School site manager and caretaker jobs

A school site manager, or caretaker in smaller schools, is responsible for the buildings and grounds: opening and locking up, small repairs, security, health and safety checks and managing contractors. Most posts are all-year, often with early starts, late finishes and call-outs when an alarm goes off. In maintained schools the job is paid on the council pay spine, with site managers graded above caretakers. You do not need formal qualifications to start, though practical trade skills help.

What the job covers

The title changes with the size of the school. In a small primary the caretaker may be one person doing everything from unlocking before the first staff arrive to changing light bulbs and gritting the paths. In a large secondary the site manager leads a team of site staff and cleaners, and spends more time on planning, compliance and contractors.

Common tasks are:

• opening and securing the building, setting and responding to alarms
• small repairs: doors, locks, furniture, leaks, fixtures
• moving furniture and setting up halls for exams, assemblies and events
• grounds work, litter, snow and ice clearance
• receiving deliveries and managing waste collections
• supervising contractors and checking their work and paperwork
• sometimes cleaning, or supervising cleaners

Health and safety and compliance

A large part of the modern job is keeping records that show the site is safe. That usually includes weekly fire alarm tests and fire door checks, emergency lighting tests, water temperature checks for legionella control, and logs of who has done what on site. The site manager often keeps the asbestos register to hand for contractors and acts as the first contact during fire drills and lockdown practice.

Schools usually train site staff in manual handling, working at heights, COSHH (hazardous substances), first aid and sometimes legionella awareness. A background in building maintenance, facilities or a trade gives you a head start.

Hours and lock-up

School buildings are used from early morning breakfast clubs to evening lettings, sports and parents’ evenings. Site contracts often cover this with split shifts, rotas between site staff, or a contracted pattern of early and late duties. Some include a call-out rota for alarms.

Working time rules apply. Unless you opt out in writing, the average working week must not exceed 48 hours over 17 weeks. You are entitled to a 20-minute break if you work more than 6 hours, 11 hours’ rest between working days, and 24 hours off each week or 48 hours each fortnight. Split shifts can make the 11-hour rest rule tight, so check how a proposed pattern fits. See rest breaks and working time.

Locking up alone at night counts as lone working. Employers should assess the risk and agree a check-in procedure, and our guide to lone working sets out what to expect.

Pay

Maintained schools in England and Wales usually pay site staff on the NJC pay spine through the council’s grades, and many academies follow the same spine. The 2026/27 award added 3.3% from 1 April 2026. Some schools add an allowance for responding to call-outs or for regular evening lettings, under local terms.

Typical grades vary a lot by school size. As a guide, using spine values worked out from the 2025 figures plus 3.3%:

Spine point	Full-time salary 2026/27
SCP 4	£26,016
SCP 7	£27,274
SCP 12	£29,542
SCP 18	£32,578
SCP 24	£36,581

Caretakers in small schools tend to be at the lower end and site managers of large schools or multi-site trusts at the higher end. Most site posts are all-year, so the advertised figure is often close to what you receive, adjusted for hours. See the full NJC pay spine and use the take-home pay calculator for the net amount.

Council-employed site staff get at least 23 days’ basic annual leave (26 after 5 years’ continuous service), plus 8 public holidays and 2 extra-statutory days under the Green Book. Academies may differ. You also join the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Who gets these jobs

Schools look for practical maintenance experience, a good understanding of health and safety, reliability, and the ability to work around children without disrupting lessons. Trade qualifications in carpentry, plumbing or electrics help, especially for larger sites. A driving licence is often asked for.

As you work in a school, you need an enhanced DBS check with a children’s barred list check, which costs £41.00 in England and Wales from 5 October 2026. Site managers who want to move up can take facilities management qualifications and move into estates roles in academy trusts, councils or the NHS; see NHS estates and maintenance jobs. Current posts appear under school support jobs.