Gardener ​/ Assistant Gardener

Canford School is a co-educational independent school with over 650 pupils. The grounds total around 250 acres which include formal gardens, a nine hole golf course, an arboretum, parkland and the sports grounds. The gardens include formal and amenity lawns, hedges, climbers, ponds and a wide variety of shrub and rose borders. The Estates Department is responsible for ensuring that the gardens look their very best all year round.

The Gardener/Assistant Gardener will be responsible for maintaining beds and borders, leaf removal, cutting and edging lawns, and will assist the Senior Gardener in the development of new planting schemes throughout the grounds.

The post-holder will be a skilled, competent, and tidy gardener with a critical eye for fine detail and improvement, with a strong work ethic and good communication skills.

• To carry out the duties of a gardener/assistant gardener in accordance with recognised industry standards.
• To carry out duties in a manner befitting the high quality environment and professional standards expected of all staff at Canford School

Provide a high quality gardening service for the maintenance and presentation of the School’s gardens and grounds as directed and led by the Senior Gardener, to include:

• Maintaining, weeding, pruning and all regular gardening duties under the planned programme of gardens maintenance to beds, borders and grass areas as allocated.
• Grass cutting, edging, aerating, treating and scarifying as set out under the planned programme of gardens maintenance to formal lawns and other grassed areas as allocated.
• Receiving and satisfactorily completing requests for reactive works to gardens following damage or issues.
• Weed control within the gardens through chemical and mechanical operations.
• Assisting the Senior Gardener in pro-actively updating and improving the gardens.

When necessary, to help with

• Maintaining sports grounds and surfaces in accordance with the planned programme of sports grounds works, to grass, all-weather synthetic and hard surface areas as allocated.

The post-holder is required to operate and maintain a range of machinery, tools and equipment. Duties to include:

• Set up, operate and maintain machinery, equipment and tools safely and professionally, following the set instructions, risk assessments, safe systems of work and training provided. This will include tractors with PTO driven implements. Record all maintenance work as directed.
• Set up, operate and maintain powered hand tools, including mowers, strimmers and hedge cutters safely and professionally, following the set instructions, risk assessments, safe systems of work and training provided. Record all maintenance work as directed.

• Maintain works tickets, stock records and material records accurately .
• Cascade any given instructions and requirements to the other members of the Gardening team as requested, and ensure good two-way communication
• Liaise with Estates Department colleagues on matters concerning programming, materials, access, safety and allocation of duties. Always let the Senior Gardener know about problems encountered on site.
• To be willing to work with any other Estates Department trade team as directed on occasion to help the whole department best flex resources to meet peak workloads. All allocated tasks to be within the reasonable capabilities of the post-holder.

Follow all health and safety guidelines and procedures as stated within the School’s Health & Safety Policy. To also include:

• Ensure that Estates Department safe working practices are followed at all times and never compromised. Comply with all issued health and safety instruction.
• Ensure that procedures for the safe disposal of any hazardous waste are followed.
• Follow risk assessments for the grounds team, and carry out all duties in the safest and tidiest manner.
• Assist the Senior Gardener in meeting the legal obligations with regard to chemicals, fuel storage, and safe storage of dangerous equipment.
• Properly maintain personal protective equipment (PPE) as required for the work.
• Ensure you have a permit for all work ropriate…