Kitchen Assistant

Full Job Description

At OFG we believe in creating a better work life balance

Job Title:  Kitchen Assistant
Location:  Underley Garden School, Kirkby Lonsdale LA6 2DZ
Hours:       40 hours per week | Monday to Friday |  8am - 4pm
Salary:      £23,638.00 per annum (not pro rata) + Travel allowance
Contract:  Permanent | Term Time Only
Start:         October 2026
UK applicants only – no sponsorship available

About the Role

Do you enjoy working as part of a friendly team and take pride in preparing and serving great food?

At Underley Garden School, we're looking for a caring and enthusiastic Kitchen Assistant to join our dedicated catering team. Every meal you help prepare and serve plays an important role in supporting the health, wellbeing and happiness of our pupils, helping them feel ready to learn, grow and achieve their potential.

This is much more than a kitchen role. You'll be part of a welcoming school community where your work makes a genuine difference every single day. Working alongside experienced colleagues, you'll help create a safe, clean and positive dining environment while ensuring high standards of food hygiene and customer service.

If you're reliable, hardworking and enjoy working in a busy environment, we'd love to hear from you.

What you will be doing

• Assist with preparing, cooking and serving nutritious meals and refreshments.
• Help set up and prepare dining areas ready for meal service.
• Serve food in a friendly, efficient and professional manner.
• Wash dishes, kitchen utensils, catering equipment and maintain excellent cleaning standards throughout the kitchen and dining areas.
• Carry out daily cleaning duties across the kitchen, dining areas and other designated school areas.
• Support the safe transportation of meals to different dining locations when required.
• Maintain high standards of food hygiene, cleanliness and Health & Safety at all times.
• Monitor cleaning supplies and safely store equipment and chemicals in line with COSHH guidance.
• Report maintenance issues or Health & Safety concerns promptly.
• Provide flexible support across the facilities and catering team during busy periods or staff absence.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for someone who:

• Enjoys working as part of a team in a busy kitchen environment.
• Takes pride in maintaining high standards of cleanliness and food hygiene.
• Has food preparation or catering experience (desirable, but not essential as training can be provided).
• Can work efficiently, use their own initiative and manage their workload effectively.
• Has good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Is reliable, organised and committed to delivering an excellent service.
• Understands the importance of safeguarding, confidentiality and health & safety.
• Wants to make a positive difference to the lives of children and young people every day.
• Full UK Driving Licence

About Us

Underley Garden School is a large school with small class sizes, focusing on pupils, aged 5-19, who have a range of complex needs associated with autism and learning disabilities, including complex communication, sensory and behavioural needs associated with their disabilities.

Our School adopts a holistic, person-centred approach to the development of our pupils and endeavours to ensure that they achieve as high a standard as possible. We offer a comprehensive portfolio of education, care and therapy to meet the individual requirements of students with complex special educational needs.

At Underley Garden, we aim to make a positive difference to the personal, social and learning lives of the people entrusted to our care.

Located near the market town of Kirkby Lonsdale on the edge of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales in a commutable distance of Lancaster, Cumbria and surrounding areas.

For over 19 years, Options Autism has provided specialist care and education for children, young people, and adults with autism, complex needs, and learning difficulties. As part of Outcomes First Group, we are pioneering innovative, evidence-based approaches that deliver meaningful, measurable outcomes for everyone in our care.

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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