Resident Houseparent (Westwood) | Vacancies | Ipswich School

Groundsperson (Sports Turf/Horticulture)

Full-time, permanent, required as soon as possible. 

Founded during the fourteenth century, Ipswich School is one of the foremost independent schools in East Anglia. We have around 1000 pupils aged between 3 months and 19 years and are co-educational throughout. 

The School moved to its present site overlooking Christchurch Park in 1852. The original buildings stand in front of fine modern classrooms, science laboratories and an award-winning sports hall. These, together with the School Library and performing arts centre, face the School Field. There are further extensive playing fields within easy walking distance and our Sports Centre, with further grass pitches and sand-dressed artificial pitches for hockey and netball, is based at Rushmere. Our Westwood Boarding House, just five minutes' walk away on Constitution Hill, is set in wooded grounds, and our Anglesea Heights Boarding House is located adjacent to the Senior School. 

Our pupils in the Preparatory School enjoy purpose built accommodation on two adjacent sites in Ivry Street and Anglesea Road, very close to the Senior School, and we have a day nursery for our youngest children (The Lodge Day Nursery), located on Ivry Street. 

All School sites and development projects are managed and overseen by our Director of Estates, who is also responsible for the caretaking (facilities), maintenance, cleaning and grounds teams, who work to keep the School's buildings and grounds in excellent condition.

Please contact Syd Townsend, Grounds Manager, on 07935342660 for an informal discussion or more information about this post.

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 building and grounds. 

The Estates team comprises of a grounds team, who maintain the School's gardens and sports pitches, a dedicated facilities team who support colleagues throughout the year, carry out general repairs, and work with contractors to complete building projects, and a larger cleaning team. 

The Post 

We are looking for a keen, enthusiastic person who will take pride in ensuring the School always looks its best. We offer a range of sports (including hockey, rugby, cricket, netball, tennis, football and athletics). You will assist in maintaining our sports pitches and grounds to a very high standard. You will be able to work independently as well as in a small team, and be responsible, positive in your approach, willing and flexible and able to get on well with others.

Relationships

You will be part of our Estates' team and will report on a day-to-day basis to the Grounds Manager, whose line manager is the Director of Estates. You will be expected to work on your own initiative and take full responsibility for your work. 

Principal Responsibilities 

You will primarily be based at the Senior School (located on Henley Road) and our Notcutts (Senior School) Sports Field, which is located nearby, but you will be required to work at other school sites on a regular basis to ensure that the School’s grounds are kept in excellent order at all times by:

● Preparing, maintaining and renovating cricket squares (mowing, rolling, line marking, spraying etc.)
● Preparing and maintaining other sports pitches to the highest possible standards
● Maintaining all-weather pitches, cricket nets, tennis courts and netball courts at the Senior School and Boarding House as required
● Assisting at the Prep School site, our Boarding Houses and at our Sports Centre (Rushmere St Andrew) when help is required
● Assisting the School’s gardeners with general gardening and tidying.

You will be working with the Grounds Manager to ensure that all sports pitches and grounds are prepared and ready for use throughout the year (during term time and holiday periods when the School’s facilities are hired out to other users).

● To work with the Grounds Team to ensure that the schedule of annual maintenance works (for example fertilising, aerating, scarification and renovation) is carried out in a timely fashion and to a high standard
● Leaf clearing, litter picking, snow clearance and salting/gritting as required
● Chainsaw and tree surgery work as required (subject to holding relevant qualifications)
● Care and basic maintenance of tools and equipment, including maintaining the grounds/gardeners’ workshop in good order
● Ensuring the safe storage of pesticides, petrol and other chemicals as required by the Health and Safety at Work regulations, and otherwise complying with the School’s Health, Safety and Welfare Policy, including wearing personal protective clothing provided by the School as appropriate
● To assist other members of the wider Estates team when required
● To act as a member of the ‘task force’ when any major development or renovation programmes occur
● Be vigilant with regard to strangers, challenging them if appropriate and asking them to leave the premises if necessary.
 

This list is not exhaustive and duties may be changed or added to as determined from time to time.

Person Specification

You will need to have a positive outlook, with a 'can do' approach. You will be organised, efficient and reliable. The position requires flexibility and the ability to work effectively as part of a team. Training and/or coaching will be given as necessary, but please not the following:

• A valid driving licence and experience of driving tractors and operating grounds machinery are highly desirable.
• Qualifications and/or experience and knowledge of sports and working with sports surfaces, particularly maintaining cricket squares, and other sports pitches, would be a distinct advantage, for example: NVQ Level 2/3 in Sports Turf Maintenance or Sports Ground Maintenance or equivalent. We would be happy to offer workplace training and to fund sports turf qualifications as required.
• Experience and/or qualifications in using chainsaws and tree surgery is desirable.
• Experience and/or relevant qualifications in the use of herbicides, e.g. PA1 and PA6 pesticide/herbicide applicator would be beneficial.

Hours of work, salary and benefits

● The appointment is permanent (subject to satisfactory completion of a 6-month probationary period) and will commence as soon as possible.
● An annualised hours contract (total 1950 hours) is in operation to ensure that the School runs smoothly (which will mean longer days on some occasions such as throughout the Cricket season, and shorter days on others, and will be directed by the Grounds Manager). You are likely to be required to work between the following hours, but as explained above, these timings may change to reflect seasonal requirements:

o Summer working hours (from around the beginning of April to around the end of September) as required during the hours of 7.00am -5:00pm, Monday to Sunday.
o Winter working hours (from around the beginning of October to around the end of March) as required during the hours of 8:00am -3:00pm, Monday to Friday.
o Occasional evening and weekend work

● It is your responsibility to remind yourself from time to time of the number of annualised hours remaining and to discuss with the Grounds Manager if you have any concerns. Additional hours may only be worked by prior written agreement and only when your annualised hours have been used.
● The starting salary will be competitive and dependent on your experience as a Groundperson and any particular qualifications or expertise that you may have.
● Uniform is provided, and must be worn at all times.
● 28 working days’ paid holiday per year, including public holidays. 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 33 days after 10 years’ service.
● In line with workplace pension legislation, you will join a defined contribution pension scheme (with employer contributions of 10%) and you will receive 3x salary death in service cover. You will have access to Smarthealth, the School’s wellbeing app for staff which offers 24/7 GP access and mental health support.
● Free lunch is provided during term time in the School Dining Hall when the kitchen is in operation.
● Staff are able to use the School swimming pool and fitness gym free of charge (in compliance with appropriate rules and regulations).
● After 3+ years’ service we offer generous staff fee remission for eligible children.
● 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. We are happy to support your professional training and development.
● We offer a friendly work environment with plenty of opportunities for staff social activities, including a Summer BBQ and Christmas celebrations etc.

Closing Date And Interview Arrangements

Please contact Syd Townsend, Grounds Manager, on 07935342660 for an informal discussion or more information about this post.

Email

Completed application forms should be returned by by noon on 5th March 2026 to: Director of HR, Ipswich School, 25 Henley Road, Ipswich, IP1 3SG or via email.

Candidates may be contacted or invited to interview prior to the closing date, and we may close this vacancy early if suitable candidates apply. Therefore, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. 

Please advise us of any special requirements you may have if you are called for interview. If your special requirements mean that you need to submit this application in a different format, please contact us.

We will acknowledge safe receipt of all applications, but if we have not been in touch with you further, then we regret that your application will have been unsuccessful, but we would like to thank you for your interest in this vacancy and Ipswich School.

Please Note

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.