Boarding House Assistants (Residential) in Petersfield

Are you a flexible and enthusiastic team player who enjoys working with young people? Would you like to use your skills and experience to support the pastoral, behavioural and welfare needs of a group of exceptional teenagers? We have a fantastic opportunity for you to join our close-knit team to support the day-to-day smooth running of our boarding houses at Bedales School. We have two vacancies; one in our Girls’ boarding house and the other in our Boys’ boarding house. Your work will be challenging and rewarding in equal measure and you will be working in an environment where we maintain a strong safeguarding culture, where students are listened to, respected and involved in as many decisions as possible.

Bedales is set in 120 acres of South Downs National Park in Steep, near Petersfield, Hampshire. The estate includes playing fields, orchards, woodland, pasture and a nature reserve; the countryside comes right to the heart of the school. Bedales is progressively liberal in approach, not for the sake of being different, but because we believe it is important for a properly rounded and relevant education. There is no uniform, and staff and students address each other by first names – just two features of a culture that values the individual, with mutual respect its cornerstone.

We are seeking two enthusiastic and motivated individuals to provide support and assistance for the students and Houseparent team at our School’s Boarding Houses. Residential Boarding House Assistants undertake a vital, hands on role during the evenings and weekends. House Assistants are the constant presence in the Houses managing the day-to-day running of the House, triaging and dealing with issues as they arise. Residential House Assistants are required to be resident in the Boarding House, with self-contained accommodation available throughout the year and meals provided during duty hours. House Assistants are able to have family members living/ staying in the accommodation with them (subject to safeguarding checks). Applicants will need excellent communication and caring skills, along with enthusiasm and good flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances. Calmness, a great sense of responsibility and commitment are also key to the role. You will work with the team to ensure the safe, effective and efficient management and smooth day-to-day running of the boarding house and care of students in line with the Boarding National Minimum Standards and the School’s needs and requirements.

Experience & Background

The successful candidates will be confident users of Microsoft Office and ensure that the administrative side of the Houseruns smoothly. You will also fulfil the primary duty of handling the students’ domestic and health arrangements, reporting directly to the Houseparent team on all matters concerning the boarding house and the students.

Duties

You will be responsible for:

• Supporting the students’ health and wellbeing needs during working hours.
• Providing supervision to the students in the boarding house during working hours.
• Ensuring that spreadsheets for fire lists, dormitory allocations, travel arrangements, health appointments and sign-in lists are kept up to date.
• Fielding calls/emails from teachers and parents relating to students in the boarding house.
• Managing the stock and billing of the “basics” shop where students can buy toiletries.
• Dispensing medication including controlled medication to students.
• Working closely with the domestic team and facilities department to ensure the boarding house is well-managed.
• Providing effective handovers to the fellow House Assistant who covers days.

This post is Regulated Activity.

Hours of Work

The posts are term time plus, working 33 weeks during term-time, plus working an additional 72 hours over the course of the year. The working hours are generally in the evening and over weekends during term time. An average week may involve working up to 39 hours to include weekends, but not every weekend is worked during term time. A flexible attitude is vital as the working hours can be anti-social. You will also share in the rota of being on-call overnight and for morning wakeups, as well as being required to attend INSET (staff training) days outside of term time. The exact work patterns for both roles will be discussed at the interview stage.

The full-time equivalent salary is £26,953 per annum. The actual part time salaries will be confirmed at interview stage.

• Self-contained accommodation (all year)
• Meals provided during working hours during term time
• Free on-site parking
• Funded Healthcare Cash Plan
• Pension with Royal London
• Salary Extras Benefits Platform
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Life Assurance
• Salary sacrifice on pension/cars/bicycles (for eligible staff)
• Use of sports facilities
• Beautiful working environment

Pre-Appointment Checks

• Closing Date: 9:00 am, Monday 23 November 2026
• Interview Date: Tuesday 1 December 2026

Early application is advised as Bedales reserve the right to make an appointment at any stage of the application process.

The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Candidates will be required to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), Prohibition from Teaching Checks, Prohibition from Management Checks.

The safeguarding responsibilities of the post include:

• Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children;
• fostering a culture of openness, safety, equality and protection;
• providing a safe and welcoming environment where both children and adults feel secure, able to talk and believe that they are being listened to;
• playing a key role in prevention of harm and an equal responsibility to act on any suspicion or disclosure that may indicate a child is at risk of harm;
• When concerned about the welfare of a student, acting in the best interests of the student.

All staff have a key role to play in identifying concerns early and in providing help for children and are expected to act in accordance with the school Safeguarding & Child Protection Policies.

The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the School is therefore permitted to ask job candidates to declare all convictions and cautions (including those which are "spent" unless they are "protected" under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with children.

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