Kitchen Assistant

Full Job Description

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Job Title:   Kitchen Assistant
Location:  Benton House School, Benton, NE7 7XE
Hours:  18.75 per week | Monday to Friday
Salary:  £12,500.00 per annum (not pro rata)
Contract:  Permanent | Term Time Only
Start:  September 2026
UK applicants only – no sponsorship available

About the Role

As a Kitchen Assistant, you will support the Cook/Supervisor in preparing and serving meals, helping to deliver a safe, efficient and high-quality catering service for pupils and staff. You will play an important role in maintaining a clean, compliant kitchen environment and ensuring meals are produced in line with current food safety and hygiene standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist with the preparation, cooking and serving of meals, including supporting special dietary requirements
• Support food preparation for on-site service and, where required, for other schools
• Clear and clean kitchen equipment, kitchen areas and dining spaces to a high standard
• Help maintain excellent standards of food hygiene, health and safety, and cleanliness at all times
• Assist with stock awareness and report any shortages or issues promptly
• Record and report meal numbers, including any changes such as cancellations or additional meals
• Support the safe and timely service of meals during lunchtime, including supervising pupils in the dining area
• Report any behaviour concerns to teaching staff to support the school’s expectations

What You Will Bring

·        Experience preparing home-cooked food

·        Willingness to undertake further training and development

·        Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment

·        Flexibility to respond calmly to short-notice changes

·        A positive, proactive approach and the ability to work well as part of a team

About Us

Benton House School is a brand-new SEN school for pupils with complex needs including SEMH. It is an exciting addition to the Acorn portfolio based in Newcastle.

Benton House School will have capacity for 60 pupils ages 5-14 years old.

Acorn Education offers rewarding careers and meaningful challenges while making a real difference in young people’s lives. As a leading UK provider of specialist education for children and young people with special educational needs, and part of Outcomes First Group, we deliver innovative, evidence-based approaches that support measurable progress and lasting impact.

We are really proud to say that in 2025 Outcomes First Group were officially certified as a ‘Great Place to Work’ for the sixth year running.

Why Join Us?

We place pupils and vulnerable young adults at the heart of everything we do, so every day brings the satisfaction of making a real difference. We are committed to the 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.

• Life Assurance
• Pension scheme with options to increase contributions
• “Your Wellbeing Matters” – mental health support and physical health checks
• Flexible Benefits Platform (Vista), including:
• Health, wellbeing and insurance benefits
• Hundreds of UK and international discounts
• Cycle to Work Scheme & Electric Car Purchase Scheme
• Critical illness cover
• Family Growth Support, including enhanced maternity/paternity leave and paid fertility treatment support

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

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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