Old Swinford Hospital School
School Catering Assistants

How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Old Swinford Services Limited seeks to appoint some part-time, term-time Catering Assistants to provide a professional catering service, ensuring that standards are maintained and that the Schools' expectations are met.
About OSH
Old Swinford Hospital is one of the country's leading state boarding schools. A large number of the School's students are boarders who come from a wide range of backgrounds in the UK and also from the EU and overseas. A third of our pupils are day pupils, who usually go home after lessons, unless they are involved in sport or music, CCF, or DofE. The School is now fully co-educational.
OSH is a calm place to work. It is inclusive, tolerant, and welcoming. The atmosphere is supportive and orderly, and it is also very relaxed because for many of our pupils, their school is also their home. Parents, pupils, and staff are all on the same side, and our pupils want to learn before going out into the wider world and making their own contribution to it.
We have had two very favorable Ofsted visits, one for boarding and one for curriculum. You can see these via our website www.oshsch.com. We enjoy a very good academic reputation and regularly feature in the lists of the most academically successful maintained schools. We're not about league tables, however. We pride ourselves on developing in our pupils a balance of academic achievement, character, and resilience, and we've been doing this now for nearly 360 years.
Our extensive extra-curricular programme contributes to our pupils becoming happy, healthy, and interested young people, for whom sport, music, art, drama, outdoor pursuits feature in their everyday lives.
Person Specification
The successful candidates will be able to demonstrate the following skills:
- Flair and passion for food;
- Good customer service skills;
- Experience of working in a catering environment would be desirable;
- Knowledge of basic catering practices;
- Able to pay attention to detail and is able to check own work;
- Reliable and punctual;
- Self-motivated with the ability to work under pressure;
- Be a team player with a 'can-do' attitude;
- Demonstrate a high standard of personal cleanliness and appearance;
- Polite manner in dealing with pupils and staff;
- Good communication skills.
Reasons to use Rodeo
I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?
Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.
Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme
Why you're a good match
StrongYour economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.
See breakdownIt searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Why you're a good match
You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.
Experience fit
Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Job Specification
Overall Objectives
To provide a professional catering service, ensuring that standards are maintained and that Schools' expectations are met within the agreed objectives.
Specific Responsibilities
- To ensure all food is presented and served in line with School standards, using innovation in the method and style of presentation and food service;
- To ensure that all agreed service objectives are met in line with client expectations;
- To treat your team at location as you would expect to be treated;
- Preparation of fresh food;
- The serving of meals ensuring correct portion control;
- Ensure the food safety of pupils with particular and special diets;
- General kitchen duties, for example, washing up, cleaning of floors, walls, and catering equipment;
- Preparation of the serving and dining area;
- Laundering of kitchen towels/clothes etc;
- Cleaning of dining furniture;
- Ensure good food hygiene and health and safety regulations are adhered to at all times;
- To have good communications skills to enable effective dialogue with colleagues, staff, pupils, and visitors;
- To be organized and self-motivated, able to meet deadlines and targets, and work well under pressure;
- To carry out all reasonable duties as requested by the Catering Manager or the Bursar.
General Duties
- To ensure that all standards of food preparation and service are established and achieved in line with the School guidelines and policies;
- To adhere to existing working practices, methods, and procedures;
- To comply with all company policies.
Health & Safety, Food Safety, The Environment


Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
- To help ensure that the School meets statutory and company requirements in Health and Safety, Food Safety, and environmental legislation and procedures;
- To record and report all accidents within the location adhering to location and company procedures;
- To ensure all equipment is well maintained and is in good working order;
- To maintain and record cleaning schedules;
- To attend all health and safety training courses as required;
- To promote and encourage environmental improvement initiatives as appropriate within the business.
The School reserves the right to vary or amend the duties and shift patterns of the post holder at any time according to the needs of the School's business. In exceptional circumstances the Post holder will be required to undertake other duties and responsibilities of a similar post in order to support workload peaks, skills shortages, to ensure priorities are met.
Hours of Work
The hours of work are 20/30 per week for 37 weeks (term time) to suit the needs of the school. The pattern of work will be agreed and subject to regular change, in advance, by the Catering Manager and will include either mornings (7 am start), or evenings (8.00 pm finish) and will include some weekend shifts.
Remuneration
The rate of pay is the National Living Wage, which is £12.71 per hour, plus statutory holiday pay.
In line with current regulation, you will, if you are eligible, be offered a workplace pension through NEST.
Equal Opportunities
Old Swinford Services Limited welcomes applications for employment from all sectors of the community.
Suitability to Work with Children
Old Swinford Services Limited is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants are required to undertake an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check.
We reserve the right to close the vacancy before the advertised date if a large number of applications have been received.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills