping and to offer genuinely limitless education.

Further, we are a high trust community, and we try always to behave with a seriousness of intention and a lightness of touch. We believe the best of staff and students and often see our expectations exceeded and a joke cracked along the way.

If this short introduction resonates with you, we will very much welcome an application from you.

St Swithun's WINCHESTER

Our school

St Swithun’s School, Winchester is a leading GSA and HMC school offering day, weekly boarding and full boarding for 520 girls aged 11-18. The senior school has six boarding houses for full and weekly boarders, with separate houses for those in their first year and those in the upper sixth. There is also an adjoining IAPS Prep School for girls aged 3-11 with a co-educational nursery.

The girls benefit from excellent teaching, sporting and recreational facilities. St Swithun’s is academically selective and regularly appears in the top 30 schools in the national league tables.

Our Location

The school is set on a campus of 45 acres overlooking the Hampshire Downs and within the South Downs National Park. The school is within walking distance of the centre of Winchester, and only a 50-minute journey from central London.

Winchester and its surrounding areas offer outstanding local cultural, historical, sporting and entertainment opportunities in addition to fantastic access to outdoor pursuits. Southampton, Portsmouth, Salisbury and Bournemouth are all easily accessible on public transport.

St Swithun's WINCHE STER

Our Domestic Department

The Domestic team, led by the Domestic manager and two supervisors, forms part of the Operations department, which amongst other areas of responsibility, looks after standards of building and decoration across the site and drives continuous improvement.

The school has 25 domestic assistants working across different shift patterns.

Routine cleaning takes place in all areas of the school during term time and deep cleaning is carried out during the school holidays. Domestic Assistants are expected to always take a keen interest in the cleanliness of the school, both when the girls are in residence in term time and during the holiday periods when other activities are taking place, including residential camps for adults and children.

Domestic Assistants are expected to work in all areas of the school as required, this includes boarding and classroom spaces, washrooms, kitchens and offices. Staff must be adaptable and be prepared to work in different areas at short notice, in order to support the needs of the school and to operate effectively as a department.

Domestic Assistant Key Responsibilities

The following duties are an example of what the domestic assistant role involves. Other reasonable duties may be expected as well:

• Dusting, vacuuming, and mopping floors

• Cleaning of toilets, washrooms and changing rooms

• Bed making

• Laundry

• Cleaning windows

Emptying waste and recycling bins

Maintaining a high standard of cleanliness throughout the school

Report any maintenance issues or safety hazards to line managers

Protective equipment will be provided as required. Domestic staff are expected to wear a uniform, which the school will provide. You will be expected to have your own footwear (these should be navy or black trainers/shoes with gripped soles).

Domestic Assistant Person Specification

A successful candidate for our Domestic Assistant post will:

Have a standard of English sufficient to communicate with colleagues and safely understand training and procedures

Be flexible & adaptable

Follow instructions and ask questions if unsure of expectation

Build good working relationships with a variety of people and value teamwork

Be reliable with a strong work ethic and time management skills

Strong attention to detail

Ability to maintain high cleanliness standards

All staff undergo an in-depth induction and training programme and will need to keep this training up to date regularly. Domestic staff will, from time to time, be expected to attend training that is outside their usual hours of work. In these circumstances, staff can expect to be paid.

An element of the training is delivered online; therefore, some IT skills are desirable but not essential as detailed instructions and support can be given.

Terms and conditions and application process

WORKING PATTERNS

We are recruiting for a permanent 20 hours per week contract to work within our domestic team all year round. This is not a term time only role

HOURS

Monday to Friday

• 4 hours per day

• 8.00am-12.00pm or 9.00am- 1.00pm

The rate of pay for our domestic assistants is £13.08 per hour, rising to £13.54 after the successful completion of a six-month probation period. The school offers a range of other benefits including:

• Generous contributory pension scheme

Free membership of the school swimming pool

• Discount on school fees

Refreshments whilst working

Free onsite parking

APPLICATION

We are actively looking to recruit, and applications will be considered as they are received. Please complete our online application form here .

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Sandra Kelly, Domestic Manager via kellys@stswithuns.com or call 01962 835 233.

Child protection and safeguarding

“St Swithun’s is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

All staff are expected to share and support this commitment, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure & Barring Service.”

Child Protection Statement

Every child has the right to freedom from physical, racial, sexual, verbal or mental abuse (this includes bullying and intimidation). Our overriding aim is the protection of the individual child within the school.

We require staff to be fully aware of what child abuse is and the different forms in which it may present itself, and of their duties in respect to child protection.

We will provide adequate training (both as part of an induction and an ongoing process) in recognising abuse, and what to do if abuse is suspected.

We are committed to maintaining good communication within the School on child protection issues and to following recognised procedures.

The Head ensures that the recommended procedures are followed when recruiting staff.

St Swithun's WINCHESTER

Equal opportunities

St Swithun’s welcomes applications from candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds. The school will recruit predominantly based on an applicant’s relevant skills, experience, capabilities and potential for development. The ability to work collaboratively with others will also be taken into account.

St Swithun's is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff and job applicants. We aim to create a working environment in which all individuals are able to make best use of their skills free from unlawful discrimination or harassment, and in which all decisions are based on merit (apart from in any necessary and limited exemptions and exceptions allowed under the Equality Act).

We do not discriminate unlawfully on the basis of age, disability, marital or civil partner status, race (including nationality, ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, gender reassignment or pregnancy or maternity (defined in the Equality Act 2010 as protected characteristics).

If you have questions about our recruitment processes, or would like any support to access our recruitment process fully please do contact us at recruitment@stswithuns.com.

St Swithun's WINCHESTER

Explanatory notes

Application Form

Applications will only be accepted from candidates completing the enclosed application form in full. CVs will not be accepted in substitution for completed application forms.

Candidates should be aware that all posts in the school involve some degree of responsibility for safeguarding children, although the extent of that responsibility will vary according to the nature of the post. Please see the job description for the post.

Accordingly this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore all convictions, cautions and bind-overs, including those regarded as ‘spent’ must be declared.

The successful applicant will be required to complete a disclosure application form from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

In accordance with government guidelines, we will seek references on shortlisted candidates for teaching and some other posts, and approach previous employers for information to verify particular experience or qualifications before interview. In other cases, if this has not been done, any offer of a post will be conditional upon receipt of
satisfactory references. References should be from the applicant’s current or most recent
employer. If the current/most recent employer does/did not involve work with children, then the second reference should, if possible, be from the employer with whom the applicant most recently worked with children. Referees should not be a relative or someone known to the applicant solely as a friend.
If you are currently working with children, on either a paid or voluntary basis, your current
employer will be asked about disciplinary offences, including disciplinary offences relating
to children or young persons (whether the disciplinary sanction is current or time expired),
and whether you have been the subject of any child protection allegations or concerns and if so, the outcome of any enquiry or disciplinary procedure. If you are not currently
working with children, but have done so in the past, that previous employer will be asked about those issues. Where neither your current nor previous employment has involved
working with children, your current employer will still be asked about your suitability to
work with children, although they may, where appropriate, answer not applicable if your
duties have not brought you into contact with children or young persons. The School will only accept references obtained directly from the referee and will not rely on references provided by the applicant or on open references or testimonials.

You should be aware that provision of false information is an offence and could result in the application being rejected or summary dismissal if the applicant has been selected, and possible referral to the police and/or DfES Children’s Safeguarding Operation Unit.

Explanatory notes

Invitation to Interview

If you are invited to interview, this will be conducted in person and the areas which it will explore will include suitability to work with children.

All candidates invited to interview must bring documents confirming any educational and professional qualifications that are necessary or relevant for the post (e.g. the original or certified copy of certificates, diplomas, etc.). Where originals or certified copies are not available for the successful candidate, written confirmation of the relevant qualifications must be obtained from the awarding body. All candidates invited to interview must also bring with them:

At least two forms of identification, i.e. current driving licence (including photograph), a passport, a full birth certificate or marriage certificate, a utility bill or financial statement showing the candidate’s current name and address. These must be issued within the last

three months and provide verification of address. Documentation confirmation their national insurance number, where appropriate, any documentation evidencing a change of name.

Please note that originals of the above are necessary - photocopies or certified copies are not sufficient.

Any offer to a successful candidate will be conditional upon:

• Receipt of at least two satisfactory references (if these have not already been received).

• A check of the DfES barred list database, and the Protection of Children Act List as appropriate.

• A satisfactory DBS disclosure.

Where the successful candidate has worked or been resident overseas in the previous ten years, such checks and confirmations as the school may require in accordance with statutory guidance.

• Satisfactory completion of the probationary period.

• Verification of medical fitness appropriate for the job’s requirements.

A written declaration that neither they nor anyone in their household is disqualified from working with children.

Verification of professional status, such as GTC registration, QTS Status (where required), NPQH.

Verification that the teacher/applicant is not subject to a prohibition order issued by the Secretary of State.

Verification of successful completion of statutory induction period (applies to those who obtained QTS after 7 May 1999).

St Swithun's WIN C HE STER

St Swithun's School
Alresford Road
Winchester
SO21 1HA

Click here to find out more about St Swithun's

01962 835798 recruitment@stswithuns.com

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