APPLICANT INFORMATION PACK
Appointment of Housekeeper - Mornings (4 Hours) Flexible start date
CONTENTS
Welcome to Brambletye School 3
A Brambletye Education 4
The Role at Brambletye 5
Key Duties & Responsibilities
Person Specification 8
A Brambletye Workplace 9
Safeguarding, Equality & Diversity 10
Your Application 11
WELCOME TO BRAMBLETYE SCHOOL
…. a very warm welcome and thank you so much for your interest in working at Brambletye School.
My name is Will Brooks, and it is my privilege to have been the Headmaster here at Brambletye since 2015. Founded in 1919, Brambletye was originally a small boys’ boarding school in Kent before moving to its present location in 1933. Today we are a thriving independent co-ed prep school for pupils aged 2 to 13 years, located in a large country house set in stunning and tranquil grounds 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 Be Kind, 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 specialist teachers of sport, music, and drama through to our Bursary, Admin, Estates and Housekeeping departments, 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 and proud 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 forward to welcoming you to Brambletye soon.
Will Brooks Headmaster
A BRAMBLETYE EDUCATION
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 those around them.
A Brambletye education is focused on the individual. We encourage every pupil to find the area or subject in which they can excel, building their confidence and self-esteem. A love of learning is fostered from an early age, and our pupils are taught to be generous of spirit and curious about the world around them. Most importantly, they are encouraged to recognise their advantages and develop into responsible citizens with an understanding of how they can make a difference in society.
Pupils are taught a broad curriculum, leading to the Common Entrance or academic scholarship examinations at 13+; they are mostly class taught by a single teacher to the end of Year 4, and by specialist subject teachers thereafter.
Great emphasis is also placed on the extra-curricular side of school life. Sport, music, art, and drama, 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 and estates staff, is involved in the pastoral care of each pupil. Their wellbeing is at the very core of our school, and it is our strong belief that true academic success can only be achieved when built on a foundation of happiness and confidence. Brambletye operates a multi-tiered pastoral system 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 healthy blend of day pupils and boarders with many of our pupils opting to board ‘part time’ as day boarders.
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.
HOUSEKEEPER
OVERVIEW OF ROLE
Our Housekeepers at Brambletye are required to maintain high standards of cleanliness and hygiene throughout the school. They need to be able to work quickly, efficiently, to health and safety 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 high standard, including vacuuming, dusting, mopping, buffering, and disposing of waste.
HOURS OF WORK
Either 5.00am to 9.00am or 6.00am to 10.00am - Monday to Friday.
Please state clearly on your application your preferred hours of work. These are term-time only roles, plus additional hours as detailed below.
ADDITIONAL HOURS
School Holidays (3 weeks in total)
Contracted hours to be worked before the start of each term, the exact days and hours of work will 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 summer holidays. The exact days and hours of work will be agreed with the Head of Housekeeping.
School Inset Days
There is the requirement to attend mandatory Inset sessions which will be communicated through the Head of Housekeeping. These will be (but not limited to) whole school staff meetings, safeguarding training, health and safety training, fire training etc. If the Inset sessions attended are not able to be covered by school holiday hours, they will be paid at the postholder’s standard hourly rate as overtime.
KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
| Responsible to: | Head of Housekeeping |
| Responsible for: | N/A |
MAIN DUTIES
Responsible for ensuring the cleanliness of your designated area, and for maintaining high and consistent standards.
Assisting and performing laundry duties as required and for maintaining high and consistent standards.
Take initiative to perform cleaning and tidying tasks that you are not specifically instructed to do but require attention as part of maintaining the overall high cleanliness standard of the 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 the Head of Housekeeping.
Keep machinery and equipment in good working order and report any issues and/or cleaning supplies requirements to the Head of Housekeeping.
ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Support 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 when appropriate.
Be familiar with the school’s health and safety guidance and be responsible for personal health and safety and that of the pupils.
Perform reasonable additional duties as required by the School, commensurate with the post.
SAFEGUARDING
Complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Check (DBS) and any other safeguarding checks.
Ensure familiarisation with key safeguarding policies and documents e.g. Child Protection (Safeguarding) Policy, KCSIE, Prevent Policy, Anti-Bullying Policy, IT: E-Safety Policy, Staff Code 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.
The postholder may be reasonably required to perform duties other than those given in the job description for the post. The particular duties and responsibilities attached to the post may vary from time to time without changing the character of the duties or the level of the responsibility entailed.
If during the course of time the duties and responsibilities detailed should change significantly and for a sustained period of time, the job description will be reviewed and amended in consultation with the postholder.
It is the shared responsibility of the postholder and their line manager to ensure that job descriptions are kept up to date.
| Job Description Written/Updated: | July 2026 |
| By: | Head of Housekeeping/Bursar |
PERSON SPECIFICATION
The selection of applicants for shortlisting will be based on this specification, therefore applicants should bear this in mind when preparing and completing their application form.
QUALIFICATIONS
A current, clean, and valid driving licence would be desirable.
SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
Previous 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 of cleaning equipment and dilution of chemicals would also be desirable.
PERSONAL QUALITIES
Willingness 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 as directed 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.
A BRAMBLETYE WORKPLACE
SALARY
The salary is £10,721 per year. This is an hourly rate of £12.91 per hour.
PROBATION PERIOD
There is a 6-month probationary period for these roles.
PENSION
You will be automatically enrolled into the school pension scheme if you meet the eligibility criteria.
INDUCTION
As a new member of staff, you will have a thorough and supportive induction process. This will include:
A comprehensive tour of the school and facilities
Meeting key members of staff
Child protection and safeguarding training
Health and Safety induction
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & APPRAISALS
All members of staff are encouraged to participate in Continuous Professional Development and 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 for colleagues is encouraged and fostered. There is a highly active Brambletye community with staff 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.
SAFEGUARDING, EQUALITY & DIVERSITY
SAFEGUARDING AT BRAMBLETYE
Brambletye School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and expects all staff, Governors, and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be required to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post 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 which would normally be considered 'spent' under the Act) MUST be declared, subject to the DBS filtering rules. All information given will be treated as confidential and each case will be taken on its merits. Failure to disclose this information may result in the withdrawal of an offer of employment or immediate termination of employment.
Brambletye School is committed to providing outstanding safeguarding of the children in our care. You will be required to adhere to the School’s safeguarding policy and guidelines and ensure that the safeguarding of children underpins everything that you do. EVERY member of staff 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 be treated with respect, dignity and provided with the support they require to complete their recruitment journey with the School.
YOUR APPLICATION
HOW TO APPLY
An application form can be downloaded from the Brambletye School website. Please complete the application form and send it to Nick Hollamby (Bursar) via nhollamby@brambletye.com.
If you have any queries about the recruitment process and/or the completion of the application form, please get in touch with Nick who would be happy to help.
SHORTLISTING
Applications will be assessed against the information provided in this document. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an interview held at Brambletye School.
ONLINE CHECKS
All shortlisted applicants will be subject to an online background check as part of the School’s due diligence and commitment to safeguarding.
REFERENCES
Please 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 be required 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 documents and policies, these are available on vacancies page of the School’s website here.
TERM DATES
Information 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 application is strongly advised.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy when a suitable appointment has been made.