- Job title: Recreation Assistant
- Job Type: Full Time, permanent, shift work, 40 hours per week
- Salary: £26,000 per annum (£29,619 if full pension flex benefit is utilised)
- Department: Mallinson Sports Centre
- Reporting to: General Manager
- Location: Highgate, North London
- Start: ASAP
- Closing Date: 31 July 2025 at 5:00 pm
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We are looking for an enthusiastic, flexible, with a can do attitude, lifeguard (or the ability to become a lifeguard) to join our dynamic and hard working team at the Mallinson Sports Centre, Highgate School. The role involves much more than lifeguarding, with lots of opportunities to train and develop in other areas in the Leisure industry. It is great starting platform for someone who is keen to grow and excel with the world of Leisure.
The DepartmentThe Mallinson Sports Centre hosts various large high spec sporting facilities, including a 25m swimming pool, indoor sports hall, astro pitches and much more. We are a full time team that work flexible hours and shifts to cover our operational needs of over 100 hours a week, from 6am to 10pm Monday to Friday, and 8am-5pm on weekends.
'The Mallinson is inclusive environment where all staff are made to feel welcome and are given the opportunity to grow and develop throughout their time here'
- Operations Manager
Job Description
THE ROLE- Lifeguard - Provide poolside supervision for all swimming sessions.
- Attend monthly Lifeguard and First Aid training.
- Assist the Centre's operations and SpEx requirements on a shift rota basis, ensuring the efficient and effective operation of the facility including conducting accurate and timely set-ups and take-downs and changeovers.
- Assist with the storage of sports equipment.
- Assist with the audit & stock control of sports equipment.
- Assist with arranging the equipment requirements for SpEx lessons, as well as ensuring all equipment is returned to the correct storage location after use.
- Assist with the preparation of all areas for activities and special events as required.
- Undertake reception, rigging and derigging of sports equipment.
- Undertake coaching, including delivering birthday parties and holiday camps, as and when required.
- Carry out cleaning tasks in accordance with the Centre's cleaning schedules.
- Ensure the safe storage of all chemicals and equipment to comply with COSHH regulations.
- Carry out daily building checks, appropriately flagging any relevant findings or necessary corrective action.
- Carry out pool testing and other health and safety checks as directed by Centre management.
- Carry out minor repairs and remedial work to equipment where necessary.
- Assist with deliveries to the centre, storage and stock control.
- Establish and maintain excellent relationships with our customers and potential customers, handling and escalating complaints where appropriate.
- Adhere to the Health and Safety procedures, operating procedures, customer service standards and uniform policy at all times.
- Provide first aid cover when required.
- To develop and maintain knowledge of the Centre's risk assessments.
- Follow the Centre's risk assessments in respect of health and safety at all times.
- Attend staff training and briefings to stay updated and to maintain and retain appropriate job specific qualifications.
- Support the Centre's management team by stepping in to take on supervising duties in the absence of a Duty Manager.
These duties and responsibilities are intended as a guide. They are not exhaustive: the Recreation Assistant will be expected to undertake any reasonable task or responsibility as required by the Duty Manager.Person Specification
- Criteria
- How will these be tested or verified?
- Qualifications and Experience
- Essential
- To hold a current National Pool Lifeguard qualification or ability to obtain it within 3 months of start date.
- First Aid qualification or ability to obtain it within 3 months of start date.
Desirable
- AED Qualification.
- Leisure Industry experience.
- Skills and Abilities
- Essential
- Excellent verbal communication skills.
- The ability to remain calm and composed under pressure.
- Strong swimmer and good standard of physical fitness.
- To be flexible in working arrangements/hours to suit the demands of the position.
- Understanding of relevant health and safety legislation.
Desirable
- Knowledge of child protection and safeguarding policies.
- Knowledge of Health & Safety.
- Experience of working in the education sector.
- Evidence of continued professional development.
- Skills / Abilities
- Essential
- Excellent verbal, written and presentation communication skills, including the ability to influence and persuade.
- Good numerical and written skills.
- To be flexible in working arrangements/hours to suit the demands of the position.
- Attitude and Behaviours
- Vigilant.
- Conscientious.
- Shows integrity.
- A team player.
- Committed to service excellence.
- Cares about our communities.
- A professional and proactive 'can-do' approach.
- A willingness to undertake training and development.
- Ability to work well as a member of a team.
BenefitsLocation | Highgate Village, adjacent to Hampstead Heath, with quaint shops and easy connections across London.
Pension | AVIVA workplace pension scheme offered - 26% employer contribution, with the ability to flex up to 16% of this as additional non-pensionable salary, employees contribute a minimum of 5%.
Personal development | Comprehensive induction support for new staff. Focus on continued professional development for all employees.
Leisure facilities | Free access, at stipulated times, to our sports facilities, including a fitness suite and swimming pool (recently refurbished).
Holidays | Generous holiday allowance of 33 days (including bank holidays) for full-time staff. Most holidays will be taken during school holiday periods.
Lunch | A complimentary lunch.
Help with sustainable travel | Access to the Cycle to Work Scheme and a Season Ticket Loan scheme for public transport.
Family-friendly policies | Highgate appreciates that employees sometimes have family commitments so we try to be as supportive as possible, for example with enhanced maternity pay (8 weeks' full pay, then 10 weeks' half pay) and paid dependant leave.
Working at HighgateA culture of community, kindness and belongingHighgate is a caring, open-minded community, where we promote kindness, empathy and friendship. Everyone who works and studies with us deserves to feel they are part of a welcoming environment that enables them to be themselves and to thrive as individuals.
Our community extends beyond the school, through partnerships, charity work and our commitment to equality, inclusion and sustainability. All members of our school community are encouraged to look outwards and play an active role.
In a recent ISI inspection (Sep 2024), it was noted that "The school states its aims are to be an academic school, a reflective community and an exemplar for the healthy life. It seeks to promote 'scholarship for all' and asserts an academic imperative to teach pupils how to be independent learners, and to normalise academic struggle, so pupils see challenge as an enjoyable and valuable aspect of their learning."
Staff wellbeingHighgate is committed to staff wellbeing, which we promote by encouraging a strong work-life balance; trying our best to support flexible working requests; providing a nutritious complimentary lunch in the dining hall; and offering access to sporting facilities including our recently renovated swimming pool.
The Staff Wellbeing Committee, with representatives across the School, meets regularly to drive forward initiatives, and a selection of staff have been trained as Mental-Health First Aiders.
We encourage an open culture throughout our school, with regular staff surveys, action committees and opportunities to feedback. We strive for continual learning and improvement, and staff training and development is paramount. There are opportunities to participate in the wider life of our school, such as taking part in trips or societies and getting involved in partnership projects.
More details about working at Highgate can be found here:
Work with us Aims + Ethos
A fun, collaborative and forward-thinking environment with a real sense of community
- Philippa Studd, Junior School Principal
Charitable work and sustainabilityAs an independent school, we want to use our position as a charity effectively: to make high-quality education accessible to as many children as possible - through our bursary programme at Highgate and through our work with local state schools. We have partnerships with over 60 state schools across 7 London boroughs, and we are the principal educational sponsor for London Academy of Excellence, Tottenham - an academically-selective state sixth form in a community where such opportunities are lacking.
Alongside this, our staff and pupils undertake charitable activities throughout the year. These range from staff giving up their time to neighbourhood schools and charitable organisations, focused fundraising campaigns, to pupils undertaking community work in the local area or further afield.
As a school, we have a central role to play in educating our pupils, staff and parents about the importance of environmental sustainability. We are taking positive action to adapt our operational performance to tackle the negative effects of climate change. We encourage all our staff to reflect upon their personal and professional practices, to support our environmental agenda and to make positive changes wherever possible.
Application procedure- Closing Date: 31st July 2025
- First Interview: 13th July 2025
- Second Interview: 27th July 2025
Contact: Recruitment Team are happy to answer any questions about this post.
Early Application: Applications will be considered 'as and when' received and we may close the vacancy if we appoint before the closing date.
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Inclusion We know that more diverse teams are stronger teams, and that the more inclusive we are, the more our staff and pupils will feel a sense of belonging and will thrive.
We are aware that people from certain backgrounds are under-represented in independent education institutions and we're working to doing what we can to redress this. We are particularly keen to receive applications from people from minoritised ethnic and racial backgrounds, people with a disability and/or neurodiverse applicants (including those with a 'hidden' disability, LGBTQ+ people, as we are working to make our staff body more representative of the UK and London population.
We are also aware that many highly capable prospective candidates nonetheless rule themselves out of applying for positions because they may underestimate their own ability to do the role. With this in mind, we strongly encourage applications from anyone who is prepared to learn and develop professionally on the job and would like to stress that past experience of working in education, or admissions is not required.
If this application process doesn't support your needs and you would like to discuss additional support to apply, please contact Recruitment@highgateschool.org.uk
SafeguardingAs this role will have regular unsupervised contact with children you must, if appointed, comply with Highgate's Safeguarding Policy and Staff Code of Conduct. If in the course of carrying out the duties of the post the post holder becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety and welfare of our pupils, these concerns must be reported immediately in accordance with the Safeguarding Policy. If whilst in the post, Highgate becomes aware of any safeguarding concerns to staff, pupils or the community; these will need to be followed up in line with the safeguarding policy and code of conduct which is underpinned by KCSIE and other legislation. These concerns may need to be shared with other agencies. A copy of these policies will accompany all offers of employment. Training will also be provided to all staff to support Safeguarding practice.
Please read before you applyHighgate is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to this post, including checks with past employers, the Disclosure and Barring Service and overseas police check if necessary. Candidates from overseas must provide information about their past conduct, for example, by providing documents issued by overseas teaching authorities. DBS Privacy Policy
Please note that this role is 'exempt' from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore, you are required to declare any convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings that are not 'protected' (i.e. filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide details of all unspent convictions and those that would not be filtered, prior to the date of the interview. DBS Code of Practice
In accordance with the latest guidance from KCSIE, we shall be conducting online searches on any candidates who are shortlisted.