School Caretaker – Thriving Secondary School

Start Date: September 2026

Contract: Full-time, Permanent (Shift-Pattern Framework)

Salary: Paid to scale (Support Staff Framework)

A thriving Secondary School in Colchester, Essex, is seeking a professional, adaptable, and highly organised School Caretaker to join their dedicated premises team. This is a hands‑on, vital operational support role that directly impacts the daily running, safety, and security of the school site, making it an excellent opportunity for a skilled technician, maintenance professional, or experienced caretaker looking to work within a stable, highly supportive school framework.

The successful candidate will work as part of a structured team operating on a rotating shift pattern to cover the opening and closing parameters of the school site. Primary responsibilities include executing general building maintenance tasks (such as minor carpentry, basic plumbing, painting, and glazing repairs), conducting routine statutory safety monitoring (including water temperature testing, fire door checks, and playground safety logs), and keeping the campus clean and hazard‑free.

You will also assist with event setups, manage incoming site deliveries, monitor cleaning supply inventories, and respond efficiently to reactive maintenance requests logged via the school’s internal digital tracking database.

You will support seamless communication with the Site Manager, teaching staff, and external community groups utilizing the school’s facilities out of hours, requiring absolute reliability, discretion, and a professional approach at all times. Strong time‑management skills are necessary, as you will balance physical fabric repairs across a large campus with real‑time compliance logging and porterage requests.

This is an 11 to 18 well‑established Secondary School in Colchester with a strong commitment to literacy integration, academic progress, and student wellbeing. The school serves an engaged regional community and features modern, dedicated humanities blocks, practical departments, and a highly cohesive support staff faculty.

Students are respectful, motivated, and appreciative of their learning environments, creating a purposeful, calm atmosphere across the site. The premises and caretaking team are highly respected members of the school family, and senior leaders actively prioritise balanced workloads, clear communication, and funded pathways for continuous technical training and safety certifications (such as working at heights, manual handling, or basic health and safety modules).

• Previous experience in building maintenance, caretaking, porterage, or a relevant practical trade discipline
• Strong practical skills in general maintenance operations (DIY, painting, minor carpentry/plumbing fixes)
• Good understanding of basic health and safety protocols and safe manual handling frameworks
• Basic IT literacy, with the ability to check email registers and update maintenance tickets on digital dashboards
• Ability to work effectively and flexibly across a rotating shift pattern (including early mornings and evening lockups)