Catering Assistant

Old Moat; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 13,000 - 26,000; Part time

Job summary

Prospere Learning Trust is seeking a part-time Catering Assistant to join MEA Central. The role is 20 hours per week during term time, 10:30am–2:30pm, with a permanent contract. Salary is £12,787 per annum; the full-time equivalent is £26,016. You will help prepare, serve and present meals, set up dining areas and maintain high food hygiene and safety.

This role involves teamwork, excellent customer service and supporting equal opportunities in our school catering service.

Qualifications

• Experience in food preparation and service; school or catering experience desirable.
• Reliable, enthusiastic, and a great team player.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills.
• Maintains high hygiene standards and safety.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and serve meals and operate tills.
• Set up and clean dining areas.
• Maintain high standards of food hygiene and safety.
• Provide excellent customer service to students and staff.
• Support equal opportunities and inclusivity in the workplace.

Skills

Food preparation

Customer service

Teamwork

Communication

Hygiene standards

Job description

About The Role

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.

Interested?

If this sounds like the perfect role for you, we’d love to hear from you!

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.

About the Candidate

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 every day 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

About Us

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