Caretaker

Location:      St Bede’s Catholic Primary School, Hampshire Place, Washington, NE37 2NP

Grade:          Grade D, SCP 5 – 7 (£25,583 – £26,403 per annum, pro rata)

Hours:          37 Hours per Week, Full Year, Permanent

Working Pattern:

Monday to Tuesday:          6:00am until 9.30am & 14:00pm until 18:00pm

Friday:                                    6:00am until 9.30am & 14:00pm until 17:30pm

St Bede’s is a single form entry Primary School and Nursery. We are proud to be part of the Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, a family of secondary, middle, primary and first schools in Durham, Gateshead, Northumberland and Sunderland. Bishop Wilkinson is the largest catholic education trust in the Northeast of England and will have a total of 48 schools. This is an exciting time to join our supportive, and growing team.

We are seeking to appoint a skilled, reliable and self-motivated individual to fill the vital role of Caretaker in the school, joining our dedicated and supportive team. The person appointed will have total commitment towards maintaining a safe, positive, clean and happy environment for our children, staff and visitors. The Caretaker will ensure the seamless day-to-day running and operation of our school site.

Duties will include:

• Opening and closing the school each day and carrying out security checks for the school buildings and grounds (lights, windows, gates, internal / external doors, boundary wall/fence).
• Undertake regular health and safety checks of buildings, grounds, fixtures and fittings, (including compliance with fire safety regulations) and equipment, in line with other schedules.
• To identify and prioritise routine maintenance of the school buildings and grounds, undertaking minor repair work where needed e.g. changing light bulbs, erecting shelves, painting and decorating, minor plumbing etc.
• Act as the designated key holder for the school premises, responding where needed to security alarm or other call outs in accordance with agreed procedures.

The successful candidate will maintain our school environment to a high standard to support children’s learning. They should be able to work effectively as part of the staff team, look after the safety and cleanliness of the site and also have the ability to work on their own initiative in recognising jobs that require attention, prioritising their own workload, undertaking some heavy lifting, moving and handling and be willing to undertake training and development.

The successful candidate will have:

• Good DIY skills.
• Ability to work in accordance with the school’s Health & Safety Policies and the code of safe working.
• Ability to work on own initiative, as well as taking direction from others.
• Ability to undertake general building maintenance and repairs without guidance.
• Ability to communicate well with adults and students and be a positive member of our happy team.

For an application form and further details about this vacancy please visit our website, http://bwcet.com/vacancies/, where applications can be completed online.

Closing Date:         16^th February 2026

Shortlisting Date: TBC

Interview Date:      TBC

The Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempt from the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and is subject to an enhanced DBS check. An online search will be completed for all shortlisted candidates.