School cook

At OFG we allow for greater work life balance and extra time to do the things you love outside work

Location: Park School, Chipping Norton, OX7 5QH
Salary: Up to £30,000 per annum (not pro rata)
Hours: 30 hours per week Monday to Friday 9.30am - 3.30pm (can be discussed)
Contract: Permanent Term-Time
Start: September 2026

UK applicants only. This role does not offer sponsorship

About the Role

Are you passionate about creating nutritious, high quality meals that make a real difference every day? Do you thrive in a busy kitchen environment where no two days are the same? If so, we'd love to hear from you.

We are looking for a dedicated school cook for our school kitchen and deliver an exceptional catering service for our pupils and staff.

What You'll Do

• Planning and preparing high quality meals that meet the needs of our school community.
• Leading and supervising the kitchen team, ensuring smooth daily operations and a positive working environment.
• Ensuring safe use of all equipment and chemicals, following manufacturer guidelines and COSHH regulations at all times.
• Maintaining accurate, up to date records and reports, supporting compliance and smooth service delivery.
• Responding flexibly to last minute or urgent service needs, keeping the school's catering function running efficiently.
• Reporting any defects, damage, theft, breakages, or hazards immediately to keep our environment safe and well maintained.

Who We're Looking For

• Food hygiene qualification required.
• Experience in catering, ideally within an educational or similar setting.
• Strong leadership skills and the ability to motivate a team.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
• A commitment to high standards of food quality, safety, and hygiene.
• A proactive, flexible approach and a genuine passion for great service.

About us

Park School is an independent specialist day school for boys and girls aged from 7 to 18, catering for pupils with a wide range of social, emotional and mental health needs. Our dedicated team work together to ensure successful outcomes for pupils who often arrive at the school with a troubled view of education and life.

We pride ourselves in steering pupils in the right direction, nurturing aspiration to progress them both academically and socially to encourage them to take pride in their achievements. Socially, we build confidence in our students, so they are able to have a greater understanding of the wider community in which they live.

We are part of Acorn Education and can offer plenty of challenges along with a wide range of opportunities to develop your career. Acorn Education is the UK's leading provider of specialist education for children and young people with special educational needs. As part of Outcomes First Group, we are leading our sector in creating and delivering innovative approaches that achieve measurable outcomes for those 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 Acorn Education?

We place the outcomes of the pupils and vulnerable young adults in our services at the heart of everything we do, so you'll wake every day in the knowledge that your role will have a significant positive impact on the lives of others.

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.

Benefits

Your health and wellbeing are important to us, so you'll get an exceptional reward package including:

• Life Assurance
• Pension scheme with options to increase your contributions
• "Your Wellbeing Matters" - access to a wide range of first-class mental health support services and physical health checks

And a market-leading benefit offering through our Flexible Benefits Platform, Vista, enables you to choose the package that's right for you, including:

• A wide range of health, wellbeing, and insurance benefits
• 100's of discount options valid in the UK and abroad
• Cycle to Work Schemes
• Electric Car Purchase Scheme
• Critical illness cover
• Family Growth Support - inclusive benefits package covering enhanced maternity and paternity leave, along with 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.