Catering Manager - Lode Heath School
Lode Heath School, Solihull, West Midlands, B91 2HW25 days remaining to apply
Start date details
As soon as possible
Closing date
2 January 2026 at 9am
Date listed
8 December 2025
Job details
Job role
- Catering, cleaning and site management
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Fixed term
Full-time equivalent salary
- £32,597.00 - £37,280.00 Annually (FTE) Band D. Actual salary range for full time, 39 weeks per year £27,944 - £31,958
Catering Manager - Lode Heath School job summary
Contract: Full time, term time (39 weeks per year including Inset Days), permanent role
Hours of work: Full time, 37 hours per week: Monday 6:45am - 2:45pm, Tuesday 7am - 2:45pm, Wednesday 6:45am - 2:45pm, Thursday 6:45am - 2:45pm, Friday 7am - 2:45pm. Every day includes a 30-minute unpaid lunch break.
AMAT Catering Services is part of Arden Multi Academy trust, a group of schools providing excellent education to children and young people within Solihull and the local area. Our Catering team are proud of delivering delicious, health school meals using locally sourced, high-quality ingredients to pupils within all our schools. This post is based at Lode Heath School, Solihull.
The post holder will manage a team of catering assistants and oversee the preparation and serving of meals, refreshments and other catering services at Lode Heath School (1200 students). If you, therefore, have a background in catering management and have a proven record in the provision of good quality food, within highly restricted time periods, offering great value and providing a profit margin for reinvestment into the school catering services; then we would love to hear from you.
Main purpose of the role:
- To be responsible and accountable for the Catering operations within the school; reporting to the Area Catering Manager.
- Be responsible for monitoring the quality of the food and service and for making sure that the school canteen is performing as required by the Area Catering Manager.
- Be responsible for the line management of the Catering Assistants within the team, in conjunction with the Deputy Catering Manager.
- Achieve good quality and variety of food options within budget and time constraints
- Be responsible for ensuring that all members of the catering team are aware of their Food Safety and Health & Safety responsibilities and be the contact point for Food Safety and Health & Safety issues.
The key responsibilities for this post are as follows:
- Planning menus
- Ordering supplies
- Hiring, training, supervising and motivating staff
- Organising staff rotas
- Managing and recording sickness absence
- Ensuring health and safety regulations are strictly observed, recorded and archived
- Monitoring the quality of the product and service provided
- Keeping to budgets and maintaining financial and administrative records.
- Food preparation
Key Skills required:
- Strong organisational and time management skills
- The ability to manage and lead a diverse team
- A strong focus on customer service
- Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills
- The ability to work flexibly and operate under strict time constraints
- Good business and commercial acumen
- Managing budgets, costs and stock-taking skills
- Knowledge of food, food hygiene (including hazard analysis) and food preparation.
PLEASE SEE THE FULL JOB DESCRIPTION AND PERSON SPECIFICATION AVAILABLE
Qualifications
- Relevant Food and Hygiene (Level 2 qualification) and willingness to undertake Food and Hygiene Level 3
- Health and Safety training
In return we can offer you:
- Free uniform
- Safety shoe allowance
- Free daily lunch
- A school environment where enthusiastic students enjoy learning and engage positively in all aspects of school life
- A collaborative and supportive attitude amongst staff which promotes a sense of teamwork and unity
- A Senior Leadership team who is committed to promoting the best environment and outcomes for staff and students
- West Midlands Local Government Pension and Cycle to Work scheme
Arden Multi Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all its staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We welcome applications regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality or religion. The successful applicant will be required to undertake an Enhanced DBS Disclosure and, in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education, will be subject to a social media online search.
Further information about Arden Multi Academy Trust is available here:
https://www.ardenmat.org.uk/
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.
Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.
Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children
You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
Applying for the job
This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
View advert on external website (opens in new tab)About Lode Heath School
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 16
- Education phase
- Secondary
- School size
- 1155 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Lode Heath School website
School location
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