Job Description
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Head Cook
Location: Doucecroft School
Salary: £21,015 pa
Hours: Full-time 40 hours per week, 47.6 weeks per year
Job ref: D256
Autism Anglia's Doucecroft School provides education and care for children and young people with autistic spectrum condition. This is a fantastic opportunity to work with a well-established charity who provide to their staff ongoing training and supervision, continuing professional development and support as well as an extensive induction on commencement of employment.
We are looking to employ a creative, dynamic and flexible Head Cook who will be responsible for managing a small team to ensure the smooth running of the school kitchen. The Head Cook will need to work in collaboration with school staff to ensure our students enjoy a healthy but often very individual diet.
Your main duties will include:
- To cook nutritional well-balanced meals for the students
- To have responsibility for planning menus, ordering and budgeting for school lunches.
- To liaise closely with school staff to ensure the students' dietary needs are met.
- To manage a team of two whilst maintaining a clean and hygienic environment.
- Following the Health and Safety and Environmental Health regulations and recommendations.
- Conducting regular vehicle checks; oil, water, tyre pressures/wear and completing weekly checklists as appropriate, along with other light maintenance checks.
Our ideal candidate will be a great team player and have the following experience:
- A relevant qualification in Catering - essential
- Food hygiene certificate - essential
- Experience in menu planning, food ordering and budgeting - essential
- Knowledge of Health and Safety and Environmental Health - essential
Working for us gives you access to a range of perks and benefits:
- Fully paid induction programme
- Learning & Development programmes, with nationally recognised qualifications;
- Job-related qualifications obtained during employment paid for by Autism Anglia (subject to conditions)
- Support & encouragement to progress and reach full potential within your chosen career
- Free parking
- Flexible working hours (where possible) for study and time off given for job-related exams
- Employee Referral Scheme
- Access to Spectrum Life Employee Assistance Programme, Wellbeing Tools, including counselling services & the Benefits Hub,which will give you access to lots of shopping and entertainment discounts, instant discounted gift cards and cashback
- Occupational Sick Pay (after 12 months)
- Pension scheme
Autism Anglia is positive about inclusion and welcomes applications from individuals who are able to meet the requirements of the job position and may wish to request flexible working or reasonable adjustments to support them.
Autism Anglia is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults or children and expect all staff to share this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. For all enhanced DBS roles, we are permitted to seek access to spent convictions under The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, Exceptions Order 1975 (as amended 2013)
When you receive your DBS certificate you are required to register it with the DBS Updating Servicehttps://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-servicewhich will ensure that the status of your certificate can be checked at any point, without the need for going through the application / disclosure of documentary evidence again.
In the first instance please send your CV torecruitment@autism-anglia.org.uk
If no response is received within 3 weeks of a full application being submitted, please assume your application has been unsuccessful. You are welcome to apply again for other positions.
Information about the School
Doucecroft School is a specialist co-educational school for children and young people with autism and additional complex needs, age 3 –19 years. Established in 1977, we are experienced and successful in meeting the needs of students with wide-ranging strengths and needs, providing a nurturing environment where students are able to thrive and grow in independence and self-esteem.
Students can benefit from our flexible boarding provision or can attend school as day students and come from across the Anglia region and the London boroughs.
Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy are provided on-site by our experienced therapy team.
Doucecroft School is part of Autism Anglia, a regional charity working with children, adults and families affected by Autism.