School Cook

School Cook
Between the hours of 7:00-14:30 term time including 3 days during school closure periods - 30 hours per week

To Start: TBC

Salary - Grade 5

The Actual Pro-rata salary is £16,952.52

(Full time equivalent is £25,191-£25,590)

The Open Thinking Partnership is seeking to recruit a motivated and passionate School Cook to join our catering team. The successful candidate will support the preparation, cooking, serving and cleaning associated with daily lunches for our pupils and staff.

This position will be initially based at the Dorothy Goodman School site, however, the role requires flexibility to travel across the Trust Schools to learn how each individual kitchen operates, in order to support the smooth running of the catering operation as directed by the Catering Manager.

This is an exciting opportunity to become part of our vibrant and supportive school community. The role is both rewarding and meaningful, ideal for someone who is passionate about providing nutritious, enjoyable meals and who understands the importance of catering for a wide range of dietary, medical and sensory needs within a Special Educational Needs setting.

We value our staff and as such we offer a full induction training programme and ongoing professional development to ensure you continue to learn new skills and knowledge.

You will work 38 weeks per year plus 3 additional days for cleaning during school closure periods, 30 hours per week working between the hours of 07:00-14:30.

The Open Thinking Partnership is an outstanding all age Special School serving the Leicester, Leicestershire & Warwickshire area. Working within our values of Respect, Nurture and Independence, we provide experiences for children and young people which develop their personal qualities, learning and engagement skills. Our aim is to inspire and support children and young people to develop vocational and life skills for healthier, happier futures and we are looking to appoint a person to be part of our team which contributes towards this.

What we need from you:

• Experience in a catering or food preparation role

• Food Hygiene Certificate (Level 2 or above)

• A patient, calm and caring approach

• Good organisational skills and attention to detail

• An understanding of, or willingness to learn about, working in a SEN setting

• Professional approach

• Empathy with young people with additional needs

• Flexible with a ‘can do’ attitude

• Able to use initiative

The successful candidate will be subject to RTW and an enhanced DBS check.

For further information please contact:

HR Admin on 01455 639747 or

hradmin@openthinkingpartnership.co.uk

Closing Date: Sunday 17th May 2026

Interviews: W/C 18th May

Please note that if you haven’t heard by 19th May please assume that on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful

The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and subject to a check being carried out at an Enhanced level by the Disclosure and Barring Service regarding any previous criminal record.

The Open Thinking Partnership shares a commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. Our commitment is underpinned by robust processes and procedures that seek to maximise opportunity, minimise risk and continuously promote a culture that embraces the ethos of safeguarding amongst our workforce.