School Cook

£27,105 - £30,355 actual annual salary | £14.43 - £16.16 per hour
Permanent | Full-Time | Term-Time Only + 2 Weeks (41 weeks per year)
40 hours per week | Monday to Friday
Start: November 2026

Simply Education is recruiting an experienced Cook to join a brand-new specialist school opening in January 2027.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone from a school, care, hospitality, restaurant or commercial catering background who wants to use their skills in a rewarding environment - with term-time working and no late-night restaurant shifts.

You'll be joining ahead of the school's opening, giving you the rare opportunity to help set up and shape the catering provision from the very beginning.

The school will support children and young people aged 5-19 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, providing a nurturing and supportive environment for up to 120 pupils.

As Cook, you'll take ownership of the day-to-day running of the kitchen, preparing fresh, nutritious and appealing meals for pupils and staff.

You'll have the freedom to bring your own ideas to the kitchen, helping develop menus and create meals that pupils genuinely enjoy while accommodating individual dietary, allergen and sensory requirements.

• Preparing and serving fresh, nutritious, home-cooked meals
• Creating balanced and appealing menus
• Catering for allergies, special diets and sensory requirements
• Managing stock, ordering, portion control and kitchen budgets
• Maintaining excellent food hygiene and health & safety standards
• Supporting and supervising other kitchen staff
• Building positive relationships with pupils and encouraging healthy eating
• Helping establish an efficient, welcoming kitchen within a brand-new school

We're looking for someone who genuinely enjoys cooking and takes pride in producing great food.

You could currently be working within a school kitchen, care home, restaurant, hotel, pub, café or other catering environment and be looking for a role offering greater stability and a better work-life balance.

Ideally, you'll have:

• Previous experience preparing and cooking meals using fresh ingredients
• Good knowledge of food hygiene and food safety
• Understanding of allergens, special diets and nutritional requirements
• Experience with stock control, ordering and portion management
• Strong organisation and communication skills
• Experience supervising kitchen staff would be beneficial
• Experience within SEN, education or care would be advantageous, but isn't essential

✓ £27,105 - £30,355 actual annual salary
✓ Permanent position
✓ Term-time working - 41 weeks per year
✓ 40 hours per week
✓ No late-night restaurant shifts
✓ Brand-new kitchen and school environment
✓ Opportunity to shape the catering provision from day one
✓ Rewarding role supporting children and young people

If you're an experienced Cook looking for a role where you can enjoy cooking, have greater stability and make a genuine difference to young people's day-to-day lives, we'd love to hear from you.