Nursery Kitchen Assistant

Childbase Partnership; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 35,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave: 23–28 days + bank hols

Partnership Reward Days

Childcare savings up to 50%

Long-service rewards

Wellbeing support

Job summary

Childbase Partnership in Cambridge is seeking a Kitchen Assistant to prepare meals for up to 79 children aged 6 weeks to 5 years, at Edwinstowe Day Nursery.

This permanent, 25-hour-per-week role runs Monday to Friday 12:45-17:45, with occasional longer hours when the Cook is away. The role offers a competitive hourly rate of £13.45.

The nursery emphasises wellbeing, career development, and generous benefits including paid leave, family childcare savings, and staff training.

Qualifications

• Essential: Experience preparing and cooking varied fresh ingredients in a professional capacity.
• Awareness and understanding of safe food hygiene practices, including managing allergies and special dietary requirements.
• Highly desirable: Experience catering for babies and children under five.
• Experience of EHO inspections.

Responsibilities

• Prepare meals for up to 79 children aged 6 weeks to 5 years.
• Contribute towards the preparation of meals from a set-menu using fresh ingredients.
• In the absence of the Nursery Cook, take full responsibility for all food preparation and cooking tasks.
• Promote healthy eating and build relationships with colleagues, children and parents.

Skills

Catering experience

COSHH

Allergens awareness

Manual handling

Hygiene standards

Safeguarding

Team collaboration

Job description

Join Childbase Partnership and be part of something extraordinary.

Role: Kitchen Assistant | Preparing meals for up to 79 children aged 6 weeks-5 years old.

Location: Edwinstowe Day Nursery | Cambridge | CB2 7EB.

Contract: Permanent | 25 hours/week* | 52 weeks/year.

Working pattern: Monday-Friday 12:45-17:45*

Salary: £13.45 per hour.

*In the absence of the Cook, there is the opportunity to work additional hours, if this is of interest to you. The working pattern in this scenario is 08:30-17:00 (totalling 37.5 hours a week).

We’ve been delivering childcare excellence since 1989. Within our 44-day nurseries, Head Office, and Training Academy, EduBase, our ethos is simple: we all belong, we all matter, and we all contribute. We believe in ‘careers, not jobs’, supporting one another to grow and succeed.

Benefits

• Generous annual leave: 23 days paid leave per annum (pro-rata), rising to 28 days with length of service, plus paid bank holidays**.
• Work-life balance: Up to a further 20 paid days off each year through our Partnership Reward Days incentive; take your leave or sell the days you accrue, tax-free.
• Family childcare savings: If you have children or grandchildren, there's the potential for you to benefit from generously discounted childcare at Childbase Partnership nurseries, with savings of up to 50% for parents, and 27% for grandparents, depending on your contracted hours.
• Exclusive partner benefits: Long-service rewards, qualification bonuses and retail discounts.
• Wellbeing support: Free meals, mental health and occupational health support, flu jabs, eye care vouchers and a free will-writing service.
• Career development: Team inset days, access to online training and apprenticeships through our academy.

About us

• We are employee-owned: Every colleague is a partner with a voice, who helps drive our success; when we do well, we each receive an annual tax-free dividend.
• We are number 1: Ranked top of the Nursery World league tables for our Ofsted outcomes.
• We are community driven: Supporting causes close to our hearts, we’ve raised more than £3.5 million for charity.
• We are environmentally responsible: Building a greener tomorrow our nurseries all hold Green Flag awards and are powered by 100% renewable energy.

About you

• You are passionate about preparing wholesome, healthy meals: You have professional catering experience, which includes experience of cooking in a professional capacity, which enables you to contribute towards the preparation of a range of meals from a set-menu, using fresh ingredients.
• You are diligent: Your knowledge of COSHH, allergens and manual handling alongside your experience working in a professional kitchen environment will ensure you effectively contribute towards maintaining 5-star hygiene standards within the kitchen.
• You are an advocate for safeguarding: You will ensure the well‑being and dietary needs of every child are met.
• You are collaborative: In partnership with the Nursery Cook, you will promote healthy eating, build respectful relationships with colleagues, children and parents and resume full responsibility for all food preparation and cooking tasks in the absence of the cook.

We are an inclusive employer and we welcome applicants of all ages and backgrounds. We’re committed to FREDIE (fairness, respect, equality, diversity, inclusion, and engagement) and will consider any reasonable adjustments required.

Applicants must currently reside within a commutable distance of the nursery and hold suitable Right to Work in the UK; VISA sponsorship is not available. Safer recruitment checks apply, which include an Enhanced DBS check.

**This nursery is open on the May bank holidays; if Monday is a standard working day for you, you will be required to work as normal on these dates. Paid time off will be awarded in lieu for you to take on another day.

Essential- Experience preparing and cooking varied fresh ingredients and dishes, in a professional capacity.- Awareness and an understanding of safe food hygiene practices, including managing allergies and special dietary requirements.Highly desirable- Experience catering for babies and children under five.- Experience of EHO inspections.

£28,204.80 to £34,590.40 per year, pro rata