Cook

Aspris Children's Services; New Forest; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Reward and discount scheme

Blue Light discount card

Comprehensive induction

Training and career progression

PVG/DBS"

Job summary

Aspris Children's Services is recruiting a Chef/Head Cook for Coxlease School, a specialist school for autistic children and young people. The role involves planning menus, cooking nutritious meals, and managing a small catering team to meet dietary needs and safety standards.

You will work on-site in a supportive environment, ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations and Government Healthy Eating guidelines while providing a positive dining experience for pupils and staff.

Qualifications

• Level 2 certificate in Food is required.
• Level 3 Award in Supervising Food Safety in Catering is required.
• A valid food hygiene certificate is required.

Responsibilities

• Plan, prepare and cook fresh well-balanced meals for pupils and staff, accommodating dietary needs.
• Collaborate with special education staff to create varied menus within Government Healthy Eating guidelines.
• Ensure meals are prepared and served in line with food safety regulations and best practices.
• Maintain stock levels and accurate records per health and safety policies.
• Foster a welcoming, inclusive dining experience for pupils during mealtimes.

Skills

Menu planning

Stock management

Cooking

Team supervision

Education

Level 2 certificate in Food

Level 3 Award in Supervising Food Safety in Catering

Food hygiene certificate

Job description

In this role, you will be responsible for menu planning, ordering stock, cooking, food service and the line management of a small team of catering assistants. You will adhere to set budgets within the school to deliver healthy, varied and nutritious diets for young people and the staff which comply with Government Healthy Eating in Schools expectations. In addition, you will be responsible for the ensuring that the kitchen and associated areas are kept to a high standard of hygiene, including food and equipment storage and that all compliance requirements are met and maintained to a high standard. You will ideally have a Level 2 certificate in Food, Level 3 Award in Supervising Food Safety in Catering and a valid food hygiene certificate. Training will be provided on Aspris systems and procedures. As the school's Chef/Cook you will be required to:

• Plan, prepare, and cook fresh well-balanced meals for pupils and staff, considering their specific dietary requirements and preferences
• Collaborate with special education staff to develop interesting and varied menus that accommodate individual dietary restrictions and sensory needs whilst maintaining Government Healthy Eating expectations.
• Ensure that all meals are prepared and served in accordance with food safety regulations and best practices
• Maintain stock levels
• Maintain accurate records in accordance with health & safety policies
• Foster a positive dining experience for pupils by creating a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere during mealtimes

Above all, we provide a supportive and collaborative working environment where you can flourish in your career and feel incredibly rewarded by helping those who need it most.

Here at Aspris, we are proud to be a leading provider of specialist education services with over 30 schools nationwide. We are recruiting for a Chef/Head Cook to join us at our school for autistic children and young people. Coxlease is a very special school for young people with Autism, trauma related interruptions, communication needs and learning difficulties to access an appropriate curriculum in a wonderful environment in the heart of the New Forest. With typical class sizes of 6-8, we are able to provide the care, attention, time and dedication to all of the young people to enable them to access education and reach their individual goals and aspirations.

Benefits and Perks

• Exclusive access to reward and discount scheme
• Blue Light discount card
• Comprehensive induction
• Commitment to your ongoing training and career progression
• Paid for enhanced PVG/DBS
• Wellbeing support
• Cycle to work scheme and more!