The posting
The Opportunity
This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced catering professional to make a meaningful contribution to the daily life of a school community. As an Assistant Chef, you will help provide nutritious, high-quality meals that support pupils' wellbeing, readiness to learn and long-term success. By working closely with colleagues to create a positive dining experience, you will play an important role in removing barriers to learning and helping every student thrive.
Joining Brooke Weston Trust, you will be part of a collaborative team committed to high standards, continuous improvement and exceptional service. Your ideas, expertise and commitment to quality will help shape a catering provision that supports the Trust's mission of raising achievement and equips young people with the confidence, skills and opportunities that become their "tickets for life".
About the Role
As an Assistant Chef, you will play a key role in delivering a high-quality catering service that supports the wellbeing, health and success of our students. Working alongside the Head Chef and wider catering team, you will help ensure that pupils and staff have access to nutritious, appetising meals served in a welcoming and efficient environment. This role is mobile and you will be required to work in any of our schools in order to cover absence and to ensure continuation of quality service to our students.
This is a varied and hands-on position that combines food preparation, service delivery and maintaining the highest standards of food safety and hygiene. You will support the day-to-day operation of the kitchen, helping to ensure meals are prepared to a consistently high standard while contributing to a safe, well-organised and customer-focused catering provision. You may also assist with menu delivery, stock control and the smooth running of the catering service during busy periods.
Success in this role means being a dependable team member who takes pride in producing quality food, works efficiently under pressure and contributes positively to the wider school community. We are looking for someone with previous catering or kitchen experience, a good understanding of food hygiene and health and safety requirements, and a commitment to delivering excellent customer service.
Be part of something bigger
At Brooke Weston Trust, we believe education has the power to transform lives. Our purpose is to give every child and young person the knowledge, qualifications, confidence, character and opportunities that become their tickets for life.
Each of our schools has its own identity, shaped by the community it serves, while benefiting from being part of a connected and collaborative Trust. Together, we share ideas, expertise and opportunities so that our pupils, colleagues and schools can flourish.
Whatever your role, you will be part of a wider team united by a shared purpose. Whether you work directly with pupils or support their education in another way, your contribution helps to create the experiences and opportunities every child deserves.
A simple question guides our decisions and keeps children at the centre of our work:
Is this good enough for our children?
A place to belong, grow and make a difference
Our people are central to everything we achieve. We want every colleague to feel that they belong, are valued for their contribution and are supported to build a fulfilling career.
As part of our Trust, you will have opportunities to develop your expertise, learn with and from colleagues across our schools and central teams, contribute your ideas and explore future career opportunities.
You will be part of a professional community that shares knowledge, celebrates success and works together to make a lasting difference to children, families and communities.
We are committed to creating positive and inclusive working environments built on trust, respect and shared responsibility. We want colleagues to feel supported to do their best work, encouraged to develop and confident that their contribution matters.
What we can offer you
Creating tickets for life for our children begins with attracting, developing and supporting great people. We want Brooke Weston Trust to be a place where colleagues feel valued, supported and able to thrive.
Alongside the opportunity to make a genuine difference to children and young people, you will have access to a range of benefits designed to support your wellbeing, development and future.
Supporting your health and wellbeing
- One wellbeing day each year, in addition to your annual leave entitlement.
- A healthcare cash plan, helping with the cost of a range of everyday healthcare expenses.
- Access to an online GP.
- A confidential Employee Assistance Programme, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, including access to telephone, online and face-to-face counselling.
- Employee discounts with a variety of local and national retailers, including discounts on shopping, dining, health and beauty, days out and holidays.
- Cycle to Work scheme.
- A freshly prepared breakfast and hot or cold lunch during term time, when working in one of our Trust schools.
Investing in your future
- Generous pension provision through the Teachers’ Pension Scheme or Local Government Pension Scheme, depending on your role, including valuable life cover and ill-health protection.
- Generous annual leave for eligible support colleagues, starting at 25 days each year, plus bank holidays, with an additional three days after five years’ service.
- The opportunity for eligible colleagues to purchase up to 10 additional days of annual leave each year.
- Payment of professional subscription or membership fees, where membership of a professional body is required for your role.
Helping you belong, grow and develop
- High-quality training and professional development through the BWT Centre for Professional Development.
- Opportunities to learn with and from colleagues across our schools and central teams.
- Professional networks that encourage collaboration, shared learning and the exchange of expertise.
- Opportunities to develop your strengths, broaden your experience and explore future career pathways across the Trust.
- The support of ambitious and collaborative colleagues who share high standards and expectations for our pupils and one another.
Our Commitment to Inclusion
We want our workforce to reflect the communities we serve and welcome applications from people with different experiences, identities and perspectives.
We are committed to creating an inclusive working environment where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, individual differences are valued and colleagues have equitable opportunities to contribute, develop and progress.
We make employment decisions fairly and do not tolerate unlawful discrimination.
If you require reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know so that we can support you.
