Cook

The Toynbee School; West Boldon; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

The Toynbee School is seeking an enthusiastic Cook to join The Kitchen team. You will support with food preparation, service, and maintaining a clean, safe kitchen environment to deliver high-quality, healthy meals for pupils and staff.

Under the direction of the Catering Manager, you will prepare items such as sandwiches and salads, serve meals during busy periods, operate tills, and complete routine cleaning to uphold hygiene standards. A passion for food and teamwork will help you thrive.

Qualifications

• Experience working in a catering or food-service environment.
• Be passionate about food, sustainability, and supporting young people’s health and wellbeing.
• Be a reliable team player with good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrate excellent standards of hygiene, safety, and organisation.
• Be confident in completing daily tasks such as food preparation, cleaning, and till operation.
• Be adaptable, positive, and able to work effectively in a busy environment.

Responsibilities

• Preparing food items such as sandwiches, salads, and snacks; serving meals to pupils and staff; operating tills during busy service periods; and carrying out routine cleaning duties to ensure the kitchen and dining areas meet high standards of hygiene and safety.

Job description

We are looking to appoint an enthusiastic and dedicated Cook's to joinour team. This is an exciting opportunity to support the daily operation of TheKitchen, helping us deliver a high-quality, healthy, and sustainable diningexperience for our school community.

Launched in September 2025, The Kitchen at Toynbee School is ourin-house catering service for pupils, staff, and visitors. Our vision is to create a vibrant, sustainable dining experience — from nutritious main meals to convenient "on the go" options — that supports health and wellbeing across our whole community. We are committed to serving high-quality, locally sourced meals that promote health, celebrate variety, and respect the planet. By offering outstanding value for money and ensuring every stakeholder —especially the most vulnerable — enjoys the best meal of their day, we aim to build a welcoming and supportive food culture that fosters community, wellbeing, and a lifelong love of good food.

As Cook, you will play a key role in helping deliver this vision. Working under the direction of the Catering Manager, you will support with food preparation, service, and maintaining a clean, safe, and efficient working environment. This will include preparing food items such as sandwiches, salads, and snacks; serving meals to pupils and staff; operating tills during busy service periods; and carrying out routine cleaning duties to ensure the kitchen and dining areas meet high standards of hygiene and safety.

The successful candidate will:

• Be passionate about food, sustainability, and supporting young people’s health and wellbeing.
• Have experience working in a catering or food-service environment.
• Be a reliable team player with good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrate excellent standards of hygiene, safety, and organisation.
• Be confident in completing daily tasks such as food preparation, cleaning, and till operation.
• Be adaptable, positive, and able to work effectively in a busy environment.