Facilities Assistant in Wadhurst

This role does not offer sponsorship. Bricklehurst Manor School is a brand-new, co-educational SEMH school located in Wadhurst, East Sussex, for pupils aged 11–16. The school will cater for up to 60 pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs and associated additional needs. This is a unique opportunity to join the school at its inception, helping to shape the culture, ethos, and learning environment. With small class sizes and a strong focus on personalised support, Bricklehurst Manor School provides a nurturing, inclusive setting where every pupil can build confidence, resilience, and achieve their full potential.

We are part of Acorn Education and can offer plenty of challenges along with a wide range of opportunities to develop your career. Acorn Education is the UK’s leading provider of specialist education for children and young people with special educational needs. As part of Outcomes First Group, we are leading our sector in creating and delivering innovative approaches that achieve measurable outcomes for those in our care.

About the Role

Are you practical, proactive and proud of keeping places safe, smart and running smoothly? Bricklehurst Manor School is looking for a committed and skilled Facilities Assistant to join our dedicated Facilities Team and play a vital role in supporting our children, staff and wider school community. This is more than a maintenance role — it’s an opportunity to make a real difference every day in a specialist education setting where high standards, safety and care truly matter.

Working closely with the Facilities Manager, Maintenance Team Leader and Regional Maintenance Team, you’ll take ownership of a specialist trade area (such as plumbing, joinery, electrical work or decorating) while supporting the wider team with day-to-day and planned maintenance across the site. From keeping buildings and grounds looking their best, to responding flexibly to urgent issues, you’ll be a key part of ensuring our school remains a safe, welcoming and well-functioning environment for everyone who uses it.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Taking professional responsibility for your specialist area of competence
• Supporting day-to-day reactive and planned maintenance, refurbishments and repairs
• Maintaining buildings, equipment, plant and grounds to a high professional standard
• Carrying out regular site walks to identify, record and resolve Health & Safety issues
• Liaising with external contractors and reporting works as required
• Supporting the on-call rota and responding to urgent or last-minute requirements
• Advising staff on plant, machinery, equipment safety and condition
• Contributing to risk assessments, procedures and safe systems of work
• Ensuring correct use and storage of tools, equipment, chemicals and machinery (COSHH)
• Assisting with fire safety checks, drills and emergency evacuations
• Supporting vehicle checks and basic maintenance
• Keeping accurate records and reporting any defects, damage, hazards or incidents promptly

You’ll also work closely with colleagues across departments, external visitors, inspectors, suppliers and contractors — helping to maintain the school’s strong reputation within the local community.

What We’re Looking For

• Practical, reliable and highly organised
• Skilled in a trade or maintenance discipline
• Safety-conscious with strong attention to detail
• Flexible and able to respond calmly to changing priorities
• A positive team player with good communication skills
• Committed to maintaining high standards and supporting a school community
• Full UK Driving Licence

Why join Acorn Education?

We place the outcomes of the pupils and vulnerable young adults in our services at the heart of everything we do, so you’ll wake every day in the knowledge that your role will have a significant positive impact on the lives of others. We are committed to the safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils and young people. All applicants will be subject to social media checks and successful applicants to a fully enhanced DBS.

Benefits

Your health and wellbeing are important to us, so you’ll get an exceptional reward package including:

• Life Assurance
• Pension scheme with options to increase your contributions
• “Your Wellbeing Matters” – access to a wide range of first-class mental health support services and physical health checks
• A market-leading benefit offering through our Flexible Benefits Platform, Vista, enables you to choose the package that’s right for you, including:

• A wide range of health, wellbeing, and insurance benefits
• 100’s of discount options valid in the UK and abroad
• Cycle to Work Schemes
• Electric Car Purchase Scheme
• Critical illness cover
• Family Growth Support - inclusive benefits package covering enhanced maternity and paternity leave, along with paid fertility treatment support.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

*You’ll work 80% of your contractual hours for 100% of your pay, giving you more time to do the things that make you happy. 4DWW is subject to successful completion of probation and is not a contractual benefit.

Outcomes First Group is committed to carrying out a fair, thorough and efficient recruitment process in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education. Whilst we aim to keep applicants informed throughout, Outcomes First Group does not accept liability for any loss of earnings or other associated costs incurred by applicants as a result of delays or changes in the compliance process. All stages of the compliance process are subject to necessary safeguarding checks and compliance with statutory requirements, which may affect timescales.