Head of Grounds and Gardens July 2021 JOB DESCRIPTION | HEAD OF GROUNDS AND GARDENS

Contents

From the Headmaster ……………………………….. p. 2 An introduction to School……………….….. p. 3 A Global Family of Schools ……….……….……….. p. 5 The Role ….………...... ……………………...….. p. 6 Key Areas of Responsibility ….………...... …….. p. 6 Working at Repton………...………………………… p. 9 Information for Candidates ..……………………….. p. 10

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From the Headmaster

Repton is a wonderful and inspiring A major programme of investment and place to work: one of the UK’s foremost expansion has been completed across co-educational boarding and day both Repton and in recent schools, located in the heart of the years, and Repton International now has English countryside, yet within easy schools in Dubai (2), (2), reach of major cities; strengthened by a China, and Malaysia with plans to open a history that goes back over a thousand further four over the next few years. years, yet with a keen eye on the challenges of the twenty first century. We are a school with ambition and purpose, eager to employ and reward We are enormously proud of the teachers who share our values and aims. emphasis we place on pastoral care at Accommodation will be provided, and with Repton and recent research confirms a commitment to invest in the professional that parents value the care we give development of our staff Repton is a very their children above all else. The House attractive place to work. is in a true sense every Reptonian’s home in the School – the place where I hope very much that you will read this pupils eat, sleep, work and live; where document with interest and I encourage their most enduring relationships with you to apply. peers and members of staff are born; and a secure, stable base within the busy life of a .

Mr Mark Semmence Headmaster

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An Introduction to Repton School

Repton is the ancient capital of Mercia, and the School, founded in 1557 from a bequest from Sir John Port of Etwall, was established on the site of a 7th century Anglo-Saxon Benedictine abbey and latterly a 12th century Augustinian priory.

The School today incorporates many of the original buildings from the estate, namely, the Guest Chamber and Prior’s Lodging (which as the Old Priory currently houses the School Library and Common Room), Overton’s Tower, Tithe Barn, and the Arch. The latter is all that now remains of the Priory’s original gatehouse and which helped inspire the School’s motto: porta vacat culpa.

Today Repton is a world class, modern, flourishing community with a clear sense of purpose and momentum. As a pre-eminent co-educational and boarding and day school, Repton provides an exceptional broad-based education, blending heritage with the pursuit of excellence in a 21st century context, offering world class facilities as well as high quality teaching and pastoral care.

The School has a thousand pupils across the Prep and Senior School, making it large enough to achieve excellence in and out of the classroom, yet small enough for individuals to grow and flourish. At Repton Senior, each pupil, whether day or boarding, is a member of a House, of which there are 10 (six for boys and four for girls).

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Academic standards are high and creative activities, including music, art, drama and design, flourish. The School has a national profile in sport, in particular in football, hockey and swimming. Our pupils thrive both in and out of the classroom and they develop the skills, qualities and values that will lead to a successful life.

Whilst Repton is undoubtedly modern in terms of practice and outlook, the traditional values of encouraging pupils to aim high whilst showing respect for all are still of utmost importance. The School continues its strong educational vision, recognising the importance of being able to offer a Repton education to potential pupils from all backgrounds by providing scholarships and bursaries in a wide range of subjects. The School’s considerable strengths were recognised in the 2020 ISI Inspection which found Repton to be ‘Excellent’ in each of the areas examined. The inspectors judged that Repton pupils ‘achieve highly and make excellent progress across the wide range of academic and extra-curricular opportunities available to them’. The School was found to have met all the requirements of the ISI Regulatory Compliance Inspection.

Repton and Repton Prep have always enjoyed a very close relationship and in 2020, the schools became a through-school with the aim of securing the very best pupil outcomes. Robert Relton, the Head of Repton Prep reports to Mark Semmence as Headmaster of Repton and Chief Executive of both schools.

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A Global Family of Schools

Repton was a leader amongst British schools in the international market with the establishment of Repton School Dubai in 2007. From this has sprung the Repton Family of Schools, the development of a global community which is key to Repton’s future vision. Currently, Repton has schools in Dubai (2), Abu Dhabi (2), China, and Malaysia with plans to open a further four more over the next few years.

The additional income generated by our overseas schools provides a financial support that will enable Repton to select pupils simply on merit and without regard to their parents’ financial means. The Headmaster and Senior Management Team play a key role in shaping the growth of Repton International as a leading educational brand.

Repton also currently has three schools in the UK (Repton, Repton Prep and St Wystan’s) with the ambition to increase its UK family of schools.

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Head of Grounds and Gardens

The Role

The Head of Grounds and Gardens role at Repton is a senior appointment within the School community. Reporting to the Director of Facilities and Services, you will play a key role in ensuring the School’s outdoor sports facilities are exceptionally maintained and safe for pupils, Enterprise and staff to use across both the Senior and Prep school campus.

We seek applications from enthusiastic, resilient, well-organised individuals with a demonstrable background in effectively managing Estates teams across multiple sites. The successful candidate will be a strong leader with a positive, proactive, customer focused approach, capable of aligning our outdoor sports facilities, grounds and gardens with the broader School brand. Key Areas of Responsibility Outdoor sports facilities, grounds and gardens management

• Accountable for the maintenance, care and development of all outdoor sports facilities, grounds and gardens across all school sites.

• Development and management of new facilities.

• Maintaining an accurate and up to date record of all pitches, playing areas and facilities, covering existing and future requirements.

• Maintenance of all synthetic hockey and tennis facilities, including cleaning and conditioning.

• Ownership and management of all ancillary areas (and paths) including clearing leaves and other detritus, moss and weed killing, hedge, shrub and tree planting, pruning, cutting and felling. The gardeners will be responsible for most flower beds and some lawns.

• Advising the Director of Facilities and Services on all matters pertaining to the condition of the grounds and estate including future requirements and associated budgetary needs.

• Ensuring that suitable machinery is available and appropriately maintained to support the Grounds and Garden function to run efficiently and effectively.

• Budgetary control of all aspects of estate management and development projects.

• Provision of accurate and timely information to committees, standing committees and governing body meetings as requested. • Liaising with consultants and contractors as necessary.

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Key Areas of Responsibility

Health and Safety/Compliance

Proactive member of the Health and Safety Committee.

• Accountable for our compliance with all relevant legislation and inspection frameworks in respect of our grounds and gardens. • Working with our Facilities Manager/Compliance Manager/Fire Warden to ensure that all buildings used by the grounds and gardening staff at all sites are compliant with relevant fire safety regulations. • You are responsible for your department’s Risk Assessments. • Working closely with the Compliance Manager you are to ensure that your Team Leads undertake, record and review Risk Assessments so that all activities are covered. Risk Assessments must be reviewed at least annually, and must be uploaded to an appropriate portal (for transparency and to encourage and share best-practice). • Assist with any HSE investigation that may be required at either School. • Ensure the maintenance of proper health and safety records, and to maintain a policy archive. You are to ensure the safe and secure storage, management and use of consumables such as fuel, oils, lubricants, chemicals and seed and equipment and tools both mechanical and manual. • You are to follow COSHH and HAV guidelines at all times, supported by appropriate monitoring and records.

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Key Areas of Responsibility

High Performing Team

• Effective, efficient and engaging line management of the Grounds and Gardening teams that sit underneath you across all school sites.

• Ensure the right structures, roles and resource levels are in place across senior and prep teams to deliver everything that is required.

• Manage headcount and payroll to agreed budgets and highlight where additional skills/resource may be needed in future. • Ensure that workload is managed effectively across your teams, ensuring that total resources are well utilised to manage peaks and troughs effectively. • Ensure that effective and engaging line management takes place at every level within the team, including regular high quality 121s, team meetings, training, feedback, recognition, performance management. • Ensure that clear team and personal targets are in place to drive performance across all teams. • Ensure that team members have clear personal and professional development plans in place, where relevant, and these are actioned and supported.

Other

Work closely with the Director of Facilities and Services and assist with the running of the department.

• Make a positive contribution to the leadership and management of the Facilities and Services Team.

• You will be expected to undertake all such other duties as the School may reasonably from time to time communicate either orally or in writing to you.

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Working at Repton

The School is committed to employing The School is committed to the and rewarding teachers who share its professional development of its staff so ambition, its aims and its values. This that they can continue to grow as teachers will be reflected in a highly attractive and educators and invests significantly in remuneration package as well as the this. investments in both staff and facilities.

Repton has its own generous salary Repton itself is a thriving village with a scale and the person appointed will fascinating past. Situated in the Trent enter the scale at the level suitable to valley between Derby and Burton on his/her qualifications and experience. Trent, on one side of the village is the Old Trent, the remnants of the former course Full-time staff also benefit from: of the river, and on the other three is attractive rolling farmland. The village has • Participation in a Pension Scheme a vibrant community with clubs, societies, • Free membership of Repton’s shops, pubs and other attractive Sport Centre amenities. It is close to the cities of Derby and Nottingham and major transport In its buildings and grounds, Repton routes, and much of the wonderful Peak combines the old and the new. The District National Park lies within heart of the School is a beautiful 12th century Augustinian Priory, but itself. following a major period of investment, the School has outstanding new and refurbished facilities in most teaching areas, most notably in the Science Priory, the School Theatre and a new Mathematics and PE Block.

A new Sports Centre including two full sports halls, a gym, a strength and conditioning suite, swimming pool, hospitality and reception suites and a café, was opened in November 2019.

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Information for Candidates

Candidates should apply to [email protected] with a fully completed Repton School application form, which includes the names and addresses of two professional referees, by 5pm on Wednesday 19th May 2021.

Applicants will be contacted for interview if they have been successful in the short-list process.

In accordance with the Children Act any Promoting and safeguarding the welfare of appointment to the Repton staff is conditional on children and young persons for whom you criminal records clearance and the successful are responsible and with whom you come candidate will be required to supply the into contact. necessary information and documentary Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 it is a evidence. References will be obtained on all criminal offence for a person over 18 (e.g. candidates called for interview and applicants teacher, matron, sports coach) to have a sexual should be aware that the interview will contain relationship with a child under 18 where that questions relating to the candidates’ suitability to person is in a position of trust in respect of that working in a post involving children. child, even if the relationship is consensual. This The School is committed to safeguarding and applies where the child is in full-time education promoting the welfare of children and young and the person works in the same establishment people and expects all staff and volunteers to as the child, even if s/he does not teach the share this commitment. Therefore the following child. Moreover, whatever the age of the pupil, a shall be deemed to be included, in addition to the sexual relationship between an employee and a duties that you may be required to perform: pupil will be considered an abuse of a position of trust and gross misconduct, likely to result in dismissal.

10 Repton  Derbyshire  DE65 6FH repton.org.uk