Assistant Cook

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Job title:            Assistant Cook

Location:          Maple Grove School, Cheshire

Salary:               £12.50 per hour

Hours:               15 hours per week; Monday to Friday 10.30am - 1.30pm

Contract:           Fixed Term (6 Months), Term Time only

UK applicants only. This role does not offer sponsorship.

As part of our continued growth, we now have a fantastic opportunity for an Assistant Cook to join our close-knit team at Maple Grove School, part of Options Autism

Job Purpose 

• Work within the Catering and Education team to ensure the safe and efficient running of the school’s kitchen and dining facilities.
• Ensure all stakeholders benefit from high standards of service.
• Produce high quality school lunches within set budget guidelines, whilst considering the requirements of Healthy Schools/Food for Life Requirements.
• Ensure the kitchen and dining area is a safe and clean environment for young people, staff and visitors.
• Comply/exceed with the standards and requirements set by the Environmental Health Agency
• Support to ensure that the costs of running the kitchen fall within present and agreed budgets.

Responsibilities

• Support with the preparation and cooking of fresh food from scratch using fresh produce.
• Provide exceptional standards in all aspects of food service, an attention to detail is vital.
• Ensure all food/ meals are produced on time for the various service requirements. 
• Support in preparing large quantities of meals.
• Support the preparation of food in accordance with all guidelines and legislations.
• Ensure that the kitchen, dining halls, equipment and utensils are all properly cleaned and correctly stored away. 
• Be responsible for the presentation of all food produced and served.
• Preparation and delivery of high-quality refreshments for school events, lunches, and meetings
• Maintain temperature control standards for all food.
• Help supervise pupils during lunch time. 

Work with the School Cook to:

• Respond to the changing diet requirements of our school community.
• Work with a team to fulfil all duties.
• Always monitor and organise stock levels.
• Ensure that deliveries are met and are promptly stored away as appropriate.
• Ensure that all kitchen equipment is properly maintained and that any defects are reported promptly to the relevant people.
• Meet the daily deadlines in preparing food; including transporting food to different areas if/when required. 
• Serve the pupils food in accordance with the school’s portion control.
• Clear away all food stations and undertake daily washing up duties.
• Assist with designing high quality, tasty and appetising food for pupils, visitors, and staff. 
• Participate in all general catering and dining room duties.
• Ensure that all personal and food hygiene procedures are always applied.

Qualifications: Food Hygiene preferably

About us

Maple Grove is a specialist setting for learners with autism. At Maple Grove, everything we do revolves around the individual needs of each pupil attending our school, with the aim that every learner is able to fulfil their potential.

Along with our rich and varied curriculum, we focus on developing core life skills such as communication and social ability, sensory processing, and emotional regulation; every pupil develops the essential capabilities they need to be as independent as possible when they leave school. 

We are situated in Hoole, Chester, with the school set within a beautiful, historic building that has been completely refurbished and redesigned to the highest standard. 

For over 16 years Options Autism have provided care and education to pupils, young people and adults with autism, complex needs and learning difficulties. As part of Outcomes First Group, we are leading our sector in setting and delivering new approaches that provide measurable outcomes for those in our care.

We are really proud to say that in 2024, Outcomes First Group were officially certified as a ‘Great Place to Work’ for the fifth year running.

Why join Options Autism? 

Benefits

Your health and wellbeing are important to us, so you’ll get an exceptional reward package including:

• Life Assurance
• Pension scheme with options to increase your contributions
• “Your Wellbeing Matters” – access to a wide range of first-class mental health support services and physical health checks

And a market-leading benefit offering through our Flexible Benefits Platform, Vista, enables you to choose the package that’s right for you, including:

• A wide range of health, wellbeing, and insurance benefits
• 100’s of discount options valid in the UK and abroad
• Cycle to Work Schemes
• Electric Car Purchase Scheme
• Critical illness cover
• Family Growth Support - inclusive benefits package covering enhanced maternity and paternity leave, along with paid fertility treatment support. 

And that’s not all, we place the outcomes of the pupils and vulnerable young adults in our services at the heart of everything we do, so you’ll wake every day in the knowledge that your role will have a significant positive impact on the lives of others.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils and young people. All applicants will be subject to social media checks and successful applicants to a fully enhanced DBS.

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