Part time ESTATES ASSISTANT
IPSWICH SCHOOL
Part time ESTATES ASSISTANT - (Two posts available) Part-time, permanent, mainly evenings, weekends
THE SCHOOL
Ipswich School has been listed as one of the top 130 schools in the country and is one of the foremost independent schools in East Anglia. We were established prior to 1399, moving to our present site in 1852. The school is co-educational with pupils aged between 3 months and 18 years.
We have a variety of buildings across a number of sites;
Senior School (Henley Road)
● Upper Prep School (Ivry Street)
● Lower Prep School (Anglesea Road)
● Westwood Boarding House (Constitution Hill)
● Anglesea Heights Boarding (Ivry Street)
● Notcutt Sports Fields (off The Grove, Henley Road)
● Ipswich School Sports Centre (ISSC) (Rushmere St Andrew)
● The Lodge Day Nursery (Ivry Street)
THE ESTATES TEAM AT IPSWICH SCHOOL
The School benefits from a dedicated team of Estates staff who work to maintain and continually improve the School’s buildings and grounds. The Estates team comprises; a grounds team, who maintain the School’s gardens and sports pitches; a dedicated Estates Facilities and Maintenance team, who carry out general repairs and work with contractors to complete building projects, (and who work to support staff and pupils throughout the year); and a large cleaning team.
THE POST
We are seeking a proactive and friendly person to assist with the smooth running and safety of the School across all its sites in the evenings and at weekends.
The successful candidate must be a self-starter and organised, capable of working on their own initiative and making decisions independently. The role is varied and interesting and assists with the overall smooth running of the School.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The main requirements of the role, which are flexible in line with the requirements of the School are:
Out of hours/Event Support:
● Serve as the primary point of contact for site-related matters outside of core school hours.
● Provide a professional and welcoming environment, acting as the main point of contact for external hirers and staff during evening and weekend events.
Assist with preparations for school functions, including car park marshalling, setting up equipment/furniture, and cleaning areas (performance spaces, gyms, etc.) to ensure they are ready for school the following day.
General Duties/Maintenance
● Assess emergency situations, including fire and intruder alarm activations, and determine necessary actions. This may include requesting additional assistance from external contractors.
● Troubleshoot basic heating, hot water and electrical failures and seek appropriate assistance where necessary.
● Undertake routine maintenance and compliance checks and tasks as required. Full training will be provided.
● Assist with maintaining cleanliness standards throughout the Estate as required.
● Ensure the security of buildings and grounds including locking/unlocking doors and gates.
This list is not exhaustive and duties may be changed or added to as determined from time to time and will be reviewed annually.
ACCOUNTABLE TO
You will be responsible to the Estates Manager who is ultimately responsible to the Director of Estates. On a day to day basis the role will involve liaison with members of the Estates Senior Management team, Estates team and other members of staff across all sites. You will also deal with external suppliers, contractors and hirers.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
We are looking for someone who will contribute positively to the Ipswich School community. You will need to demonstrate the following key skills and have appropriate experience to effectively fulfil the responsibilities of this role, in particular:
| Essential Skills/Experience | Highly desirable |
| Practical SkillsBasic DIY skills to contribute positively to themaintenance, repair and general upkeep of the School'sestate | |
| Site SecurityExperience of having responsibility for maintaining sitesecurity and dealing appropriately with emergencies. | |
| Physical FitnessYou must be able to undertake all elements of therole as outlined in this job description, including lifting and carrying items | |
| ComputerGood knowledge of Google Drive, Google Sheets,Google Docs and Gmail. | |
| Time managementThe ability to work to agreed deadlines, showinitiative and be able to manage your own workloadeffectively | |
| Health and SafetyKnowledge and experience of Health and Safetyregulations relevant to the role, including the ability tofollow and comply with instructions relating toequipment and/or materials | |
| Customer Service SkillsGood communication skills, and a warm,friendly approach. | |
| Team WorkingTeam working experience, with a positive mind setand a 'can-do' approach. | |
| Driving Licence A clean, valid driving licence. | |
| Safeguarding Children The ability to support the School's Child Protection and Safeguarding Children Policies and Procedures |
HOURS OF WORK
Working Hours
Due to the nature of this role, flexibility with working hours will be required as these may be subject to change to meet the needs of the School. Working hours will be 18.5 hours per week, working a bi-weekly rota. Working hours will usually alternate between the usual rota 1 - Sunday 1.30pm to 6.30pm and Monday to Wednesday 6pm to 10.30pm and Rota 2 - Thursday and Friday 6pm to 10.30pm, Saturday 3.30pm to 8pm and Sunday 8.30am to 1.30pm. Additional hours may be required outside of these hours and will be paid pro-rata.
Salary and Remuneration
The remuneration package for this post totals £12717.64 per annum. This will be paid equally over twelve months each academic year. Salary arrangements will be reviewed annually, with the first review for this post being in September 2026. The position is classified as a Support Staff position for pay and pension purposes.
● Salaries are paid monthly in arrears on the last working day of each month by BACS. Pay is reviewed annually on 1 September (and/or in April in line with the review of the National Living Wage)
You will be entitled to 20 working days’ pro rata paid annual leave per year, plus public holidays. The holiday year runs from 1 September to 31 August. One extra day’s annual leave may be taken for each completed 2 years’ of service, up to a maximum of 5 extra days. This brings the total annual leave allowance up to 25 days pro rata after 10 years’ service. Annual Leave should be spread across the year with no more than 4 weekends to be taken off.
● After 3 months’ service and/or in line with workplace pension legislation, you will be entitled to join a defined contribution pension scheme (with 10% employer contributions), and you will benefit from 3x salary death in service cover.
● After 3+ years’ service with the School you will be entitled to generous fee remission.
● Uniforms are provided and should be kept clean and tidy and worn at all times.
● PPE clothing is supplied and is to be worn at all times when completing hazardous works.
● Staff are able to use the School swimming pool and fitness gym free of charge (in compliance with appropriate rules and regulations).
The School runs an appraisal scheme for its support staff to assist in the review and development of their role and you will participate in this scheme. Any additional training requirements would be assessed as part of this process. The school may fund the undertaking of external qualifications as appropriate.
● Meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) are included when on duty in this role, in the main dining hall during term time only, when the kitchen is in operation.
We would encourage you to download the full job description for this role from our website: https://www.ipswich.school/vacancies. Please apply using our application form. We cannot accept a CV in place of a fully completed application form for a role that involves working in a school environment.
Completed application forms should be returned by noon Wednesday 20th May 2026 to: the Director of HR, Ipswich School, 25 Henley Road, Ipswich, IP1 3SG or email hr@ipswich.school
Candidates shortlisted for interview will be advised as soon as possible after the closing date and interviews are likely to be in the week commencing Monday 25th May 2026.
Ipswich School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the job, including checks with past employers and an Enhanced Disclosure via the Disclosure and Barring Service