Midday Meals Supervisor

About Us

Harris Primary Academy Mayflower is a thriving and successful school, proudly judged Outstanding in every category by Ofsted in May 2017. Our most recent inspection in November 2024 reaffirmed this status, highlighting our commitment to excellence. Ofsted noted: “The high expectations of ‘Excellence, Every Child, Every Day’ underpin all that happens at school.”

We are a five-form entry primary academy, currently educating over 1,100 pupils from Nursery through to Year 6. As the largest primary free school in the country, our growth and success have been made possible through the support of the Harris Federation, the Department for Education, and Thurrock Council. We work very closely together and share the very best practice and leadership knowledge and capacity to make the education we offer outstanding.

Our vision, “Excellence, Every Child, Every Day,” is at the heart of everything we do. Our core values — Manners, Perseverance, Responsibility, Community, and Achievement — are the foundation of our academy. These values are consistently modelled by pupils, staff, and families alike, both within and beyond the school gates. They shape our culture and contribute to the exceptional outcomes our children achieve year after year.

Summary

We are looking for a Midday Meals Supervisor to join our team at Harris Primary Academy Mayflower, securing the safety, welfare and good conduct of children during the lunchtime break period. The actual salary for this role will be £11,228.14 (17.5 hours per week, 38 weeks per year).

Main Areas of Responsibility

• Undertaking direct supervision of pupils in designated areas, ensuring safe and orderly conduct.
• Assisting with daily decisions on areas for pupil use e.g. wet lunchtimes.
• Supporting the safe use of children’s play equipment.
• Promoting games and activities, motivating pupils during the lunchtime break, ensuring school rules regarding games allowed are met and that health and safety procedures are maintained.
• Supporting and supervising pupils in the dining area as appropriate e.g. encouragement to eat, help with choosing and cutting food, return of trays, cutlery etc.
• Supporting pupils in the play/other areas who may require assistance.
• Dealing with minor incidents and first aid where appropriate, referring serious incidents to Senior Lunchtime Coordinator/Principal or nominated supervisor.
• Cleaning up spillages or debris around the dining/play areas to ensure the maintenance of good order, discipline and safety.

Qualifications & Experience

• Understanding of the educational, social and welfare needs of pupils in the midday break.
• Understanding of the importance of the meal and break as a social and educational occasion.
• Experience of supervising pupils (individuals or groups) in a relevant age setting.
• Good spoken and written English.
• Ability to encourage and inspire young people.
• Good organisational skills.
• Ability to work effectively with people across a wide range of levels and responsibilities.
• Ability to judge when advice/assistance is needed to meet pupil’s needs.
• Ability to liaise with parents/carers in a professional manner observing the boundaries of the role and respecting confidential information.

Professional Development & Benefits

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level. In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance for teachers on MPS/UPS, a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions, a Wellbeing Cash Plan and many other benefits.

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

Equal Opportunities

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates. We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment.

Next Steps

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please send us an email, or call to arrange a conversation. Before applying, please download the Job Pack for full details on the job responsibilities and person specification. This will be helpful for you when completing your application, and throughout the recruitment process. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible as we may interview and offer to a candidate before the closing date. Please note that we only accept applications submitted before the closing date via our careers website.