Package Description: Required: as soon as possible until September 2026
Location: Vincent Square - Westminster School
Contract: full-time, temporary
Hours of work: 07:30 to 16:00, Monday to Friday with an hour unpaid lunchbreak
Salary: Full-time equivalent of £30,365.24 pro-rated down to reflect the length of the contract
Benefits include:
- Free school meals when on-site
- Generous School pension scheme
- Free access to the School’s leisure facilities, including a fitness gym (restricted hours)
For this role, there is no fixed closing date. Applications will be considered on receipt, and interviews may occur at any stage.
Westminster School is looking for a reliable and adaptable Grounds person to join our Grounds team on a seasonal basis. The successful candidate will be expected to maintain and be collectively responsible for ensuring that the School grounds and sports pitches are well maintained and kept to a high standard at all times.
The ideal candidate will have with experience in grounds maintenance, and preferably have experience in preparing cricket/football pitches however training can be provided.
Westminster School has a 10-acre playing field at Vincent Square, the largest square in Central London, which allows for pupils to engage in sport close to the School. The playing field is comprised of cricket pitches, football pitches, along with tennis courts of both tarmac and artificial grass surfaces.
In addition, there is an activity area with apparatus which are used by the pupils who attend Westminster Under School.
Day-to-Day
Providing general grounds maintenance duties, including tractor operation: ride-on and pedestrian machinery.
Working with the grounds team, they are expected to maintain the School’s playing surfaces and surrounding areas to the highest of standards in a timely and efficient manner.
The Grounds team currently consists of two Groundspeople who work with the supervision of the Head Groundsperson.
More detailed duties include:
- Maintain cleanliness and general tidiness of all internal / external areas.
- Maintain artificial / synthetic playing areas.
Sports Maintenance and Provisions
- Initial marking and overmarking of sports areas such as football pitches, cricket squares and athletic tracks.
- Assemble and dismantle sports equipment, ensuring it is maintained to a high standard.
- Liaise closely with games staff and external parties to ensure the availability of sports pitches and equipment, in the absence of the Head Groundsperson.
Vehicle Maintenance and Equipment
- Provide effective materials and machinery management to ensure all equipment is correctly stored and maintained.
- Ensure the security of equipment, machinery, and buildings.
- Ensure vehicles and equipment used by the team are regularly maintained in accordance with routine operating requirements and recorded, with any defects reported to the Head Groundsperson in a timely manner.
General
- Carry out regular stock checks of consumables and replace where required.
- Use the irrigation system, when required, to maintain the grass sports pitches to optimum condition.
- Report any minor works issues through the appropriate channels.
- Assist, when necessary, with the assembly and maintenance of School equipment.
- Adhere to Health & Safety requirements, complying with current legislation and the School’s Health and Safety Policy.
- Promote the health and safety of others, responding to emergencies where possible.
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with managers, colleagues, and end users.
This job description is written at a specific time and is subject to change as the demands of Westminster School and the role develops.
The role requires adaptability, and the postholder may be asked to perform tasks and be given responsibilities not detailed in this job description. Any changes to the job description will be discussed with the postholder before being implemented.
Equal Opportunities
We are an equal opportunities employer. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation.
Safeguarding and Child Protection
Westminster School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Working at Westminster
Westminster School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of around 750 pupils, 120 teaching staff and 108 support staff.
Our staff are friendly and welcoming, and all newcomers quickly become part of the rhythm of life here.
There is a real sense of community here as, being a boarding school many members of staff and pupils live on site and the School’s premises are very much treated as a home away from home. School life starts before breakfast and continues way beyond the working day; as a result, there is always a lively atmosphere in and around School and always someone to share a tea and biscuit with in the Common Room. Support staff as much as teaching staff are encouraged to embrace the School’s day-to-day activities, whether that be attending an evening concert or a morning service in the Abbey.
At Westminster we will always select the best candidate for every position. We do know, however, that we can only truly choose the best person on every occasion if a broad and diverse pool of candidates see the job advertised and are encouraged to apply.
As such, we continue to work on how our job roles are encountered, and particularly welcome applications from groups who have traditionally been underrepresented here.
Westminster School is for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. We hope you are encouraged to apply.
The School
Westminster School is an independent day and boarding school for boys aged 13-18 and girls aged 16-18, with a long history, a distinctive ethos, and a unique sense of place in the very heart of London. Pupils achieve exceptional examination results and entrance to some of the top universities in the world. It is a busy, passionate and purposeful place where independent and deep thinking is enjoyed, encouraged and respected by all, and where holistic excellence is nurtured and valued.
While the School is one of the foremost centres of academic excellence in the country, its commitment to academic life does not make it a hothouse for passing examinations. Pupils’ success at examinations and entry to leading universities is instead a result of their enjoyment of academic enquiry, debate and search for explanation, well beyond published syllabuses. Pupils are intellectually, socially, ethically and politically engaged and our aim is to ensure that their enthusiasm for learning is developed further, allowing them to take full advantage of the opportunities presented to them in the future. At Westminster, pupils have the freedom to lead on projects outside of the classroom and embrace a whole range of extra-curricular activities and interests. A host of pupil-led societies take place every week at the School, often with expert guest speakers, and pupils can choose to study an additional language, play an instrument or two, volunteer in local primary schools, row along the Thames, take part in plays and musicals, and much more.
The School’s ethos resides in the enduring values of the liberal tradition reflected in the 1560 Charter of Westminster’s Elizabethan foundation, where it is stated that: ‘the youth which is growing to manhood, as tender shoots in the wood of our state, shall be liberally instructed in good books to the greater honour of the state’. Whilst academic and cultural attainments are highly prized at Westminster, the School is fully committed also to each pupil’s spiritual, moral, emotional and physical development and wellbeing – with a particular emphasis on drawing out individual talent wherever it lies – and to prepare young people for fulfilled private and public lives.
From September 2028, the School will welcome both girls and boys at 13+ entry, offering a Westminster education to all. By 2026, Westminster Under School will have opened its brand new pre-prep for girls and boys at 4+ and girls will have joined boys in Years 3 and 7, at the 7+ and 11+ entry points. By 2030, all year groups at Westminster School and Westminster Under School, from ages four to 18, will be fully co-educational, reflecting the School’s dedication to inclusivity and excellence.