Witherslack Group
Assistant Cook
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£18,626 - £19,217 (FTE £24,796 - £25,583)
Please note that the successful candidate will be expected to work 32 hours per week. Looking for someone to be able to start in September 2026, so shortlisting will be completed in August.
Chilworth House Upper School (Y7-11)
Huge Small Victories
Being a cook in our school means being part of something big. You’ll be working at the heart of the school, preparing and serving tasty, nutritious food to our young people, staff and visitors.
Get out what you put in
You’ll be expected to follow food hygiene rules and keep health and safety in mind, but the key is to create varied menus that encourage our young people to try new food. You’ll help plan meals, taking into account any specific dietary requirements.
One of the best environments in SEND
“Our idea is that every student who comes to us will soar. No matter what their past, this will be the school where they ‘lift off’ and rise to the heights we know they can achieve”. Even the school’s logo, a bird soaring high, illustrates the aspiration for every pupil and upon joining each young person is encouraged to aim high and begin their journey to both academic and personal achievement.
The school’s extensive grounds, highly resourced classrooms and vocational centre offers the perfect environment for young people to enjoy – and this was recently recognised by Ofsted with a rating of Good.
What we do for you
We know you’re going to do great things. For your hard work and commitment, we reward you with the best salary and benefits package in the education sector. With us, you’ll get to bring learning to life and make a genuine difference to the lives of our young people – plus you’ll get:
- Training: A full induction and on the job training
- Holiday: You’ll work hard at WG, so you’ll be rewarded with full school holidays
- Flexible benefits: meaning you can increase/decrease benefits such as life insurance – check out our benefits here
- Wellbeing: a host of wellbeing tools and advice including employee assistance
- Medical cover so you can claim back the cost of things like an opticians or dentist appointment and a host of high-street discounts
- Beautiful working environments with the very best facilities – check out our schools here
- A recommend a friend scheme that offers a £1,000 bonus every time
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Bring your whole-self to work
Our young people come from all walks of life, diverse backgrounds and with different needs – and our workforce reflects that diversity, so that our teams can engage, encourage and inspire our young people to be themselves.
The kind of person we’re looking for will:
- Have experience catering in a professional setting, but if you’re a competent home cook we’d still like to hear from you
- Ideally have a basic Food Hygiene and Safety Certificate
- Be hard working, friendly and dependable
Interested in joining us?
At Witherslack Group, inclusion is part of who we are. We’re committed to creating an environment where everyone feels respected, valued and that they truly belong. As a specialist provider of education and care for children and young people with special educational needs, we understand the importance of embracing individuality and championing difference- especially when it comes to neurodiversity. We celebrate diverse perspectives, lived experiences, and the unique strengths that each person brings to our community. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities. We are proud to be recognised as an inclusive employer and are committed to making our recruitment and workplace practices inclusive and accessible.
If you need any adjustments to support you through the recruitment process or in the workplace, we’ll be there every step of the way.
By building a diverse and inclusive team, we’re better able to support the children, young people and families we serve and ensure every member of our team can thrive, grow, and be their authentic self.
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The Witherslack Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its young people.
This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check (we will cover the cost) and an online search.
We are an equal opportunities employer welcoming applications from all sections of the community.
For a full job description and person specification, please click here. To view our ex-offenders policy please click here. To view our Child Protection Policy, please visit the 'Parents and Carers' section of this School/Learning centre. You can find all our Schools here.
Special Education / Careers in Care / Careers in Special Education / Working with Children / SEMH / SEN / ASD #INDH
We are the highest Ofsted-rated provider in the country for special education and care. Our teams are fulfilled by the idea of making even the smallest positive changes in our young people, so we celebrate the little things. There’s lots of ups and downs, and to some of our young people, just sitting through a lesson can be a big win. We call these huge small victories and whilst they may seem small on the surface, they add up to make a big difference.
We live and learn with children and young people with social, emotional and mental health needs, communication difficulties (such as Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, or speech, language and communication needs), ADHD or complex learning needs. We have the most joined-up model in SEN, the best environments and we are proud of what we do.
Mission:
We are the leading provider of specialist education and care for children and young people with social, emotional and mental health needs, communication difficulties (autistic spectrum conditions; speech, language and communication needs), ADHD and complex learning needs.
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