School Cook

Simply Education Ltd; Malvern; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Term-time working

Brand-new kitchen

Job summary

Simply Education is recruiting an experienced Cook to join a brand-new specialist school opening in January 2027. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone from a school, care, hospitality or catering background to use their skills in a rewarding environment—with term-time working and no late-night shifts.

You’ll be joining ahead of the school's opening, giving you the opportunity to help set up and shape the catering provision from day one, supporting children aged 5-19 with ASD and SEMH

Qualifications

• Experience preparing and cooking meals using fresh ingredients.
• Good knowledge of food hygiene and food safety.
• Understanding of allergens, special diets and nutritional requirements.
• Experience with stock control, ordering and portion management.
• Strong organisation and communication skills.
• Experience supervising kitchen staff would be beneficial.
• Experience within SEN, education or care would be advantageous, but isn’t essential.

Responsibilities

• Preparing and serving fresh, nutritious, home-cooked meals
• Creating balanced and appealing menus
• Catering for allergies, special diets and sensory requirements
• Managing stock, ordering, portion control and kitchen budgets
• Maintaining excellent food hygiene and health & safety standards
• Supporting and supervising other kitchen staff
• Building positive relationships with pupils and encouraging healthy eating
• Helping establish an efficient, welcoming kitchen within a brand-new school

Skills

Meal prep & cooking

Food hygiene knowledge

Allergens & special diets

Stock control & budgeting

Organisation & communication

Supervising kitchen staff

SEN/education experience

Job description

£27,105 - £30,355 actual annual salary | £14.43 - £16.16 per hour

Permanent | Full-Time | Term-Time Only + 2 Weeks (41 weeks per year)

40 hours per week | Monday to Friday

Start: November 2026

Love cooking but ready to leave evenings and year-round hospitality behind?

Simply Education is recruiting an experienced Cook to join a brand-new specialist school opening in January 2027.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone from a school, care, hospitality, restaurant or commercial catering background who wants to use their skills in a rewarding environment - with term-time working and no late-night restaurant shifts.

You’ll be joining ahead of the school's opening, giving you the rare opportunity to help set up and shape the catering provision from the very beginning.

The school will support children and young people aged 5-19 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, providing a nurturing and supportive environment for up to 120 pupils.

The Role

• Preparing and serving fresh, nutritious, home-cooked meals
• Creating balanced and appealing menus
• Catering for allergies, special diets and sensory requirements
• Managing stock, ordering, portion control and kitchen budgets
• Maintaining excellent food hygiene and health & safety standards
• Supporting and supervising other kitchen staff
• Building positive relationships with pupils and encouraging healthy eating
• Helping establish an efficient, welcoming kitchen within a brand-new school

Who We're Looking For

We’re looking for someone who genuinely enjoys cooking and takes pride in producing great food.

You could currently be working within a school kitchen, care home, restaurant, hotel, pub, café or other catering environment and be looking for a role offering greater stability and a better work-life balance.

Ideally, you’ll have:

• Previous experience preparing and cooking meals using fresh ingredients
• Good knowledge of food hygiene and food safety
• Understanding of allergens, special diets and nutritional requirements
• Experience with stock control, ordering and portion management
• Strong organisation and communication skills
• Experience supervising kitchen staff would be beneficial
• Experience within SEN, education or care would be advantageous, but isn’t essential

Why consider this role?

• £27,105 - £30,355 actual annual salary
• Permanent position
• Term-time working - 41 weeks per year
• 40 hours per week
• No late-night restaurant shifts
• Brand-new kitchen and school environment
• Opportunity to shape the catering provision from day one
• Rewarding role supporting children and young people

If you’re an experienced Cook looking for a role where you can enjoy cooking, have greater stability and make a genuine difference to young people’s day-to-day lives, we’d love to hear from you