BARNARD CASTLE SCHOOL

B A R N A R D   C A S T L E    S C H O O L

Cleaner

INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

BARNARD CASTLE SCHOOL | BARNARD CASTLE | COUNTY DURHAM DL12 8UN | UNITED  KINGDOM

The History of Barnard Castle School

Barnard Castle School has its roots in the medieval past and its eyes set firmly on the future. The school
traces  its  origins  back  to  the  nearby  Hospital  of  St  John,  which  was  an  educational  and  religious
community established by John de Balliol in 1229. He was also the founder of Balliol College in Oxford
and his passion for learning remains central to our philosophy today. In 1883 with a gift from Benjamin
Flounders, a Victorian philanthropist, and the proceeds of St John’s Hospital, the present main School
building was constructed. Tony Jackson, the School’s tenth Headmaster, was appointed in September
2017 as “Barney” embarked on an exciting new era.

The School

‘When you are steeped in little things, you shall safely attempt great things’

This motto perfectly sums up what Barnard Castle School - or ‘Barney’ as it is affectionately known
-  aims  to  do  in  preparing  its  pupils  for  life  beyond  its  doors.  Through  creating  an  inspirational,
compassionate and  unpretentious  environment,  Barney  aims  to  develop  young adults with character.
Our  staff  believe  that  our  pupils  should  be  confident,  resilient,  intellectually  curious,  tolerant  and
driven,  with  an  undercurrent  of  humility,  and  are  prepared  to  live,  embrace  and  lead  in  an  ever-
changing world.

‘Parvis imbutus tentabis grandia tutus’

The School has a genuine warmth amongst its 722 pupils and 180 staff, which fosters a strong sense
of community and endeavour. It is highly unusual to find a school where pupils from Year 9 and Year 11
sit at a table for lunch together sharing a conversation, discussing their latest sports fixture or drama
rehearsal. However, this attitude is ingrained in a Barnardian from very early on. The co-educational
and cross-year group atmosphere starts in the journey from the Preparatory School (ages 4-11) right
through to the state-of-the-art bespoke Sixth Form Centre in the Senior School (ages 11-18). A Barney
pupil is quick to make someone else feel at ease, whether that is through simple encouragement or a
warm smile.

Whilst  we  are  extremely  proud  of  what  our  pupils  achieve  academically,  we  also  recognise  the
importance  of  preparing  the  next  generations  for  an  evolving  and  increasingly  competitive  global
marketplace. To do this, we focus on developing the individual character of every
child, and during their journey with us, we aim to cultivate vital life skills through building relationships
amongst  the  pupil  body  and  teachers  alike.  Each  pupil  has  a  dedicated  Tutor  who  meets  with  them
several times a week to discuss anything from pastoral issues to academic progress.

We  want  our  pupils  to  develop  a  balanced  mindset  for  life.  This  requires  confidence,  resilience  and
compassion, all built up over a period of time, and in a variety of ways, both within and beyond the
classroom. It also requires that most important quality: humility. At our core is an unpretentious and
humble outlook, and it is this combination of confidence and humility that allows our pupils to light up
a room.

We want staff who believe in our purpose as educators and are proactive in immersing themselves in
school life during term time. We would like them to role model the qualities we hope to install in our
pupils throughout their journey from the Prep School through to the end of the Sixth Form. Teachers
are expected to take part in the extensive extra-curricular “Mind, Body and Soul” programme that runs
between 4pm and 5pm and can choose to offer an activity that they are passionate about. We believe in
fostering lasting relationships and contact time with pupils outside the classroom is what makes the
Barney difference.

The School (cont’d)

The School is situated in its own extensive grounds on the outskirts of an historic market town, recently
noted as being the safest in England, in an area of outstanding natural beauty. It is well-resourced and
enjoys  an  enviable  reputation  for  its  pupils’  achievements  on  a  broad  variety  of  fronts.  It  is  also  in
proximity to and enjoys close relationships with departments in the universities of Durham, York and
Newcastle.

Continuous  improvement  and  investment  have produced  a  number  of  new  buildings,  including  the
MacFarlane Building which houses Physics and ICT, the Atha Fitness Centre, an extension to our Prep
School including a new Science Lab, and the new purpose built Sixth Form Centre.

Further details about Barnard Castle School may be found in the Independent Schools’ Yearbook and
on the School’s website www.barnardcastleschool.org.uk.

Our Vision

●  To be viewed as the leading independent co-educational boarding and day school in

the North of England.

●  To  foster  the  concept  that  ‘Barney  is  for  Life’,  imbuing  a  real  sense  that  to  be  a

Barnardian is something special and life-lasting.

●  To make an impact: in Barnard Castle, County Durham and the wider world.

●  To place the School in an even stronger position for future generations to enjoy all the

benefits of a Barney education.

Our Purpose

●  Through creating an inspirational, compassionate and unpretentious environment, we

aim to develop young adults with character.

●  They are happy, confident, resilient, intellectually curious, tolerant and driven, with an
undercurrent of humility, who are ready and prepared to face, embrace and lead in an
ever-changing world.

Job Description

Job Title:  Cleaner

Responsible to: Catering and Domestic Services Manager

Reporting to: Domestic Services Team Leader

Department: Support-Domestic

Purpose: You will be responsible for carrying out all cleaning duties to a high standard in line with

health and safety guidelines.

Overall Responsibilities:

General

•  To maintain a clean and tidy environment in line with school cleaning schedules

Specific

•  To ensure all equipment and products are used in accordance with manufacturer’s

instructions and school policies and procedures

•  To attend meetings and training as required

•  To comply with any reasonable request from the Catering and Domestic Services Manager

or Team Leaders to undertake work of a similar level that is not specified in this job
description

In order to meet the high standards expected of a member of staff in our School, the Bursar is seeking
to employ a person with the following qualities, experience, skills and abilities.

Person Specification

Essential Requirements:

•  Experience of working in a domestic services/ cleaning role

•  Ability to carry out all aspects of the role to a high standard at all times

•  Ability to work well as part of a team

•  Ability to communicate and interact well with colleagues and students

•  Self-motivated and able to identify and complete required tasks without direct supervision

•  Ability to walk, climb stairs, bend, stretch, push, pull and lift repetitively during working

hours

Desirable Requirements

•  Experience of working in an educational setting
•  Evidence of working as part of a team
•  Certificate in Health and Safety including knowledge of COSHH & moving and handling

training

•  Evidence of first aid training

Minimum Training :-

The following training courses are considered to be a minimum requirement for the post and will
be planned as appropriate to support the role, responsibilities and duties undertaken: -

-  Health and safety
-  Fire safety awareness
-  Food Hygiene
-  Child protection and safeguarding

Expectations as a member of Barnard Castle School Staff

•  To  have  high  professional  standards  and  so  be  an  appropriate  role  model  of  reliability,

behaviour and appearance

•  To contribute to marketing the school and to promote the School
•  To uphold all the policies of Barnard Castle School
•  To take an interest in how the School functions
•  To subscribe to School’s ethos of inclusivity, collegiality and helpfulness.
•  Be responsible for considering the Health and Safety of themselves and others as an

integral part of their job.

•  Maintain and awareness and observation of fire regulations.
•  Undertake safeguarding training and understand safeguarding obligations.
•  Demonstrate their ongoing commitment to delivering the highest standards through their

department’s delivery of service.

•  To establish good standards of communication with all stakeholders.
•  To take an interest in how the School operates.
•  To be an appropriate role model of reliability, behaviour and appearance.

This job description reflects the present requirements of the post and is not intended to be
exhaustive. staff may be required to carry out such other duties as the Headmaster or Bursar may
reasonably require from time to time.

Duties and responsibilities, may be subject to change and development, the job description will be
reviewed periodically and subject to amendment in consultation with the post holder.

Support

The staff member will be appraised by their Line Manager but routine communication will be on
going and professional development.

Appointment Terms, Conditions and Benefits

Type: Permanent contract

Probationary Period: 6 months

Working  Hours:  17  hours  per  week-  15  hours  Monday  –  Friday  and  6-10  am  every  alternate
Sunday

Hourly rate: Age Appropriate National Minimum Wage

Notice: During the probationary period by School and Employee is one week in writing.  Post
probationary is 1 month.

Absence: Entitlement to Statutory Sick pay (SSP) only during first year.  School sick pay as
detailed in contract will apply in second and later years.

Paid holidays:

Pro-rated equivalent of 20 days per annum plus bank.
Holiday year runs 1st September to 31st August.
As a Boarding School, some public holidays (usually May Day) are a normal working day and a lieu
day can be taken in School holiday working weeks for this

Pension: In accordance with current pension legislation, Support Staff are automatically enrolled
in  The  Pensions  Trust  Flexible  Retirement  Plan  scheme  unless  they  choose  to  opt  out.    More
information is available on request.

Recruitment Process

Barney Application Process:

If you feel that you can meet the above requirements, then please submit a
letter  of  application  along  with  the  Barnard  Castle  School  application  form  to  the
Bursar. Only applications containing the requested information will be considered.

Applications should be sent to:
Mrs S M Metcalf
Bursar
Barnard Castle School
County Durham
DL12 8UN

Closing Date :
Applications will be
considered as they
arrive

Phone 01833 696098

Fax 01833 638985

E-mail hr@barneyschool.org.uk

Interviews
Interviews will take place
at Barnard Castle School

Information about Interviews:

WWW. B A R N A R D CAST L E S C HO OL. O R G .UK