APPLICANT INFORMATION PACKAppointment ofHousekeeperFlexible start dateCONTENTSAppointment ofSchool Bus DriverFor an Autumn Term (September 2024) startWelcome to Brambletye SchoolA Brambletye EducationThe Role at BrambletyeKey Duties & ResponsibilitiesPerson SpecificationA Brambletye WorkplaceSafeguarding, Equality & DiversityYour Application3456891011…. a very warm welcome and thank you so much for your interest in working at BrambletyeSchool.My name is Will Brooks, and it is my privilege to have been the Headmaster here at Brambletyesince 2015. Founded in 1919, Brambletye was originally a small boys’ boarding school in Kentbefore moving to its present location in 1933. Today we are a thriving independent co-ed prepschool for pupils aged 2 to 13 years, located in a large country house set in stunning and tranquilgrounds overlooking the Ashdown Forest and the Weir Wood Reservoir.At Brambletye our staff and pupils aspire to three core values - Work Hard, Play Hard and BeKind, and I am incredibly proud of my staff, they are the school’s greatest asset. From our Prep,Pre-Prep and Nursery staff and teaching assistants, our boarding team and our specialistteachers of sport, music, and drama through to our Bursary, Admin, Estates and Housekeepingdepartments, Brambletye pupils and their families benefit from a staff who are dedicated,accomplished and talented. Above all, we are immensely passionate about what we do andproud of where we work…it is a real team effort.I believe Brambletye offers a fantastic working environment, with a culture of openness,supportiveness and a strong emphasis placed on staff wellbeing and morale. I hope that you find this Applicant Information Pack useful and informative, and I look forwardto welcoming you to Brambletye soon.Will Brooks HeadmasterWELCOME TO BRAMBLETYE SCHOOLWe are a school with a strong sense of family - we share experiences and support each other.Our pupils learn to celebrate other pupils’ success as well as their own, and to be kind to thosearound them. A Brambletye education is focused on the individual. We encourage every pupil to find the areaor subject in which they can excel, building their confidence and self-esteem. A love of learningis fostered from an early age, and our pupils are taught to be generous of spirit and curiousabout the world around them. Most importantly, they are encouraged to recognise theiradvantages and develop into responsible citizens with an understanding of how they can makea difference in society. Pupils are taught a broad curriculum, leading to the Common Entrance or academicscholarship examinations at 13+; they are mostly class taught by a single teacher to the end ofYear 4, and by specialist subject teachers thereafter. Great emphasis is also placed on the extra-curricular side of school life. Sport, music, art, anddrama, as well as a wide variety of clubs and activities, play a prominent part in our pupils’timetable. Everyone at Brambletye, from the teachers and boarding staff through to our bursary andestates staff, is involved in the pastoral care of each pupil. Their wellbeing is at the very core ofour school, and it is our strong belief that true academic success can only be achieved whenbuilt on a foundation of happiness and confidence. Brambletye operates a multi-tiered pastoralsystem involving form tutors, personal tutors, House staff and boarding staff. There are currently 300 pupils at the school from Nursery to Year 8. Brambletye has a healthyblend of day pupils and boarders with many of our pupils opting to board ‘part time’ as dayboarders. From Brambletye, our pupils go on to a wide variety of senior schools, these include Tonbridge,Benenden, King’s Canterbury, Charterhouse, Sevenoaks, Eton, Brighton, Eastbourne, Ardingly,Hurst, Uppingham, Marlborough and Oundle.A BRAMBLETYE EDUCATIONOVERVIEW OF ROLEOur Housekeepers at Brambletye are required to maintain high standards of cleanliness andhygiene throughout the school. They need to be able to work quickly, efficiently, to health andsafety guidelines and take great pride and care in their work.As part of this role, you will be expected to carry out a range of cleaning duties to a highstandard, including vacuuming, dusting, mopping, buffering, and disposing of waste.HOURS OF WORKEither 5.00am to 8.00am or 6.00am to 9.00am - Monday to Friday.Please state clearly on your application your preferred hours of work.  These are term-timeonly roles, plus additional hours as detailed below. ADDITIONAL HOURSSchool Holidays (3 weeks in total)Contracted hours to be worked before the start of each term, the exact days and hours of workwill be agreed with the Head of Housekeeping.Summer School (1 week in total)Contracted hours to be worked during one of the first 5 weeks of the Brambletye summerholidays. The exact days and hours of work will be agreed with the Head of Housekeeping.School Inset DaysThere is the requirement to attend mandatory Inset sessions which will be communicatedthrough the Head of Housekeeping. These will be (but not limited to) whole school staffmeetings, safeguarding training, health and safety training, fire training etc. If the Inset sessionsattended are not able to be covered by school holiday hours, they will be paid at thepostholder’s standard hourly rate as overtime.HOUSEKEEPERMAIN DUTIES Responsible for ensuring the cleanliness of your designated area, and for maintaining highand consistent standards.Assisting and performing laundry duties as required and for maintaining high and consistentstandards.Take initiative to perform cleaning and tidying tasks that you are not specifically instructedto do but require attention as part of maintaining the overall high cleanliness standard ofthe school.Perform all cleaning tasks as per specification and to the required standard.Ensure all Health and Safety and general procedure compliance, reporting any issues to theHead of Housekeeping.Keep machinery and equipment in good working order and report any issues and/orcleaning supplies requirements to the Head of Housekeeping.ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIESSupport and foster the aims of the School.Be professional and a good role model to the pupils at all times.Attend all staff meetings (if required), Inset days and any other relevant training whenappropriate.Be familiar with the school’s health and safety guidance and be responsible for personalhealth and safety and that of the pupils.Perform reasonable additional duties as required by the School, commensurate with thepost.SAFEGUARDINGComplete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Check (DBS) and any other safeguardingchecks.Ensure familiarisation with key safeguarding policies and documents e.g. Child Protection(Safeguarding) Policy, KCSIE, Prevent Policy, Anti-Bullying Policy, IT: E-Safety Policy, StaffCode of Conduct etc.Commit to regular training regarding safeguarding e.g. Child Protection, Prevent etc. Be fully committed to safeguarding the welfare of all pupils at Brambletye School.Responsible  to:Head of HousekeepingResponsible for:N/AKEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIESThe postholder may be reasonably required to perform duties other than those given in the jobdescription for the post. The particular duties and responsibilities attached to the post mayvary from time to time without changing the character of the duties or the level of theresponsibility entailed. If during the course of time the duties and responsibilities detailed should change significantlyand for a sustained period of time, the job description will be reviewed and amended inconsultation with the postholder. It is the shared responsibility of the postholder and their line manager to ensure that jobdescriptions are kept up to date.Job Description Written/Updated:August 2025By:Head of Housekeeping/HR ManagerThe selection of applicants for shortlisting will be based on this specification, thereforeapplicants should bear this in mind when preparing and completing their application form. QUALIFICATIONSA current, clean, and valid driving licence would be desirable.SKILLS & EXPERIENCEPrevious cleaning and/or laundry experience - vacuuming, dusting, mopping, buffing,disposing of waste etc.Knowledge and experience of cleaning best practices.Previous knowledge of COSHH and safe use of chemicals would be desirable.Some previous knowledge of Health and Safety regulations relating to the operation ofcleaning equipment and dilution of chemicals would also be desirable.PERSONAL QUALITIESWillingness to take personal responsibility for the standard of cleaning work carried out.Flexible approach to your work, with a willingness to clean any area of the school asdirected by the Head of Housekeeping.Reliable, punctual, and trustworthy.Good people skills.Able to understand and follow rules and procedures e.g., health and safety etc.Presentable, smart in appearance and professional in conduct.Possess an efficient working manner and good time management skills.Able to work in an organised and methodical manner.Calm, with the ability to work under pressure.Supportive team player, with the ability to work on own initiative and without supervision.Comfortable with and able to meet the physical demands of the role.Diplomatic and confidential regarding school matters.Willingness to participate in training offered by the school.PERSON SPECIFICATIONSALARY The salary is £7,974 per year.  This is an hourly rate of £12.78 per hour.PROBATION PERIODThere is a 6-month probationary period for these roles.PENSION You will be automatically enrolled into the school pension scheme if you meet the eligibilitycriteria. INDUCTION As a new member of staff, you will have a thorough and supportive induction process.  This willinclude: A comprehensive tour of the school and facilities Meeting key members of staff Child protection and safeguarding trainingHealth and Safety induction PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & APPRAISALS All members of staff are encouraged to participate in Continuous Professional Developmentand the school holds regular appraisals with staff. SCHOOL FEE REMISSION There is an immediate and generous school fee discount which is available in our Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep School. WELLBEING & THE BRAMBLETYE COMMUNITY Great emphasis is placed on staff well-being and morale where a culture of mutual support forcolleagues is encouraged and fostered. There is a highly active Brambletye community withstaff social events take place throughout the year. LEISURE FACILITIES Complimentary use of our excellent leisure facilities when available, which include a sports hall,squash courts, tennis courts and all-weather pitch. A BRAMBLETYE WORKPLACESAFEGUARDING AT BRAMBLETYE Brambletye School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children andyoung people, and expects all staff, Governors, and volunteers to share this commitment.   Successful applicants will be required to undergo child protection screening appropriate to thepost including reference checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.All positions at Brambletye School are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974,therefore ALL convictions, cautions, reprimands, and final warnings (including those whichwould normally be considered 'spent' under the Act) MUST be declared, subject to the DBSfiltering rules. All information given will be treated as confidential and each case will be taken onits merits. Failure to disclose this information may result in the withdrawal of an offer ofemployment or immediate termination of employment.Brambletye School is committed to providing outstanding safeguarding of the children in ourcare. You will be required to adhere to the School’s safeguarding policy and guidelines andensure that the safeguarding of children underpins everything that you do. EVERY member ofstaff at Brambletye School has the responsibility to safeguard the children in our care.Brambletye School’s Child Protection (Safeguarding) Policy can be found at here. EQUALITY & DIVERSITY Brambletye School values Equality and Diversity in everything we do. All applicants will betreated with respect, dignity and provided with the support they require to complete theirrecruitment journey with the School.SAFEGUARDING, EQUALITY & DIVERSITYHOW TO APPLY An application form can be downloaded from the Brambletye School website.  Please completethe application form and send it to Heather White (HR Manager) via hwhite@brambletye.com.If you have any queries about the recruitment process and/or the completion of theapplication form, please get in touch with Heather who would be happy to help.SHORTLISTINGApplications will be assessed against the information provided in this document. Shortlistedapplicants will be invited to attend an interview held at Brambletye School.ONLINE CHECKSAll shortlisted applicants will be subject to an online background check as part of the School’sdue diligence and commitment to safeguarding.REFERENCESPlease note that references will be taken prior to interview unless indicated otherwise.OVERSEAS POLICE CHECK Applicants who have lived outside of the UK for more than 3 months in the past 10 years will berequired to provide a police check from their country/countries of residence. SUPPORTING RECRUITMENT DOCUMENTS & POLICIES Applicants should familiarise themselves with the School’s supporting recruitment documentsand policies, these are available on vacancies page of the School’s website here. TERM DATESInformation about the School’s term dates can be accessed here.KEY DATES Please note that we will be interviewing as applications are received, therefore early applicationis strongly advised. We reserve the right to close this vacancy when a suitable appointment has been made.YOUR APPLICATION