Weekend Domestic Assistant
-
School:
Royal Grammar School -
Location:
Newcastle -
Salary:
£12.71 per hour -
Hours:
8 hours per week (7.00m - 11.00am Saturday and Sunday) -
Contractual Status:
Permanent -
Closing Date:
12th Aug 2026
THE POSITION
Weekend Domestic Assistant (8 hours per week)
Required from September 2026
We are looking for a reliable and enthusiastic individual to join our friendly Domestic Services team, helping to create a clean, safe and welcoming environment for both our Junior and Senior School communities.
As a Domestic Assistant, you’ll play an important role in delivering high-quality, professional cleaning services that support the day-to-day life of the school. You’ll become part of a supportive and collaborative facilities team, working alongside caretakers, maintenance staff, grounds staff and fellow domestic colleagues.
You will report to the Domestic Supervisor and be supported by an experienced Facilities and Estates leadership team, ensuring you have the guidance and resources you need to succeed in your role.
This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who takes pride in their work, enjoys being part of a team, and wants to make a meaningful contribution to a vibrant school environment.
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The principal duty will be to provide and maintain a clean environment for students, staff and visitors to the school. Other duties will include:
- Daily cleaning throughout the whole school, including teaching rooms, laboratories, sports facilities including pool areas and other special facilities, common rooms, offices and all internal circulation spaces.
- Regular deep cleaning of the school out of term-time and for special events.
- Using a range of cleaning equipment, aids and agents, including vacuum cleaners, floor polishers and a range of appropriate cleaning materials.
- Collecting of waste from bins, including recycling bins.
- Reporting faults, e.g., broken furniture, failed lights, etc.
- Working independently or in close cooperation with other support staff teams, actively assisting in the provision of support services across the school, e.g. setting up and clearing away after events to ensure the school is ready for students the following day.
- Attending and participating in team meetings, training activities and performance development as required.
- Other reasonable additional duties which may be required from time to time.
QUALIFICATIONS, TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS
The following are essential:
- Cleaning experience.
- Good verbal communication skills.
- A strong commitment to quality standards and good practice as they relate to cleaning operations, including:
- An awareness of health and safety, safe use of cleaning materials and environmental health issues associated with an understanding of COSHH Safety procedures.
- An understanding of hygiene control.
- A willingness to actively support the ethos and vision of the school.
- The post holder must show a professional, positive and enthusiastic approach to work and must be flexible and sensitive to the needs of a wide range of school users.
The post holder must:
- be customer focused.
- be confident and courteous.
- be organised and methodical.
- have good timekeeping.
- have a tidy appearance.
- Show an understanding, or willingness to learn the issues associated with working among young people in a school.
- An ability to work as a member of a team in a busy environment.
The following are desirable:
Experience of working in a school or similar environment.
A qualification in cleaning science or similar.
HEALTH & SAFETY
- An awareness of health and safety, safe use of cleaning materials and environmental health issues is essential. Assisting the Head of Facilities and Estates in providing a safe environment for the school community and its visitors, the post holder must perform their duties in accordance with the school’s health and safety procedures and policies, taking remedial action and reporting hazards where additional action is required.
- Ensure that appropriate signage is in place when cleaning is in progress.
- Make safe any hazards where possible, and ensure the area is cordoned off.
- During cleaning operations, ensure clear passage is maintained especially on fire escape routes, and that the site is safe and tidy.
- Ensure that all allocated equipment and materials are stored safely and securely in order to prevent unauthorised access and potential accidents/misuse.
- Ensure that cleaning cupboards are tidy, and that tools and equipment are in a safe condition at all times.
MAIN TERMS AND CONDITIONS
- Starting September 2026 pending completion of the successful candidate’s pre-employment and safeguarding checks.
- This is a permanent, all year-round role which will include the compulsory safeguarding training at the start of each academic year and staff training days.
- Normal hours of work are 7.00am -11.00am on Saturday and Sunday (8 hours per week).
- Some work outside these hours, including weekends, may be required in connection with special school events.
- The full-time equivalent salary for this role is in the region of £24852 gross per annum (Full time equivalent ). The actual salary for 8 hours per week will be approx. £5301 gross per annum, which is equivalent to £12.71 per hour.
Excellent benefits available- see job information for full details.
HOW TO APPLY
Candidates are advised to read the ‘Information for Applicants’ with particular care before applying.
Enquiries about this post should be made in the first instance to Scott Moran (Facilities and Services Manager) s.moran@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk or by telephone on 0191 281 5711.
If, having looked through the website (www.rgs.newcastle.sch.uk) and read this job information pack and the Information for Applicants, you think this particular post would suit you, please say so (and why)in:
1. A covering letter and
2. A fully completed RGS application form.
You must complete the application form, even if you want to also attach a CV.
Please email all documents to jobs@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk by 9.00am Wednesday 12th August 2026.
Early applications are encouraged. Please note that the school reserves the right to close applications early and may call candidates in for interview as applications are received.
Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment
RGS is committed to the safeguarding of children and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, volunteers and those working in school to share this commitment. The school applies the Government’s Keeping Children Safe in Education Safer Recruitment procedures to all candidates including appropriate pre-interview checks on shortlisted candidates and pre-employment checks pending any offer. More information regarding the checks can be found in our Information for Applicants here, and ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (September 2025)
Equal Opportunities
We are looking to appoint staff from a wide variety of backgrounds. Not just because it is the right thing to do but because at the RGS we recognise that those different experiences provide fresh perspectives, opportunities to challenge existing beliefs and provide opportunities to act as excellent role models for our diverse student body.
We are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse school culture and our staff are at the heart of this. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of neurodivergence, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.
We strive to achieve a diverse workforce, fully representative of our pluralistic society and the ethnic make-up of the student population in the UK. People of colour are under-represented on our staff team. We are keen to attract applicants from a diverse pool of candidates and determined to be a fully inclusive employer, and a great workplace for people of Black, Asian, and ethnic minority heritage as well as White heritage.
We encourage all candidates to complete an ‘equal opportunities’ form with your application. This will be sent directly to the HR team for monitoring purposes.
Royal Grammar School
In 1525, the Mayor of Newcastle, Thomas Horsley, wrote his will, in which he generously gifted his estate to fund a grammar school. Five centuries later, Horsley’s vision lives on in the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle’s corridors and classrooms, and his philanthropic spirit drives the RGS’s commitment to education.
Few schools can claim a 500-year history. Over the years, the RGS, has continued to flourish as the premier independent school in the North East of England and as one of the country’s leading schools – consistently topping the regional table for academic excellence.
Today, RGS is a fully co-educational school with over 1,300 students aged 7-18 (Years 3 to 13). Its academically selective places are highly sought after. The school has more than 250 students in the Junior School, which shares the same outstanding site as the Senior School. Its Sixth Form is one of the largest in the independent sector, with more than 340 students.
While RGS prides itself on academic excellence, the school is also known for its emphasis on a holistic education. The school’s ‘There’s More to Life’ approach informs its holistic education, which is central to students’ success, health and happiness.
RGS is based in the heart of Newcastle, immediately opposite Jesmond Metro station. The school occupies over 30 acres of land and has state-of-the-art facilities, including five brand new art studios, a new library, a modern Sixth Form Centre, a 25m swimming pool, two Sports Halls, a Performing Arts Centre, outdoor football/rugby pitches at Mooracres, an artificial turf pitch for hockey and the former County Cricket Ground.
Academic Success
RGS is a special place, known and respected throughout the whole country as well as the North East. It’s a place where aspirations are high, results are outstanding, and opportunities are endless. Our students go on to study highly selective courses at the most sought-after universities but also leave the school realising that life outside the classroom has been equally beneficial.
In 2023, RGS was named ‘Independent School of the Year’ overall in The Telegraph Group’s national awards. Most recently, the school was again named North East Independent Secondary School of the Year for Academic Excellence 2025 by The Sunday Times’ Parent Power Schools Guide.
Academically, the school is highly selective. Students are assessed for entry at the key entry points (Y3, Y5, Y7, and a handful at Y9, plus Sixth Form). The biggest entry points are Y3 (60 students), Y7 (c.75 students) and Y12 (c.45 students). Beyond the academics, in Junior School (Y3-6), entry is assessed through activity days, whilst at Y7, students are assessed through online tests and an interaction day. Sixth Form entry is through interview only.
Students sit baseline tests in Y7, Y10, and Y12 – the average GLA CAT score for both the current Y7 and Y12 is 117. We have several students who have the assistance of our dedicated Learning Support Team, which works across Junior and Senior School.
Co-curricular Activities
At RGS, students can choose from over 170 co-curricular activities, ranging from music, drama, and sports to unique options like e-sports and knitting. All students are encouraged to discover what excites and inspires them.
Sport is also a central part of life at RGS, with students actively participating in a variety of activities including hockey, cricket, and basketball, from early morning until late afternoon. RGS views sport as a fundamental vehicle for students to develop lifelong skills, character, resilience – and, above all, a love for daily movement.
While it may seem tricky to balance schoolwork with so many exciting co-curricular and sporting activities, RGS has found that students actively engaged outside the classroom often perform even better academically. Both programmes are designed to help students develop essential life skills, from self-awareness to decision-making and self-organisation.
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