School Warden

Duties and Responsibilities

(a) To attend for duty at the prescribed times and perform such duty under the direction of the employer or any member of the Garda Síochána.

(b) To observe fully the instructions for School Wardens set out in the schedule below.

(c) To carry the official sign and wear the official uniform and cap at all times when on duty (these will be supplied by the employer).

(d) To notify the employer without delay should a traffic incident occur at or in the vicinity of the Warden’s duty point.

(e) To furnish such records and reports relating to the employment as may be required by the employer.

(f) To notify the employer without delay should he/she be unable due to illness or other reason, to report for duty.

School Warden Instruction Schedule

(g) A white board bearing the word “Stop” is the recognised symbol of authority for all school wardens and this board must be carried and the recognised uniform must be worn all the time when the Warden is on duty.

(h) The board must be held or carried in the right hand in an upright position. When the warden is standing on the footpath, the faces of the board should be shown as parallel with the footpath. When moving on to the carriageway to stop traffic, faces of the board should be shown as at right angles to footpath, so as to be visible to traffic approaching from front and rear.

(i) The warden should take up their position on the footpath, or side of the carriageway, so as to be clearly visible to all approaching traffic, having regard to parked vehicles, etc., which might obstruct the view. The School Warden’s position should be on the side of the carriageway where the most children are congregated wishing to cross. In the morning or after the lunch-time break period, this will generally be found to be the side further away from the school, while at the commencement of lunch-time break and at termination of school period, it will be on the school side.

(j) The warden should marshall all children desirous of crossing on their left-hand side and give the children instructions to remain on the footpath until such time as the warden has gone out, taken up position in the centre of the carriageway and brought all traffic to a standstill. The School Warden should then call or signal the children to cross, when they should walk across, not run, in front of them in an orderly manner. In the initial stages of their duties, they should be very careful to ensure that the children obey these instructions implicitly, as sometimes there is a tendency for the children to follow them out on the carriageway before traffic has been stopped.

(k) Before attempting to stop traffic, the warden should consider traffic conditions at this point, whether it is of such a sparse nature that they can wait for a lull before going out to conduct children across, or if it is of such a nature that they will have to make breaks in it. In some areas, it is possible that such lulls will obviate the necessity of much stopping of traffic, but in busy areas or on fast traffic routes, breaks will have to be made. Great care will have to be exercised by the warden in breaking up traffic, due consideration being given to the speed of the approaching traffic and conditions of road and weather. Sufficient time should always be given by the warden for traffic to pull up in safety.

(l) It is of interest to realise that the vast majority of drivers, if called on suddenly to stop from various speeds will take distances shown hereunder to do so, under good road and weather conditions, and such distances could be considerably lengthened and perhaps doubled, under adverse weather or road conditions:

a. Average Stopping Distances:b. 30 km/h - 12 metresc. 40 km/h - 36 metresd. 50 km/h - 25 metrese. 60 km/h - 36 metresf. 80 km/h - 54 metres

(m) When the warden has taken up their position in the centre of the carriageway, and is clearly visible to all traffic, they should ensure that all traffic in their immediate vicinity, front and rear, has come to a standstill before calling or signalling on the children to cross. The warden should see that the children got safely across from one side of the carriageway to the other, before releasing traffic. The warden must not move from the road centre until the last one of the children is safely on the footpath. To release traffic, the warden should return to the footpath and, under no circumstances, are they ever to remain in the centre of the carriageway acting as a pointsman and calling traffic on. The warden will stop traffic by leaving the footpath, with the board/Stop Sign, and going to the centre of the road and release traffic by returning to the footpath. No signals of any kind should be given to traffic by the warden.

(n) The warden should never break up organised convoys, weddings, funerals, parades, or hold up Fire Appliances or Ambulances for the purpose of allowing children to cross. The warden should wait for suitable opportunities when they have passed. Heavily laden horses should not be held up on inclines.

(o) If the wardens have any trouble in controlling, or encounter disobedience by the children, they should inform the Principal of the school concerned. Any disobedience by traffic in general should be reported forthwith to the Gardaí. In the case of motor vehicles, the description, registration number and so on of person driving, together with time and place of the occurrence, should be noted for the information of the Gardaí. Frivolous complaints should, however, be avoided.

Employer in aforementioned cases shall mean and include the Chief Executive, Kildare County Council, Áras Chill Dara, Devoy Park, Naas, Co. Kildare.

Qualifications

Character: Each candidate must be of good character.

Health: Each candidate must be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Particulars of Employment

The Post

Shall be those prescribed by the employer from time to time and it shall be the responsibility of the Warden to be and to remain on duty each day for such hours as are necessary to protect children proceeding to and from school via the Warden’s duty point.

All hours of work will be subject to and recorded in accordance with the provisions of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997 and the Organisation of Working Time Act (Regulations) 2001.

The Council reserves the right to alter your hours of work from time to time.

Location

School Wardens can be based at the following schools:

• NAAS

• DERRINTURN

• NURNEY

• ARDCLOUGH

• MILLTOWN

• KILCOCK

• CASTLEDERMOT

• PROSPEROUS

• KILDARE

• NEWBRIDGE

• CELBRIDGE

• LEIXLIP

• MAYNOOTH

Kildare County Council reserves the right to assign the successful candidates to any premises in use by the Council or any other school crossing managed by the Council, now or in the future.

The person appointed will be required to report to their place of work by their own means of transport and at their own expense.

Commencement

Kildare County Council shall require a person to whom an appointment is offered to take up such appointment within a period of not more than one month and if they fail to take up the appointment within such period, or such other longer period as the Council in its absolute discretion may determine, Kildare County Council shall not appoint them.

Reporting Arrangements

School Wardens report directly to the appropriate supervisor in the Section or to any other employee of Kildare County Council as the Director of Services or other appropriate employee may designate for this purpose.

A system of regular appraisal will be operated during employment, which will involve discussions between the employee and the line manager regarding performance and conduct.

Probationary Period of Employment

Where a person is permanently appointed to Kildare County Council, the following provisions shall apply:

a) there shall be a period after appointment takes effect, during which such a person shall hold the position on probation;

b) such period shall be twelve months, but the Chief Executive may, at their discretion, extend such period;

c) such a person shall cease to hold the position at the end of the period of probation, unless during this period the Chief Executive has certified that the service is satisfactory;

d) the period at (a) above may be terminated on giving one weeks’ notice as per the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Acts;

e) there will be assessments during the probationary period.

Remuneration

Permanent Part-time School Warden

Shall be at the rate of €269.52 per week fully inclusive for each full week on which the warden is on official duty.

If, during the school year, a Public Holiday or special holiday otherwise granted by the particular School Authority where the school warden is posted to, occurs, the Warden will be paid for one such holiday in any week. If more than one holiday occurs in the same week, full pay will be paid for one day and half pay for each subsequent free day.

If during the school year the school is closed for a week or more, e.g. adverse weather, the Warden will be paid half pay for the period in question.

In no circumstances will pay be granted for the Christmas, Easter and summer holiday periods.

The salary shall be fully inclusive and shall be as determined from time to time.

Holders of the office shall pay to the local authority any fees or other monies (other than their inclusive salary) payable to or received by them by virtue of their office or in respect of services which they are required by or under any enactment to perform.

Remuneration is paid fortnightly by PayPath directly to the employees nominated bank account. The current wage pay cycle may be revised during the period of employment.

Remuneration is subject to all statutory deductions, e.g., P.A.Y.E. and P.R.S.I.

Increments are paid annually subject to satisfactory attendance, conduct and performance and national agreements. Increments may be withheld if performance, attendance and/or conduct are not satisfactory.