Cook

Cook

Date Posted: 2026-09-14

Location: South East England, GB, KT19 8GY

Application Closing Date: 2026-10-22T14:19:06.15

Salary: £25,614 - £26,427 + Excellent benefits

Working Hours: 32.5 hours a week, Monday to Friday. This is made up of a 28.2-hour working week (37 hours FTE) plus an additional 4.3 hours (5.6 hours FTE) to enable you to take paid absence for all school holidays.

If we have too many applicants we have the right to close this advert earlier than its close date.

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 supervise a skilled team and plan nutritious menus for our young people. You’ll also need to make sure that the school meets food hygiene regulations and nutritional standards. Being a cook in charge at our schools means you’ll get to build fantastic relationships with all of our staff and young people, by doing what you do best.

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 offer 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

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 a Level 3 qualification in Food Safety in Catering (or equivalent)


• Be organised and have the ability to plan menus


• Have experience budgeting for each meal and ordering in bulk

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 recognized 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.

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.

#s1-Gen

£25,614 - £26,427 + Excellent benefits32.5 hours a week, Monday to Friday. This is made up of a 28.2-hour working week (37 hours FTE) plus an additional 4.3 hours (5.6 hours FTE) to enable you to take paid absence for all school holidays.If we have too many applicants we have the right to close this advert earlier than it's close date.Huge Small VictoriesBeing a cook in our school means being part of something big. Youll be working at the heart of the school, preparing and serving tasty, nutritious food to our young people, staff and visitorsGet out what you put inYoull supervise a skilled team and plan nutritious menus for our young people. Youll also need to make sure that the school meets food hygiene regulations and nutritional standards. Being a cook in charge at our schools means youll get to build fantastic relationships with all of our staff and young people, by doing what you do best.One of the best environments in SENDOur 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 schools 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 schools 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 youWe know youre 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, youll get to bring learning to life and make a genuine difference to the lives of our young people plus youll get:Training: A full induction and on the job trainingHoliday: Youll work hard at WG, so youll be rewarded with full school holidaysFlexible benefits: meaning you
can increase/decrease benefits such as life insurance check out our benefitshereWellbeing: a host of wellbeing tools and advice including employee assistanceMedical cover so you can claim back the cost of things like an opticians or dentist appointment and a host of high-street discountsBeautiful working environments with the very best facilities check out our schoolshereA recommend a friend scheme that offers a £1,000 bonus every timeBring 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 were looking for will:Have a Level 3 qualification in Food Safety in Catering (or equivalent)Be organised and have the ability to plan menusHave experience budgeting for each meal and ordering in bulkInterested in joining us?At Witherslack Group, inclusion is part