School Gardener for Young Marketeers Leeds

Job Title: School Gardener for Young Marketeers Leeds

Position Type: Freelance

Reports to: Project Coordinator

Based at: Home-working and at schools in Leeds

Working Hours: February July 2026:

16 x school gardening sessions at £110 per session plus 2 days planning @ £220 = £2200

3.5 days @ £165 for delivering 8 x school assemblies and attending Market Day = £577.50

Total: £2777.50

Contract: Temporary

Job Purpose

To deliver Young Marketeers gardening sessions and assemblies in eight Leeds primary schools

Background to School Food Matters

At School Food Matters we believe that school food can unlock a happier, healthier, more sustainable future for every child. We want a school food system that delivers for all children, so they can enjoy nutritious, delicious and sustainable school food and leave school with an informed and positive relationship with food. To achieve this, we campaign for a better school food system, bringing the voices of children, parents, and teachers to government policy, and deliver fully funded food education programmes in schools across the country.

Young Marketeers

This much-loved programme was started in London in 2012. It is now running in about 125 primary and special schools across England. This is the fourth year it has run in Leeds. The programme provides hands-on opportunities for children from primary schools to grow fruit and veg from seed to sell at their local market. Young Marketeers is also a platform for School Food Matters to promote food education to schools and communities as a way to support children to live happy and healthy lives. Children learn the art of growing veg from seed, and market traders will share their secrets on how to create a winning market stall. Primary schools will be visited by our gardener in March/April and then again in May/June and receive further tips on how to ensure a bumper crop. Then in July, they head to the market to sell their produce, and to meet the Mayor!

Key Tasks include:

Build and maintain relationships with teachers, teaching assistants and senior leaders to ensure the smooth running of the project

Plan and deliver

o One assembly in each school

o Two food growing sessions in each school with a class of 30 children (divided into 2 groups of 15)

Attend Market Day in the city centre in July with all schools

• Complete monitoring and evaluation forms in accordance with instructions from our Evaluation team
• Take photos of workshops and events where possible
• Keep Project Coordinator and Leeds Project Officer fully updated on progress

Keep up to date with safeguarding requirements and reporting procedures

• Maintain the ethos of the charity and positively promote our work at all times

Person specification

Essential

Experience of delivering food growing sessions to children

Knowledge of fruit and vegetable growing

Excellent administrative and organisational skills with great attention to detail

Ability to work in a team, and seek help when needed

Self-motivated and optimistic with a can-do attitude

Desirable

Experience of working for a charity or not for profit organisation

Experience of working in primary schools and engaging children

Experience of building relationships with partner organisations and individuals