School Cook

Outcomes First Group; Guildford; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life Assurance

Pension scheme

Wellbeing support

Flexible Benefits Platform (Vista)

Health benefits and discounts

Cycle to Work Scheme

Critical illness cover

Family Growth Support

Job summary

Castle Garden School in Guildford, part of Outcomes First Group, is seeking a skilled School Cook or Chef to lead the kitchen and provide fresh, nutritious meals that help students thrive.

This role goes beyond catering: you will plan menus, manage stock and budgets, uphold food hygiene, and work with staff to support wellbeing, with a Monday to Friday term-time schedule that respects family and personal time.

Qualifications

• Experience as a Chef/Cook in a school, care, hospitality or high-volume catering environment.
• Ability to cater for a variety of dietary requirements and allergies.
• Good knowledge of food hygiene, food safety and kitchen compliance standards.

Responsibilities

• Plan and prepare fresh, nutritious meals for students and staff.
• Create varied menus that cater for dietary, medical and cultural needs.
• Lead day-to-day operation of the school kitchen.
• Manage stock, ordering, budgets and supplier relationships.
• Maintain high standards of food hygiene and safety.
• Reduce food waste through planning and portion control.
• Create a positive dining experience that encourages healthy eating.
• Collaborate with the wider school team to support student wellbeing.

Skills

Menu planning

Food safety

Stock management

Teamwork

Communication

Job description

At Castle Garden School, we're looking for a talented School Cook or Chef to lead our kitchen and provide fresh, nutritious meals that help our students thrive. This is more than just a catering role. Every meal you prepare will play a part in supporting the wellbeing, health and development of young people with additional needs. You'll have the freedom to plan menus, introduce new ideas and create enjoyable dining experiences that students and staff genuinely look forward to. In return, you'll benefit from a rewarding Monday to Friday, term-time role, giving you more time for family, hobbies and life outside of work. If you take pride in your cooking, enjoy working as part of a close-knit team, and want your work to have a lasting impact every day, we'd love to hear from you. What you'll do

• Planning and preparing fresh, nutritious meals for students and staff
• Creating varied and appealing menus that cater for dietary, medical and cultural requirements
• Leading the day-to-day operation of the school kitchen
• Managing stock, ordering, budgets and supplier relationships
• Maintaining high standards of food quality, hygiene and food safety
• Reducing food waste through effective planning and portion control
• Creating a positive dining experience that encourages healthy eating habits
• Working collaboratively with the wider school team to support student wellbeing
  We're looking for someone who is passionate about food and understands the difference a good meal can make to a young person's day.
• Experience as a Chef, Cook or Catering Professional within a school, care, hospitality or high-volume catering environment
• Experience catering for a variety of dietary requirements and allergies
• Good knowledge of food hygiene, food safety and kitchen compliance standards
• Strong organisational skills with experience managing stock, ordering and budgets
• A positive, reliable and flexible approach to work
• The confidence to take ownership of the kitchen and continually improve the catering offer
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to build positive relationships with students, staff and suppliers
  Castle Garden School is a brand-new independent specialist school for students with autism between 5 - 11 years of age.

Castle Garden School strives to provide effective, specialist education and support to autistic students and their families, which will allow students to achieve their full potential in education and life. Located in the town centre of Guildford, the school provides primary education and offers a unique mix of education and support to students within a wide spectrum of needs and abilities. Personalised teaching and learning in an autism specific environment allows students' individual needs to be addressed completely and their capabilities fully realised. At Outcomes First Schools, we provide specialist education for learners who need a deeper level of understanding, expertise and support than mainstream education can typically offer. We support students with a wide range of complex, co-occurring and neurodivergent needs, including autism, ADHD, SEMH, speech and communication needs, dyslexia and experiences of trauma or adversity. We are proud to be a part of OFG Education who in 2025 were officially certified as a 'Great Place to Work' for the sixth year running.

We place students and vulnerable young adults at the heart of everything we do, so every day brings the satisfaction of making a real difference. We are committed to the safeguarding and promoting the welfare of students and young people. All applicants will be subject to social media checks and successful applicants to a fully enhanced DBS.

• Life Assurance
• Pension scheme with options to increase contributions
• "Your Wellbeing Matters" - mental health support and physical health checks
• Flexible Benefits Platform (Vista), including:
• Health, wellbeing and insurance benefits
• Hundreds of UK and international discounts
• Cycle to Work Scheme & Electric Car Purchase Scheme
• Critical illness cover
• Family Growth Support, including enhanced maternity/paternity leave and paid fertility treatment support