Apprentice Grounds Person (Solihull School, Saint Martin's campus)
SOLIHULL SCHOOL
Solihull (B91 3EN)
Closes on Monday 23 June 2025
Posted on 14 May 2025
Contents
Summary
You will support the Grounds Team in the maintenance of sports surfaces & estate duties. Solihull is committed to safeguarding & promoting the welfare of children & young people & expects all staff to share this commitment. Applicants must be willing to undergo appropriate child protection screening, including past employment checks and the DBS.
- Wage
-
£14,918.80 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age
National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices
- Training course
- Sports turf operative (level 2)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday, 7.30am-4.00pm, with 1 hour lunch-break. Full year.
Willingness to work additional hours as required.
37 hours 30 minutes a week
- Start date
-
Monday 1 September 2025
- Duration
-
2 years
- Positions available
-
1
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
- Tasks include mowing, aeration, fertilising, scarifying and rolling. Pitch-marking and maintenance
- Seasonal maintenance work relating to pitches and the estate
- Working with the Grounds Team to delivering the maintenace program to a high standard and within the given timescales
- Basic machinery maintenance
Where you'll work
Solihull Preparatory School
Malvern Hall
Solihull
Solihull
B91 3EN
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
College or training organisation
MYERSCOUGH COLLEGE
Your training course
Sports turf operative (level 2)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Apply the correct rates and range of materials to sports turf surfaces (e.g. grass seed, granular fertilisers, bulky top-dressing, turf and root zone).
- Set and mark out the sports turf surface in accordance with the relevant governing body rules (including line marking, the 3-4-5 squaring technique, and marking arcs and semi-circles).
- Prepare machinery and equipment to ensure their safe and effective use when carrying out sport turf tasks.
- Maintain levels of soil moisture using either irrigation or drainage systems.
- Inspect the condition of sports turf, make observations and communicate findings (e.g. PQS, weeds, pests, diseases, thatch content).
- Prepare the ground and established grass areas as part of sports turf renovation tasks (e.g. overseeding, turfing).
- Carry out cylinder mowing of sports turf surface(s) in accordance with set requirements.
- Carry out repair of sports turf surfaces using relevant equipment and machinery (e.g. divot repair, foot hole repair, animal damage).
- Prepare and safely operate a tractor and it's attachments.
- Select and use relevant communication styles (e.g. verbal, written, digital) to convey information to different audiences (e.g. clients, staff, suppliers).
- Adopts a systematic approach to troubleshooting and solving day-to-day resource or equipment issues.
- Identify a range of turf grasses (vegetative and seed). (Including, perennial ryegrass smooth stalk meadow grass, annual meadow grass, fescue grass (fine), bent grass).
- Carry out maintenance of sports turf surface using relevant equipment and machinery (including scarification, and aeration).
- Dispose of waste in a safe and sustainable manner.
- Apply the correct rates and range of materials to sports turf surfaces (e.g. grass seed, granular fertilisers, bulky top-dressing, turf and root zone).
- Set and mark out the sports turf surface in accordance with the relevant governing body rules (including line marking, the 3-4-5 squaring technique, and marking arcs and semi-circles).
- Prepare machinery and equipment to ensure their safe and effective use when carrying out sport turf tasks.
- Maintain levels of soil moisture using either irrigation or drainage systems.
- Inspect the condition of sports turf, make observations and communicate findings (e.g. PQS, weeds, pests, diseases, thatch content).
- Prepare the ground and established grass areas as part of sports turf renovation tasks (e.g. overseeding, turfing).
- Carry out cylinder mowing of sports turf surface(s) in accordance with set requirements.
- Carry out repair of sports turf surfaces using relevant equipment and machinery (e.g. divot repair, foot hole repair, animal damage).
- Prepare and safely operate a tractor and it's attachments.
- Select and use relevant communication styles (e.g. verbal, written, digital) to convey information to different audiences (e.g. clients, staff, suppliers).
- Adopts a systematic approach to troubleshooting and solving day-to-day resource or equipment issues.
- Identify a range of turf grasses (vegetative and seed). (Including, perennial ryegrass smooth stalk meadow grass, annual meadow grass, fescue grass (fine), bent grass).
- Carry out maintenance of sports turf surface using relevant equipment and machinery (including scarification, and aeration).
- Dispose of waste in a safe and sustainable manner.
Your training plan
- All training will be appropriate to the role and discussed with the training provider
- You will work towards a Level 2 Sports Turf Operative qualification (also known as Assistant Greenkeeper)
- Off-the-job training allowance of 20% will be given
- The apprenticeship is typically 18-24 months
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE or equivalent in:
minimum of 4 GCSE's including Maths and English (grade A-D (9-3))Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Attention to detail
- Understanding of good quality
- Ability to learn good practice
- Positive & pro-active
- Highly motivated
- Desire to learn new skills
- Work on own initiative
- Follow instruction
- Team work
- Reliable
About this company
Solihull School is a selective co-educational HMC day school
After this apprenticeship
- Assistant Greenkeeper
- Grounds Keeper
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
MYERSCOUGH COLLEGE
barrettj@solsch.org.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000320580.
Apply now
Closes on Monday 23 June 2025
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After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.
Company’s application instructions
To apply for this role please submit an application form which can be found on MyNewTerm or by using the following link: https://mynewterm.com/jobs/104124/EDV-2025-SS-92896 Further information about the school can be found on the schools website: www.solsch.org.uk.