Job Description
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Are you passionate about delivering healthy and delicious meals to young people?
Broomgrove Junior School is seeking a dedicated and experienced Catering Manager/Head Chef to lead our friendly catering team, providing high-quality meals to both our Junior School and neighbouring Infant School.
About the Role:
This is a varied and rewarding role where you'll:
- Manage all aspects of our catering provision across both school sites
- Lead a team to produce and serve nutritious meals from our main kitchen, ensuring smooth transportation and service at the Infant School
- Oversee menu planning, stock control, budget management, and compliance with food safety standards
- Monitor satisfaction and continuously improve the dining experience
- Play a key part in creating a positive lunchtime experience for all our pupils
What We're Looking For:
- A qualified catering professional (NVQ Level 3 or equivalent) with Food Hygiene Certificate (Level 3 minimum)
- Proven leadership experience in managing a catering team, ideally in an educational setting
- Strong organisational skills and a commitment to high standards of food safety and hygiene
- Excellent communication skills and ability to build positive relationships with staff, pupils, and suppliers
- A team player who enjoys working with children and supporting their wellbeing
- Someone who can work independently, solve problems creatively, and manage their time effectively
Why Join Us?
- Be part of a welcoming school community
- Lead a dedicated team and make a real impact on children's health and happiness
- Opportunities for professional development and training
- Supportive leadership team and friendly staff
- Competitive salary on Scale 6
- Recognition of continuous service;
- Automatic enrolment into Local Government Pension Scheme;
- Access to Employee Assistance Programme.
Visits to our school are both positively encouraged and warmly welcomed. Also, you are very welcome to have an informal, confidential discussion with Karen Wright, our headteacher, about this vacancy. Please contact the school on 01206 822893 or email Philippa Welfare, School Business Manager, at pwelfare@broomgrovejuniorschool.co.uk to arrange these. All applications must be made online (via the Essex Jobs website) using the standard Essex application form. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early so recommend that you submit your application at your earliest convenience.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Broomgrove Junior School is committed to inclusion, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and we expect all of our staff to share in this. All appointments are subject to safer recruitment requirements to ensure the safeguarding of children and young people. All positions will involve appropriate checks and clearances. Our aim is to foster a culture of inclusivity that celebrates differences, promotes understanding and ensures no-one is discriminated against in any way. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce and welcome applications from all sections of the community.
Information about the School
Our school is located in the beautiful village of Wivenhoe, on the outskirts of Colchester. Our pupils are aged 7-11, ranging from Year 3 to Year 6, and mainly live in the area surrounding the school. At Broomgrove Junior School, we want our children to be happy, confident, articulate and ambitious and to share a passion for learning. We value every child and ensure that we foster the individuality of their interests and experiences. We have recently set up our own in-school enhanced provision for children with moderate and severe learning difficulties and we are proud of our inclusive ethos. We are very proud of the achievements of our pupils and this pride is echoed by the children themselves. We have a team of committed, supportive and friendly staff who strive to ensure that our children reach their full potential within a warm and caring school community.
Our school motto is "Being the best we can be, together!" This underpins all we do. We promote our character virtues and positive attitudes of behaviour towards others through CARE (C = confidence, courage, collaboration; A = ambition; R - resilience; responsibility; E = empathy.)