Estates Assistant (live in)

ESTATES ASSISTANT  (live in)

Full-time, permanent, mainly evenings, weekends and out of hours on call

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 ensure 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 when the Estates Manager is off-site. 

Live-in accommodation is provided on the main Henley Road site to support the effective undertaking of this role.  The role is varied and interesting and is crucial to the smooth running of the School. 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The main requirements of the role, which are flexible in line with the requirements of the role and the needs of the School are:

Out of hours/Event Support:

• Serve as the primary point of contact for all 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 alarms, 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 can be provided.

• Assist with maintaining cleanliness standards throughout the Estate as required. 

Security

• Act as the named keyholder and liaison for emergency services (Police, Fire) and alarm monitoring companies.

• 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 close liaison with members of the Estates Senior Management team, Estates team and other members of teaching and support 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 Skills

A good level of basic DIY skills to contribute positively to the maintenance, repair and general upkeep of the School’s estate

Site Security

Experience of having responsibility for maintaining site security and dealing appropriately with emergencies.

Physical Fitness

You must be able to undertake all elements of the role as outlined in this job description, including lifting and carrying items

Computer 

Good knowledge of Google Drive, Google Sheets, Google Docs and Gmail.

Time management
The ability to work to agreed deadlines, show initiative and be able to manage your own workload effectively

Skills Development

The willingness and ability to learn new skills and undertake development/training activities.

Health and Safety

Knowledge and experience of Health and Safety regulations relevant to a maintenance role, including the ability to follow and comply with instructions relating to equipment and/or materials

Customer Service Skills

Good communication skills, and a warm, friendly approach.

Team Working

Team working experience, with a positive mind set and 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 40 hours spread across 6 days over a 7 day week.  A rest day will be included on any day Monday - Friday.  Working hours will usually be from 5pm to 10.30pm on weekdays, 4pm to 10pm on Saturdays and  9.00 am to 6.00pm on Sundays. 

• You will also be required to respond to alarm call-outs which may occur outside of the working hours outlined above. 

Salary and Remuneration 

• Accommodation is provided by way of a service occupancy agreement. The property comprises a three bedroomed cottage located on the school site with access onto Henley Road. Council tax and utility bills are paid by the School. Personal use of heat and lighting is reportable by way of P11d each tax year. 

• The remuneration package for this post totals £28,572 per annum.  The value of the accommodation offered is calculated to be in the region of £4,050 per annum so the actual salary payable will be £24,522 per annum.  This will be paid equally over twelve months each academic year.  The value of the accommodation, and salary arrangements will be reviewed annually, with the first review for this post being in September 2026.  Please note that a review does not guarantee an increase or adjustment .  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’ paid holiday per year, plus public holidays. The holiday year runs from 1 September to 31 August. One extra day’s holiday may be taken for each completed 2 years’ of service, up to a maximum of 5 extra days.  This brings the total holiday allowance up to 25 days 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 Friday 1 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 week commencing Monday 4 May 2026, when we will also ask candidates to undergo a competency assessment.

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