Site Assistant

Orsett Heath Academy is seeking a capable, reliable and enthusiastic Site Assistant to join our busy Site Services team in being responsible for general premises, grounds keeping and caretaking duties. Applicants should be self-motivated and able to work both independently and as part of a team to maintain and manage the grounds and buildings.

This role is full time: 52 weeks per year, 37 hours per week, 5 days per week. The role requires a degree of flexibility to cover for holidays and absence and will include working across other Trust schools as and when there is a requirement. Shift times will be confirmed, but are likely to be:
Monday to Thursday 06:00-14:00 and Friday 06:00-13:30;

Monday to Thursday 14:00 -22:00 and Friday 11:30 to 19:00; and

Monday to Thursday 08:00-16:00 and Friday 08:00-15:30.

We are looking for candidates with any of the following:

• A background in grounds maintenance;
• A combination of these skills would be an advantage: electrical, plumbing, gardening, carpentry and decoration;
• Site-team/caretaking/facilities experience, ideally in a school setting;
• Health and safety-related buildings knowledge/training;
• A hard-working approach, being resilient, flexible, reliable, and able to respond positively to competing demands; and
• An adaptable, professional and confident team player.

Why Orsett Heath Academy? 

Orsett Heath is a relatively new thriving mixed 11-16 comprehensive school. As a new school, we opened our doors to welcome our first pupils in 2020. Since then, the school has proved popular with parents and pupils, and we are oversubscribed in all four current year groups. We have created a successful school that pupils and staff are incredibly proud of.  

In the summer of 2024, we moved into our new £37m school building adjacent to our previous purpose-built accommodation. When full, the new building will have 1200 pupils and be amongst the largest in Thurrock. We are looking for highly motivated, talented and ambitious staff who share our inclusive ethos and who want to help us grow over the coming years.  

Our pupils have a ‘can-do’ attitude, and the school has focused heavily on character education alongside its academic offer since the school first opened.  

Why SWECET?  

At South West Essex Community Education Trust, we are passionate about providing the best start in life for our pupils. We are united in the belief that every young person needs and deserves an education that will maximise their future life chances.  

We place our pupils’ needs at the heart of everything we do and support our colleagues in delivering high-quality education. Our vision is to establish a national reputation for the quality of education we provide. 

Our academies are united by the things that make us both similar and unique - the DNA that ties us all together. The SWECET DNA is made up of the following components: Developing our people, Nurturing our differences, and Aspiring for excellence. 

We believe that our colleagues are our most precious resource to provide high-quality learning experiences for all our pupils. Our colleagues work hard to support teams in their own schools and across the Trust and in return, the SWECET Wellbeing Charter sets out our actions to support our colleagues. 

If you have energy and passion in abundance and would relish the opportunity to be part of our team, we look forward to hearing from you.

If you are interested in this vacancy please submit your application as soon as possible as we may close the advertisement early.

South West Essex Community Education Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants for this post must be willing to undergo child protection screening, including reference checks with previous employers, online checks and an enhanced DBS check with the Disclosure & Barring Service