Catering Assistant

Manchester Enterprise Academy; Manchester; On-site; GBP 12,000 - 14,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plan

Generous pension contribution

26 days annual leave + holidays

Cyclescheme

Employee assistance program

Flexible working

Job summary

Manchester Enterprise Academy (MEA Central) invites applications for a Catering Assistant on a permanent, part-time basis. The role is 20 hours per week, 10.30am–2.30pm, term time only plus 5 INSET days, with a starting salary of £12,787 per annum.

You will help prepare, serve and present meals, set up dining areas, maintain food hygiene standards, and support the catering team to ensure a welcoming service for students and staff.

Qualifications

• Experience in food preparation and service (school or catering desirable).
• Reliable, enthusiastic, and a great team player.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills.

Responsibilities

• Prepare food, make sandwiches and operate tills.
• Assist with the setting up and serving of meals.
• Set up dining areas and help clean kitchen equipment and dining furniture.
• Maintain high standards of food hygiene and COSHH compliance.
• Provide excellent customer service to students and staff.

Skills

Food preparation & service

Team player

Customer service

Communication

Hygiene standards

Tools

Cash tills

Job description

Contract Type: Permanent. Working Hours: Part Time, 20 hours per week. Number of Positions: 1. Start Date: 1st November 2026. Salary: £12,787 per annum.

We currently have an exciting opportunity for a Catering Assistant to join our fantastic team at MEA Central.

We are looking for a Catering Assistant to join our friendly and hardworking team at MEA Central. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who enjoys working in a busy, customer-focused environment and takes pride in delivering high-quality service.

As part of our catering team, you will play a key role in supporting the smooth running of our school catering service — helping to prepare, serve, and present meals that keep our students and staff nourished and ready to learn.

This is a Grade 2, permanent post working 20 hours per week, 10.30am-2.30pm, term time only plus 5 INSET days. The starting salary is £12,787 and the full time equivalent is £26,016. The start date for this post will be confirmed as soon as all pre-employment checks are complete.

About the role

You’ll work as part of a supportive team to provide an efficient and effective catering service.

This includes preparing and serving food, setting up and cleaning dining areas, and maintaining high standards of food hygiene and safety.

You’ll also be involved in:

• Preparing food, making sandwiches and operating tills
• Assist with the setting up and serving of meals
• Cleaning kitchen equipment and dining furniture
• Ensuring compliance with Food Hygiene and COSHH regulations
• Providing excellent customer service to students and staff
• Supporting equal opportunities and inclusivity in our workplace

We’re looking for someone who

• Has experience in food preparation and service (school or catering experience desirable)
• Is reliable, enthusiastic, and a great team player
• Demonstrates excellent communication and customer service skills
• Works efficiently while maintaining high hygiene standard

To find out more about the full responsibilities of the role and/or to ensure you meet the essential criteria, please review the attached job description.

All school staff are expected to share the Trust’s commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Specific safeguarding responsibilities are detailed in the attached job description.

Working for Prospere Learning Trust

Great schools thrive because of the great people in them. We invest in our staff to achieve their full potential and offer a range of benefits including.

• High quality CPD for all roles
• Bupa Level 1 Health Plan – annual cash back allowance for a range of everyday health care expenses
• Generous Pension Contribution – over 26% for teachers and over 15% for support staff
• 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing to 31 days with 5 years' service
• Cyclescheme – save up to 39% on a bike and accessories and get Strava for free
• Employee Assistance Programmes – including access to free counselling and 24/7 helplines
• Credit Union – regular savings, Christmas saving scheme and access to affordable loans
• Flexible working options – we're happy to talk flexible working where possible
• Mental Health First Aid in every school
• Blue Light Card – discounts on holidays, cars, days out, fashion, gifts, insurance, phones, and many more
• bYond cashback card – spend smarter with a prepaid cashback card for your everyday purchases

Visit our website to learn more about our Trust: prospere.org.uk

We are fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, younger learners and vulnerable adults and we expect all staff and volunteers to share the same commitment. The above post will be subject to enhanced DBS checks, satisfactory references and will be exempt from the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. DBS Code of Practice which can be viewed here.

This post is also subject to satisfactory references, proof of right to work in the UK in accordance with the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 and other pre-employment checks where applicable.

We strive to create a fair and inclusive workplace that is as diverse as the communities we serve. We positively welcome applications from all candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy, and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.