School Chef

Post title: School Chef

Location: St John’s Church School

Grade: Grade 7, Point 12 to 17 (to be decided)

Hours: 7.15am - 2.30pm (35 hrs / wk)

Term time only + 2 weeks during the school holidays

Responsible to: Head of School

Start date January 2027

Are you a skilled chef who loves great food, enjoys working with people and isn't afraid to roll up your sleeves?

St John's Church School is looking for an enthusiastic, organised and hands-on School Chef to lead our busy kitchen team, bringing creativity, high standards and a passion for providing nutritious, appealing food for children.

We're looking for someone who can do more than cook great food. We need a positive and supportive leader who can bring out the best in their team, take responsibility for the day-to-day running of the kitchen and help make lunchtime a great experience for our children.

St John’s Church School is seeking a skilled and enthusiastic School Chef to lead our kitchen team, bringing creativity, strong culinary standards and a passion for nutritious food for children.

This is a hands-on leadership role, combining food preparation, team management and compliance, with the opportunity to make a real difference to children’s daily experience in school.

We are looking for someone who will:

• Lead, support and motivate our small kitchen team, helping colleagues develop their skills and work effectively together.

• Plan, prepare and serve healthy, appealing meals that meet School Food Standards and children's dietary needs.

• Take responsibility for ordering, stock management and food provision for both our lunchtime service and breakfast club.

• Take a practical, hands-on approach to all aspects of kitchen work, particularly during busy lunchtime periods.

• Maintain high standards of food hygiene, allergen management and kitchen safety.

• Work positively with school leadership and other colleagues, including providing occasional catering for visitors, meetings, training courses and school events.

• Manage resources efficiently, helping to control costs, reduce waste and achieve value for money.

• Collaborate with catering colleagues across our federation to share ideas, develop menus and improve our catering provision.

The successful candidate will have experience of working in a busy catering environment, good cooking skills and a sound understanding of food safety and allergen management. You'll be organised, approachable and able to bring out the best in others, with a positive attitude and a willingness to get involved in all aspects of kitchen life.

Previous school catering or team leadership experience would be an advantage, but we're equally interested in someone with the right skills, attitude and potential to grow into the role.

At St John’s, we believe lunchtime is an important part of the school day and we are proud of the role our kitchen plays in supporting children to flourish. As part of our wider federation, this role also offers the opportunity to work alongside other school chefs and cooks in a supportive professional network, developing menus together, sharing expertise and shaping our catering provision collectively.

We can offer:

• Regular daytime working hours, with no routine evening or weekend shifts.

• Term-time working, plus two additional weeks during school holidays.

• A welcoming and supportive school community.

• Well-equipped kitchen facilities.

• Opportunities for training and professional development.

• Collaborative working with catering colleagues across our four-school federation.

• The opportunity to bring your own ideas and creativity to a catering service that makes a real difference to children's school experience.