PART I: ROLE AND RESPONSIBLITIES OF HEAD GROUNDSPERSON
Main Purpose
To take full responsibility under the guidance of the Estate Bursar for the maintenance and improvement of the College’s various sports grounds, gardens (incl. formal and boarding House) and facilities.
The Grounds Department
The Head Groundsperson is responsible for the day-to-day management of the department, which excludes the River Keepers. The department consists of 11 staff, including a Deputy (1), Campus, Formal Gardeners (2), Boarding House Gardeners (2), and Groundsmen (5). The Head Groundsperson reports to the Estates Bursar who acts as the Head of Department.
The department is based in Kingsgate Road and maintains a wide variety of facilities across several sites, including 10 football pitches, 3 grass plus 3 artificial cricket squares, 8 canvases pitches for Winchester College football, an all-weather surface pitch, and 6 recreational courts and 2 astro tennis courts. In total, the College campus covers over 150 acres of land. There are 11 Boarding Houses (which are due to increase to 13 by 2026), various private houses and ancillary buildings with grounds. In 2023, the new sport centre will open with its grounds and gardens coming on line.
The post of Head Groundsperson will be to exercise overall control of the grounds, including the survey and remediation of trees on the College Campus. The position will combine extensive ‘hands-on’ leadership with administrative and management responsibilities.
In the course of day-to-day activities, the Head Groundsperson will naturally come into contact with a wide variety of people, including College staff, alumni, third-party users of the School’s facilities, events staff and visitors. The Head Groundsperson is expected to deal professionally and appropriately with each.
There has been a continual process of Sports Ground/Facilities improvement over the years and the Head Groundsperson will ensure that the grounds/facilities are at the optimal playing standards.
Key Responsibilities
The following summary of duties is intended to assist the successful applicant in their respective responsibilities:
Other Related Responsibilities
Responsibility for the grounds is deemed to include:
Other Responsibilities
PART II: PERSON SPECIFICATION AND KEY QUALITIES
Qualifications and Experience
The successful applicant will have/be:
PART III: BENEFITS, TERMS AND CONDITIONS, AND APPLICATION
Start date
As soon as possible.
Hours of Work
The Head Groundsperson’s hours of work will vary according to the time of year, as the late spring and summer months are the department’s busiest periods.
Spring and Summer: 1 April – 31 August
Monday to Friday: 0800 – 1700 hours
Saturday: As required
Sunday: Occasional
The Head Groundsperson will be expected to be flexible in their working hours, with the team over the evenings and weekends from April to August to support the College’s cricket fixtures.
Autumn and Winter: 1 September – 31 March
Monday to Friday: 0800 – 1630 hours
Saturday afternoon 1330 – 1700 hours
The Head Groundsperson will be expected to be flexible in their working hours, with the team over the evenings and weekends from September to March to support the College’s football fixtures.
Salary
The salary for this position is c. £35,000. Salary is paid monthly, in arrears, to a nominated back account in 12 equal payments. Salary levels are reviewed on 1 September annually and this appointment will be next reviewed in September 2022.
Probation, Notice Periods
The first six months of employment will be a probationary period. Regular reviews with the Head Groundperson’s line manager will take place over the probation period with the opportunity to review conduct and performance, discuss progress, identify any areas for action and ensure that there is appropriate guidance and support in place to enable successful completion of the probationary period.
During the probationary period, the notice required by either party to terminate employment will be one month. Once employment is confirmed, the notice period will increase to three months.
Accommodation
Due to the nature of the role the successful applicant could be accommodated, so as to provide immediate security and access to the facilities within the Campus, along with the Porter/Security team. The accommodation provided will be discussed with the successful applicant.
Induction and Continuous Training and Development
The school is fully committed to the induction, training and development of all our staff, with staff supported to grow and reach their full potential.
We deliver a range of training, run by both our own staff and external providers, varying from highly practical First Aid courses to seminars and learning lunches.
There is an annual cycle of appraisal offering the opportunity to reflect on professional practice and development opportunities.
The school also offers a wide range of apprenticeships supporting staff development and progression.
Pension and Life Cover
On employment, employees will be auto-enrolled into the College’s pension scheme according to legislative thresholds. Those who are not eligible for auto-enrolment may still elect to join the College’s pension scheme.
Initially, when joining the College’s pension scheme, employees will become a member of the College’s Group Personal Pension Plan (GPP). For this Plan, known as Tier 1, the employee contributes 4% and the employer 3%.
After 9 month’s membership of the Tier 1 plan, employees may opt to join Tier 2, which is also a GPP, where the employee contributes 5% and the employer 9%.
Employees in Tier 1 automatically qualify for a Life Cover of 2 times salary. On entry to Tier 2, Life Cover changes to 4 times salary.
Annual Leave
The College leave year runs from 1 September to 31 August. This position will be entitled to the statutory holiday requirements. These are presently 28 days. Any Public Bank Holiday occurring during term time is deemed to be a normal working day. All leave must be taken by prior arrangement and must be taken outside of the school’s term times. Please note that no holidays are to be taken between 31 March until the beginning of July, which is the end of the school year.
Subject to the discretion of the school’s Bursar, a gift may also be given of extra time off during the Christmas period.
Sports Facilities
The school offers all staff free access to its excellent sports facilities, including gym membership, tennis courts and in 2023, a new 25m swimming pool. Exercise classes, including spinning and circuits are also available.
Wider Benefits
Winchester College is situated in the heart of beautiful, historic Winchester. Staff are offered a free tour of the College, with discounted rates available for booking venues within the school’s grounds for hospitality events. Car-parking is also available.
Disclosure Check
As Winchester College is an educational establishment, a condition of employment will be that the successful candidate must consent to the school obtaining an Enhanced Level Disclosure check through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). This will reveal all spent and unspent convictions, warnings, cautions and bind-overs. A policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders is available on the school’s website.
Safeguarding is one of the prime responsibilities of this role. The jobholder’s responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom they are responsible, or with whom they come into contact with, will be to adhere to and ensure compliance with the school’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy at all times. If, in the course of carrying out the duties of the post, the Head Groundsperson becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety or welfare of children in the school, they must report any concerns to the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead or in their absence the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.
References and Other Pre-employment Checks
The appointment will be dependent upon the receipt of a successful medical check and satisfactory references. The College will usually seek references from shortlisted candidates before interview and may approach previous employers for information to verify particular experience or qualifications. At least one referee must be the current or most recent employer. Where applicants are not currently working with children but have done so in the past, one referee must be the person by whom they were most recently employed when working with children.
Data Protection
Winchester College collects and processes relevant personal data as part of its everyday operations and is obliged to process it in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. The school is the Data Controller of this data under the Act and is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office; its registration number is Z5751669.
Any queries about this policy or how personal data is processed by the school should be referred to the Data Protection Liaison Officer.
