Groundsperson

Job Description

 

RESPONSIBILITIES OF GROUNDSPERSON 

Key Responsibilities 

Grounds maintenance 

Undertake routine maintenance of lawns, hedges, trees and planted areas. 
Carry out mowing, strimming, pruning, weeding, mulching, and leaf clearance in accordance with seasonal requirements. 
Maintain pathways, hard landscaping and outdoor furniture to a safe and presentable standard. 

Sports surfaces and amenity areas 

Assist under the direction of the Head of Grounds and Deputy head grounds person with the preparation and upkeep of sports pitches and amenity areas. 
Support renovations work including aeration, scarification, overseed and turf repairs as well as delivering the colleges comprehensive fertiliser program.  
Ensure playing surfaces are safe, compliant and maintained to specifically high standards. 

Arboriculture and Tree care 

Assist with basic tree maintenance in line with Winchester college Tree management plan. 
Monitor tree health and report signs of disease, pest damage and structural concerns to the Head of Grounds. 

Health and Safety compliance 

Operate machinery and equipment safely within parameters highlighted in departmental risk assessments and training guidelines. 
Adhere to all college health and safety policies, department code of practice, and COSHH regulations. 
Report hazards, defects and incidents proactively and express a duty of care towards colleagues, students and visitors of the college. 

Reporting Lines

The department consists of 10 staff which includes the: 

Head of Grounds and Gardens 
Deputy Grounds person 
Head Gardener 
1 Senior Gardeners  
2 Gardeners  
3 Grounds Staff (this role) 
1 Grounds and Gardens apprentice 

The Groundsperson will report into the Head of Grounds and Gardens.

PERSON SPECIFICATION AND KEY QUALITIES 

Skills and competencies  

Practical experience in grounds maintenance. 
Ability to operate grounds machinery and hand tools 
Awareness of health and safety requirements regarding working outdoors and with machinery and powered equipment. 
Basic knowledge of plants, turf management and seasonal maintenance cycles. 
Ability to work independently or as part of a team. 
Good time management and reliability. 

Teamwork and Communication 

Work collaboratively with colleagues to deliver planned and reactive maintenance programs 
Respond to requests and issues in a professional and timely manner 
Communicate effectively with supervisors and other departments when required. 
Contribution to team objectives and site standards 

Qualifications and experience 

Grounds maintenance qualification with a minimum of NVQ level 2 equivalence 
PA1 and PA6 pesticide application certificates (Desired) 
Previous experience in grounds maintenance and sports turf environments. 
Full driving license (Essential) 

Working conditions 

Outdoor working in all weather conditions 
This role is physically demanding requiring good overall fitness including manual handling of equipment. manual handling 
Regular use of powered and non-powered tools  

BENEFITS, TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND APPLICATION 

Start Date 

Flexible start date for the right candidate with preference for commencing as soon as possible. 

Hours of Work 

This is a full-time role, 40 hours per week, where staff will be expected to accept reasonable flexibility in working arrangements and the allocation of duties to reflect the dynamic roles and responsibilities within the College environment. 

This will include weekend work on a rota-based system as well as additional evening hours to cover sporting fixtures, College events and additional workloads, as deemed necessary by the Head of Grounds. 

Salary 

Salary will be £27,315.00 (gross) per annum commensurate with qualifications and experience. 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 2026.     

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 on many aspects of teaching and learning. 

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 28 days holiday annually, which includes the usual Public Bank Holidays. 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.? 

Subject to the discretion of the school’s Bursar, a gift may also be given of extra time off during the Christmas period. 

Wider Benefits 

Free staff lunches during term time. 
Free use of some sports facilities and discounted hire charges for others 
Tour of the College, with discounted rates available for booking venues within the school’s grounds for hospitality events. 
Cycle to work scheme. 
Free access to an ongoing cycle of cultural, musical, theatrical and sporting talks and events. 
Employee Referral Scheme, with a reward of up to £250 for staff (subject to scheme conditions). 
Free Library membership with access to a range of online journals and magazines. 
Reduced green fee rates for local golf course. 

Probation, Notice Periods 

The first four months of employment will be a probationary period. Regular reviews with line managers take place over the probationary period with the opportunity to 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 week.?Once employment is confirmed, the notice period will be one month. 

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 primary responsibilities of this role. The jobholder is responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom they are responsible, or with whom they come into contact with, and will need to adhere to and ensure compliance with the school’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy at all times. The postholder should be conversant with the responsibilities and procedures detailed in this policy and with the Department for Education’s Keeping Children Safe in Education. If, in the course of carrying out the duties of the post, the postholder 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 Leads. 

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.

How to Apply

 

HOW TO APPLY 
Only applications completed on the school website will be accepted. Please attach a full CV with your application.  

Please note that applications will be dealt with as they arrive. Winchester College reserves the right to appoint before the deadline passes. 

Closing date for applications: Midnight on Thursday 11th June 2026 

Those wishing for an informal conversation about this role are invited to speak to Dave Rustell, 

Head of Grounds & Gardens, der@wincoll.ac.uk. 

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the recruitment process, please email recruitment@wincoll.ac.uk. 

Diversity and Inclusion 

We embrace diversity and inclusion in the workplace and are committed to promoting a fair and supportive environment for all our employees. We are keen to welcome applications from all applicants that feel that they meet the requirements of the role, regardless of their background and culture. 

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 General Data Protection Regulation and Data 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. 

If you have any queries or comments about this policy or how personal data is processed by the school, please contact the Bursar and his team by emailing: dataprotection@wincoll.ac.uk or by writing to: Data Protection, The Bursary, Winchester College, College Street, Winchester, SO23 9NA. 

Winchester College was founded in 1382 by a radical educational reformer and has since been shaped by centuries of tradition. 

Today, the School has 735 pupils. Over time, the School plans to admit up to 40 day pupils into the Sixth Form each year (around half of whom will be girls) and up to 60 girl boarders. This will bring the total School population to around 900 pupils, similar in size to Rugby and Harrow, but smaller than Sevenoaks, Oundle, Wellington and Eton. The number of boys boarding at 13+ will remain the same. 

A recent milestone in Winchester’s history is the merger with The Pilgrims’ School, one of the leading academic prep schools for boys. The merger strengthens the historical ties between the two schools, ensuring that we both continue to provide an education of exceptional quality and breadth, while also creating new opportunities for increased collaboration and innovation. 

The College has also recently completed a brand review and refresh, designed to provide prospective families with a clearer, more distinctive impression of what makes Winchester unique, and to sharpen the way we communicate our core values and messages.