Catering Manager, Garforth Academy

Delta Academies Trust; Leeds; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

An educational institution in Leeds is seeking a dedicated Catering Manager to oversee catering operations and ensure high standards in food preparation and service. This full-time, permanent position requires effective management skills and experience in the catering industry. The successful candidate will contribute to providing quality meals for students and staff, helping foster an enjoyable dining experience. Employees are supported with financial, physical, and mental wellbeing benefits, including pension schemes and wellness programs.

Benefits

Membership to Teacher's Pension Scheme

Technology and Vehicle Leasing Schemes

Access to an extensive discounts platform

Gym and fitness discounts

24/7 access to online GP

Free annual flu jab

Qualifications

• Experience in catering or food service management is essential.
• Ability to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations.
• Skilled in food preparation and presentation.

Responsibilities

• Manage catering operations ensuring quality food and service.
• Prepare, cook, and serve food to agreed standards.
• Efficient use of catering resources and staff.

Skills

Food preparation skills

Team management

Resource management

Job description

Garforth Academy are looking to appoint a Catering Manager to join our academy in February 2026 on a full time, permanent basis.

Your new role

As the Catering Manager, you will be responsible for the overall efficient and effective management of the catering operations at the academy, ensuring great quality food and service. Your duties will include the preparation, cooking and service of food to agreed standards and specifications, and the efficient and economic use of all resources, including stock, catering staff and company assets.

Please see the attached job description on our website for the essential criteria and more information on the role.

If you feel you have the necessary skills and experience required for this position, then we would very much like to hear from you.

Why join us?

Our staff are talented, enthusiastic and strive to deliver innovative learning experiences to our young people. They enrich, guide and support students to ensure they are fully prepared and equipped to enter the competitive world of work or further studies. We pride ourselves on providing our students with the knowledge, skills and resilience to achieve the highest possible standards academically, socially and personally.

We have a staff rewards budget that encourages staff to socialise both as subject teams and as a whole staff, as well as access to a staff benefits scheme. At Garforth, we value the continuous professional development of all employees and recognise that our staff and students are most successful when they feel happy, valued, challenged and supported to achieve their very best.

In 2025, our outcomes at both KS4 and KS5 were superb and again well above national expectations in both attainment and progress. At KS5 our Grade A* to A was 28.6% and our A*to C was 84.3% with a value added score of 0.38. At KS4, 81% of our students achieved a Grade 4+ in English and Maths with 66% achieving a Grade 5+. As a result, all our students were able to progress onto the next exciting stage in their life journey.

We also pride ourselves on the huge variety of extra‑curricular activities available to our students from after school clubs in Music, Sport, Art, F1 STEM, Gardening, Cooking to name just a few to day trips, to sports/musical events, whole school productions, Duke of Edinburgh weekends to week long residentials abroad. During the last 18 months we have had a month long trip to Cambodia, a number of residentials to Paris, Battlefields, Iceland and the Azores. A sixth form Ski trip to America, a Y9 ski trip to Europe and a Geography trip to South Africa are planned for this academic year. It even includes a full year group team building/resilience residential.

We are immensely proud that in November 2024 the Academy was graded Outstanding in all areas by Ofsted. Some of the key areas highlighted in the report include:

• High aspirations for students and teachers are experts in their subjects.
• Students consistently meet the school’s high expectations of conduct, and the school’s strong pastoral support helps students if they struggle to meet these expectations.
• Students, including disadvantaged students, achieve extremely well across the breadth of the subjects studied, reflected in consistently high exam outcomes.
• Staff are well supported by leaders at all levels, with high‑quality training, including detailed information on how to support students with SEND in lessons.

The report reflects the exceptional work and dedication of each and every member of our whole community and is an amazing achievement we are incredibly proud of.

Benefits

As a Trust, we have developed an extensive range of employee benefits that focus on your financial, physical and mental wellbeing. Here are just a few examples in each area.

Financial Wellbeing

• Membership to either the Teachers’ Pension Scheme or the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Technology scheme and Vehicle Leasing Scheme*
• Access to an extensive discounts platform

Physical Wellbeing

• 24/7 access to an online GP or Advanced Nurse Practitioner for you and your household
• Gym and fitness discounts
• Cycle to Work scheme*
• Free annual flu jab

Mental Wellbeing

• Access to an industry‑leading Employee Assistance Programme
• Menopause Support Service
• Trained Mental Health First Aiders in all settings

Holiday Entitlement: minimum 37 days (subject to pro‑ratta if working part time and dependent upon salary and continuous service) including statutory bank holidays.

In accordance with DfE Keeping Children Safe in Education, an online search will be completed on all shortlisted applicants prior to interview. Any relevant information will be discussed further with the applicant during the recruitment process.