Judi Bowden, head of housekeeping at St John Bosco Arts College

Keeping a school clean and tidy is an enormous task which requires a dedicated team working non-stop from early morning to early evening.

St John Bosco Arts College’s meticulous housekeeping team ensures every corridor, classroom and communal area is spotless, which creates a positive learning environment for all. Ensuring these high standards are consistently met is head of housekeeping, Judi Bowden. Incredibly, Judi has been at the school for over 31 years and is just as passionate about her job as when she first started – if not more!

“I began as a cleaner and I soon became a deputy supervisor and then supervisor,” Judi says. “Our cleaning routine was a lot different in the old school compared to the new environment we’re working in.”

St John Bosco Arts College opened the doors to its £18m stateof-the-art building in 2014. A key part of Judi’s role is making sure her team of over 15 staff feel safe and valued. She adds: “I always like to think I’m approachable and that they can come to me about anything. This enables us to work in a happy and healthy environment. At the end of our working day, we always wait for everyone to finish their area as we don’t like to leave anyone behind – we’re like the army. We’ll muck in wherever is needed.”

Judi explains: “I am very lucky; the team is absolutely brilliant, and they work tirelessly to ensure the school is always presentable. There is nothing better than receiving compliments from visitors about how clean the school looks. People often say it looks like no one works here but it is supposed to look like that, if it doesn’t then we’re not doing our job properly.”

Over the years, Judi has seen thousands of children develop into kind and ambitious students and it is no surprise that this is one of the favourite things about her job. “I love watching them grow into wonderful young adults,” Judi says. “They thrive around the staff here at St John Bosco and you see a real positive change from when they start in Year 7 to when they leave. There is a real respect for us and I think that cleaners are often seen as invisible in other schools, but not here, we’re treated like we’re a key part of school life. The humour from the children is something which particularly makes my day!”

The Salesian ethos permeates through St John Bosco Arts College and this is felt by Judi and her team. She comments: “Whilst I’m not of the Catholic faith, I very much feel a part of the Salesian family and I have always felt that belonging ever since I started working here. I love that feeling of being embraced.”

Judi will be turning 65 years old this year. She quickly adds: “I won’t be retiring any time soon if that is your next question!”

That will be music to everyone’s ears at St John Bosco Arts College.