Caretaker, Building Maintenance, Maintenance Technician ​/ Mechanic

Job title
:
Caretaker

Hours
: 14.5 per week

Working days
:
Thursday (12pm-7.30pm) & Friday (12pm-7pm)

Salary
: CSET 12 £ 25,185 FTE, £9,869 prorated

Location
:
Downend School

We are looking for a handy, practical Caretaker to join our dedicated, friendly team on a part time contract. In this role, you’ll be the go-to person keeping our school safe, welcoming and running smoothly for our pupils and staff. Working closely with our School Operations Manager, your main duties will include:

• General DIY & Maintenance
  :
  Handling everyday repairs, fixing fixtures, and taking care of basic plumbing, electrics, or carpentry tasks.
• Security & Keyholding
  : locking up the school buildings, setting alarms, and making sure the site is secure.
• Grounds & Safety Checks
  :
  Doing daily walks to check the building, clearing drains, managing grit/snow in the winter, and running simple safety checks (like fire alarms and water testing).
• Supervising & Helping Out
  :
  Keeping an eye on external contractors or cleaners, moving furniture around when needed, and stepping in to help keep things clean and tidy.

You don’t need a background in education to succeed here—we are looking for reliable tradespeople, handypersons, or DIY enthusiasts who take pride in a job well done.

The successful candidate will:

• have solid experience or skills in building maintenance, plumbing, electrics, gardening, or cleaning. A specific trade qualification is a great bonus, but not essential.
• Be energetic, motivated, and completely comfortable working on your own initiative without someone looking over your shoulder.
• Be approachable, friendly, and ready to build good working relationships with school staff and the wider trust team.
• have a sensible approach to health and safety, and you're comfortable following straightforward safety procedures.
• be suitable to work around children and young people (the successful candidate will undergo an enhanced DBS check).

At Downend School we provide a safe, supportive and challenging learning environment that aims to inspire and empower young people to grasp opportunity, reach their potential and excel, develop responsibility and integrity, and respect themselves and others.

We have a strong ethos based on our core PRIDE values of participation, respect, identity, determination and excellence. We set standards high and aim to nurture young people who are well equipped to become active and positive members of the school community and to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in a time of rapid change.

• A supportive trust and school community
• Strong collaboration across the trust family of schools and access to a centralised team of specialists across all areas of school operations
• A commitment to high‑quality CPD, with dedicated time and budget for your development
• A values‑driven ethos where diversity, equity and inclusion are lived every day
• Recognition of continuous service (modification order) to protect employment rights and entitlements
• Local Authority Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions and death‑in‑service cover
• Occupational sick pay to support you during illness or unexpected emergencies
• Family‑friendly leave packages to help maintain a healthy work–life balance

CSET is committed to equal opportunities and encourages applicants from all backgrounds and communities, as we recognise the importance and benefit this has for our students.