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Head Chef Educator
South Baddesley Church of England Primary School & Nursery, LYMINGTON, Hampshire, SO41 5RP12 days remaining to apply
Start date details
As soon as possible
Closing date
11 May 2026 at 12pm (midday)
Date listed
29 April 2026
Job details
Job role
- Catering, cleaning and site management
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Part time (Can be done as a job share): 30 hours a week/ 40 weeks per year Monday to Friday, 9-3.30pm
Contract type
- Permanent
Actual salary
- Starting salary £16, 227
Pay scale
- Grade C
What skills and experience we're looking for
Are you a foodie with a heart for community? Do you believe that school lunch should be the highlight of a child's day? We are looking for a visionary Head Chef Educator to join our small, vibrant school and help us pioneer our exciting new catering service.
"Our project is dedicated to delivering homemade meals from fresh, locally sourced ingredients—soon to include produce from our own school farm. We are building a school food culture that reflects our value of kindness."
The Role: Lead, Innovate, Motivate
This isn't your typical school kitchen role. We are looking for a creative partner to work alongside us to design a service that fosters social interaction and food education. You will:
Lead a dedicated team in preparing fresh, interesting, and nutritious meals.
Collaborate on seasonal menu cycles that celebrate local produce.
Support a 'living curriculum' by helping children learn where their food comes from.
Promote a culture of kindness and health throughout the dining hall.
Manage kitchen administration, health & safety, and waste reduction with precision.
Who You Are
Above all, you have a passion for food. While food qualifications and industry knowledge are desirable, they are not the deal-breaker. If you have the drive to help children love healthy food, we will provide the full training you need to succeed.
A Creative Thinker: Excited by the prospect of 'Farm-to-Fork' cooking.
A Leader: Able to motivate a team and maintain high standards within budget.
A Role Model: Professional, polite, and friendly with children and colleagues alike.
Ambitious: You have high aspirations for what school catering can become.
What the school offers its staff
Why Join Us?
We are a small school with a strong family feel. You won't just be an employee; you'll be a vital part of our school community. As part of the Hampshire Local Authority, you will benefit from:
An excellent Local Government Pension Scheme.
Work-life balance with Term Time Only hours (enjoy your holidays!).
The opportunity to shape a pioneering service from the ground up.
Partnership with Chefs in Schools, providing access to elite professional training, a network of professional kitchens, and 1-on-1 support from a Chef Consultant.
Flexible working opportunities
Further information about the job
Person Specification: Chef EducatorEssential Qualifications & Experience
Experience in Fresh Food: Proven experience working and passion for cooking, this may include experience of working in a high-quality, professional kitchen using fresh, seasonal ingredients or educating others.
Qualifications: GCSE grade C/4 plus in English and Mathematics; other relevant qualifications or study will be considered.
Desirable Qualifications & Experience
Professional Cookery Qualification: Level 2 or 3 Professional Cookery (NVQ/Diploma) or equivalent significant industry experience in a fresh-food environment.
Food Safety: Current Level 3 Food Safety Supervision certificate (or willingness to obtain immediately).
Educational Engagement: Experience working with children or young adults or a passion for teaching (e.g., leading cooking workshops or "grow-your-own" projects).
Financial Literacy: Experience or interest in budget management, cost-per-head calculations, and stock control.
Allergy Management: Specific training in the management of the 14 food allergens within a catering environment.
Sustainability Knowledge: Understanding or interest in "Farm-to-Fork" principles, waste reduction, and composting.
Essential Personal Attributes (The "Heart" of the Role)
Visionary Mindset: A genuine belief that school food can be a tool for social change and health.
Kindness: A polite, patient, and friendly manner with children, encouraging them to try new things without pressure.
Adaptability: The ability to move from high-pressure service to a calm, educational conversation with a student.
Resilience: The "can-do" attitude required to build a new service from the ground up.
Commitment to safeguarding
We are committed to safeguarding children and all employees, governors and volunteers are subject to robust employment checks.
We delivery regular, topical safeguarding briefings and train all staff annually on KCSiE (Keeping Children Safe in Education).
We have an internal online portal enabling all staff to report any concerns immediately and we have two Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL's) in school. A third member of staff has undergone the DSL training purely for the purpose of auditing our processes and challenging DSL decisions.
We are very proud of the strong safeguarding culture we have developed.
Applying for the job
This job requires you to download an application form, you will be able to upload the application once complete.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
Additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About South Baddesley Church of England Primary School & Nursery
- School type
- Local authority maintained school, Church of England, ages 3 to 11
- Education phase
- Primary school
- School size
- 131 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 3 to 11
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- Email address
- adminoffice@southbaddesley.hants.sch.uk
- Phone number
- 01590 626243
South Baddesley CE Primary School and Nursery is a small Church of England school catering for pupils between the ages of 3-11 years of age. Our school vision and curriculum is firmly rooted in our Christian Value of ‘Kindness’.
We consider ‘kindness’ to have three aspects:
Kindness to ourselves.
Kindness to others.
Kindness to the world.
We look for daily opportunities to teach and explore these values. This approach means that we are fortunate to work in a calm, happy and thriving school. Our children are a joy to work with - smiling and laughter are cemented into life at our school!
Our curriculum aims to ‘explore life in all its fullness’ and so developing:
Wisdom
Curiosity
Innovation and
Excellence for all our children, regardless of starting points.
We use the core curriculum drivers of literature, people and the world to shape all of our learning experiences so that children engage in deep and challenging learning opportunities.
We have approximately 130 pupils on roll, who are currently organised into 5 classes. Our school is spread across three buildings; these vary from an old Victorian building to a much newer eco-build. We are fortunate to have well designed spaces to teach and learn in.
All of our classes are well supported by a strong and committed support staff team. The school leadership team consists of three teaching and learning leaders, a teaching mentor and the headteacher. Teamwork, support for professional development and staff well-being is a strength of our school. We are committed to teacher development at all stages, from trainees to experienced practitioners.
In July 2024, we celebrated a ‘good’ Ofsted judgement. The provision for pupil’s welfare and behaviour was judged to be outstanding. Inspectors praised our unique and well developed curriculum, bespoke approach to subject leadership, support of SEND and innovative projects with other schools, such as the Winchester University Multi Academy Trust. Our vision is to ‘strive and believe to shine’ for all individuals at our school.
Having opened our successful Nursery in 2023, we are now very excited to be opening a school farm this academic year. This provision will provide a further range of after school activities as well as providing us with a very special resource for developing our outdoor learning offer.
You will find our school is about a mile outside of the thriving town of Lymington and on the edge of the New Forest. Our school is located in the grounds of Pylewell Estate and therefore we are fortunate to have a large, well developed outdoor space. This includes a specific Woodland School area, a pond, a school garden and a meadow. We use our outdoor space continuously to enhance the learning of the pupils. We are within easy access of the beautiful New Forest and Solent coastline, where there are numerous activities to get involved in. We are also close to the cities and amenities of Southampton and Bournemouth.
A number of children travel in from the New Forest each day by minibus. We are responsible for our own minibus contract and this gives us access to two new mini buses everyday. This means we can regularly enhance the curriculum with visits out and about!
The school has a very supportive and involved team of governors. The Governors take an active role in school life both supporting and challenging the strategic direction of the school. Governors have subject specialist links with teachers across the school. The school is also supported by a very active ‘parent- friends association,’ called the Friends of SBS. This is led by a group of parents who fundraise tirelessly for the school. We hope that this information provides a flavour to life at South Baddesley, but please book a tour of the school to meet our team and children.
Arranging a visit to South Baddesley Church of England Primary School & Nursery
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email adminoffice@southbaddesley.hants.sch.uk.
School location
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