Kitchen Manager

Reporting to – Assistant Head of Operations

Working Arrangements – FULL-TIME, TERM TIME ONLY

Edison Young People provides specialist education and support for children and young people who may have experienced difficulties accessing and achieving within mainstream education.

We believe that a young person should not be defined by their past experiences or the challenges they have faced. Our aim is to provide the relationships, environment, education and support they need to overcome adversity, develop confidence and resilience, and achieve positive outcomes for their present and future lives.

Across our schools, we place strong emphasis on individualised teaching, positive relationships and high quality support. We work to create environments where young people feel safe, valued, understood and able to engage in learning.

About Us

The Place Independent School operates across two sites in Bottesford and Barkestone, Nottinghamshire, providing specialist education for young people from Year 3 through to Year 13.

The school provides a nurturing environment with small class sizes, individualised support and opportunities for outdoor learning. The school also incorporates therapeutic and experiential opportunities, including interaction with a range of school farm animals.

The Place is committed to helping young people feel safe, develop confidence and independence, and achieve their individual potential.

About the Role

We are looking to recruit a Kitchen Managerto join The Place Independent School.

The Kitchen Manager will have overall responsibility for the effective, safe and professional running of the school's catering provision across two sites.

The successful candidate will lead the day-to-day operation of the school kitchens, ensuring that pupils and staff receive fresh, nutritious, wholesome and appealing meals, prepared to a consistently high standard.

We are looking for someone who is passionate about food and believes that children and staff deserve good-quality, nutritious food made with care. The successful candidate will have a strong preference for cooking from fresh ingredients and will actively minimise the use of highly processed, convenience and pre-prepared foods.

The Kitchen Manager will take responsibility for menu planning, food preparation, allergen management, ordering, stock control, food safety, kitchen standards, budgeting and the leadership of two Kitchen Assistants across two sites.

This is a key role within the school and the successful candidate will be expected to work closely with the Senior Leadership Team to develop and maintain a high-quality catering provision that supports the health, wellbeing and development of our pupils.

The role will involve working closely with young people and colleagues to provide a positive, supportive and consistent environment in which young people can learn and develop. We are looking for someone who shares our commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people.

Key Responsibilities

Plan and develop varied, nutritious and balanced menus for pupils and staff.

Prepare meals from scratch where practical rather than relying on highly processed or convenience foods.

Adapt menus to meet individual dietary, cultural, medical and allergen requirements.

Regularly review menus and respond positively to feedback from pupils, staff and the Senior Leadership Team.

• Lead the preparation and cooking of daily meals across both sites.

Ensure meals are served promptly and appropriately.

Maintain a clean, organised and professional kitchen environment.

Support special events, celebrations and school activities where catering is required.

Maintaining accurate and up-to-date allergen information for all meals and ingredients.

Ensuring appropriate procedures are followed to prevent allergen cross-contact.

Providing appropriate training and guidance to Kitchen Assistants.

Maintaining accurate records relating to allergies and dietary requirements.

• Organising and allocating daily duties.

Supporting, mentoring and developing Kitchen Assistants.

Ensuring staff follow food hygiene, allergen and health and safety procedures

Person Specification

• Hold a recognised Food Hygiene/Safety qualification.
• Have strong knowledge of food hygiene and food safety.
• Have excellent knowledge of food allergens and allergen management.
• Be confident managing dietary requirements and preventing allergen cross-contact.
• Have experience working in a professional kitchen.
• Have experience supervising or managing kitchen staff.
• Be highly organised and able to manage a busy workload.
• Have excellent attention to detail.
• Be confident working independently and making appropriate decisions.
• Have a genuine passion for fresh, nutritious and wholesome food.

Essential Qualifications

• A minimum of a Level 2 Food Hygeine, Level 3 preffered.
• Culinary Training.

What We Offer

We know that great schools are built by great people. That’s why we want working at Edison Young People to be about more than just a job. Here are just some of the benefits we offer:

• A competitive salary, recognising the skills, experience and commitment our staff bring to their roles.
• Generous annual leave, either working term time only, giving you the opportunity to enjoy school holidays with your family and friends, or for non teaching staff, receive 5.6 weeks' annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Additional dedicated wellbeing days to give you time to focus on yourself and recharge.
• Further wellbeing initiatives including a fully funded cashback health scheme, helping you claim back costs towards services such as optical, dental, physiotherapy and other eligible health costs.
• Staff socials including Summer Festival, Christmas party and other team social events.
• Opportunities to get involved in educational trips, including travel with young people on trips across Europe.
• Invest in your future with our supportive workplace pension scheme.
• Opportunities to develop and progress, with access to a wide range of training.
• EV Charging points to charge your hybrid or electric car (where applicable).

Pperhaps the biggest benefit of working at Edison Young People is knowing that what you do matters. Every day, our staff have the opportunity to help a young person build confidence, overcome challenges, discover their strengths and take another step towards a positive future.

Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

All employees have a responsibility to contribute to a safe environment and to follow safeguarding policies, procedures and reporting arrangements, which are regularly reviewed.

The successful candidate will be expected to maintain appropriate professional boundaries, identify and respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns, and contribute to the creation of a safe and positive environment for all young people.

Employment will be subject to appropriate pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS, satisfactory references and the right to work in the UK.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion across our organisation.

We want our schools to be places where everyone feels valued, respected and able to contribute.

We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, skills and perspectives and are committed to providing equality of opportunity throughout our recruitment and employment processes.

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