Kitchen Assistant

Full Job Description

How would you like to get paid for five days, but only work four?

At Outcomes First Group, we believe in better work/life balance — and we’re putting wellbeing first.

That’s why we’re proud to be part of a 4-Day Working Week (4DWW) trial, where you can work one day less each week (or equivalent hours), while still receiving your full-time pay.

Many of our schools have already introduced the 4DWW — and others are preparing to roll it out as soon as they reach full staffing. So whether it’s already in place or just around the corner, now’s the perfect time to join #teamOFG.

Job Title: Kitchen Assistant

Location: Hillingdon Manor School, Uxbridge, UB8 3HD
Salary:     £12.86 per hour
Hours:     30 hours per week | Monday to Friday | 9:00am – 3:00pm 
Contract: Permanent | Term Time Only
Start:        November 2025
UK applicants only. This role does not offer sponsorship.

Are you passionate about great food and creating a positive, welcoming atmosphere?
We’re looking for a Kitchen Assistant to join our friendly, hardworking team at Hillingdon Manor School – where every meal served supports the wellbeing, energy, and success of our amazing pupils.

About the Role

This is more than just a catering role — it’s your chance to make a real difference every day in a school that values care, teamwork, and community.

As our Kitchen Assistant, you’ll play a key role in preparing and serving meals, maintaining cleanliness, and ensuring pupils enjoy a safe and welcoming dining experience. This is a hands-on role where your contribution will make a real difference to the smooth running of the school.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare and serve delicious, nutritious meals for pupils and staff.
• Keep the kitchen running smoothly – from cooking and cleaning to helping with food service.
• Set up and maintain dining areas, equipment, and utensils to high standards of cleanliness and safety.
• Support the breakfast and lunch service, ensuring everything is ready, fresh, and served on time.
• Follow Health & Safety and food hygiene standards to maintain a safe environment for all.
• Work as part of a caring, supportive team, stepping in to help during busy times or staff absences.

Who we are we looking for

You’re reliable, energetic, and take pride in doing your best work. Whether you’re serving meals with a smile or keeping the kitchen spotless, you understand how your role helps the whole school thrive.

You’ll Bring:

• A Basic Food Hygiene qualification – or a willingness to train.
• A strong work ethic and attention to detail.
• The ability to stay calm under pressure and meet deadlines.
• A team player attitude with great communication skills.
• A passion for helping create a safe, welcoming environment for pupils every day.

Join our supportive school community and play a key part in delivering a safe, clean, and welcoming environment where pupils can thrive every day!

About Us

Hillingdon Manor is an independent specialist school for autistic pupils aged 11 to 19, spread across two vibrant sites. We offer a personalised, autism-specific education that nurtures each pupil’s strengths and abilities, with an adapted curriculum designed to meet individual needs and help students achieve their full potential.

Guided by our core values — Ready, Respectful, and Safe — we create a positive and supportive learning environment. Our secondary provision supports around 125 students, taught in smaller class sizes, with qualifications tailored to their needs and abilities.

Our aim is to provide the right level of support to unlock each pupil’s potential, enabling them to live fulfilling and productive lives. Students are given as much freedom as possible within a safe, supervised environment, supported by a dedicated team of passionate and understanding professionals.

For over 19 years Options Autism have provided care and education to pupils 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?

We place the outcomes of the pupils 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. All applicants will be subject to social media checks and successful applicants to a fully enhanced DBS.

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.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

*You’ll work 80% of your contractual hours for 100% of your pay, giving you more time to do the things that make you happy. 4DWW is subject to successful completion of probation and is not a contractual benefit

Outcomes First Group is committed to carrying out a fair, thorough and efficient recruitment process in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education. Whilst we aim to keep applicants informed throughout, Outcomes First Group does not accept liability for any loss of earnings or other associated costs incurred by applicants as a result of delays or changes in the compliance process. All stages of the compliance process are subject to necessary safeguarding checks and compliance with statutory requirements, which may affect timescales.

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