Catering Assistant

Catering Assistant
27.5 hours per week
Required for September 2025
Salary – Grade 3 SCP 2-3 depending on qualifications and experience.

Castor Church of England School is a picturesque and welcoming village school located in the heart of Castor, taking in children (age range 4 – 11) from Castor, Ailsworth and the surrounding areas. We have a rare and exciting opportunity for a Catering Assistant to come and join our recently reopened kitchen.

The successful candidate will have a sense of humour, a love for children and the ability to navigate lunch rush like a pro. If you can handle the heat of the kitchen (and a few picky eaters), we want you on our team!

We are looking for:
• A bright and positive person, who enjoys working with all children
• An experienced cook, who is passionate about food, nutrition and healthy eating
• A team player with excellent communication skills, capable of creating good working relationships with staff, pupils and parents
• Someone who is creative, enthusiastic, and proactive, keen to embrace new ideas and
challenges.
• Has a commitment to safeguarding and equality.

In return we can offer:
• A happy, productive school filled with keen learners where everyone is
valued
• A caring, welcoming and supportive staff team
• Supportive parents
• An opportunity to make a significant contribution to the future of our school
• A commitment to your professional development
• An exceptional Wellbeing Charter – includes free refreshments, end of term breakfast and 1 duvet day per year!

Appointment to this post will be subject to satisfactory safeguarding pre-employment checks including a Barred List check, Disclosure and Barring Service check and references. Online checks will be carried out for shortlisted candidates prior to interview. Please note it is a criminal offence to apply for this post of employment if you are barred from working with children and young people.

It is not a requirement of the role to be a Christian, but candidates should be sympathetic to and support the Christian ethos of the school.

In return, our school offers a welcoming, safe, happy learning environment where everyone is respected and listened to; a school where we take pride in ourselves and our achievements, enabling children to become confident and successful learners. Our children are well behaved (come see for yourself) and we all benefit from a supportive staff team, community volunteers and governors.

Visits to the school are warmly welcome, please contact the school for a tour on 01733 380280 or email officemanager@castor.peterborough.sch.uk

Application packs can be downloaded from our website https://www.castorschool.com/page/?title=Vacancies&pid=85

Completed application forms should be emailed to finance@castor.peterborough.sch.uk

Closing Date: Friday 18th July 2025 at 9am. We reserve the right to close a vacancy prior to the closing date if a high number of applications have been received.

Castor Church of England School is an equal opportunities employer and employs suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation, or age. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff to share this commitment. Any appointments will be subject to satisfactory pre-employment clearances including the right to work in the UK, an enhanced DBS check and two satisfactory references.

STAFF WELLBEING CHARTER
At Castor C of E Primary School, we believe that our staff’s wellbeing comes first: happy staff means a happy learning environment for all.
Below is a list of some of the small things, which we believe contribute to supporting the wellbeing of our staff and show recognition that their efforts and work are always valued:

Teachers’ PPA time can be taken at home – we believe this gives our teachers the time, space and freedom to have opportunities for family time and to do all those things that can’t be done in a working day.
Open Door – Senior leaders’ doors are always open for advice and to discuss any matters.
Manageable Marking – we believe that teachers should use their time on creating fantastic lessons to meet the needs of their pupils rather than time spent marking.
Free Refreshments – school pays for all tea/coffee/milk for staff.
Staff Meetings – our staff meetings are used purposefully supportive CPD and essential tasks.
End of Term Breakfast – at the end of each term breakfast is provided for our staff to enjoy.
Duties – responsibility for duties is shared equally, as much as possible, to limit additional staff workload.
Social Gatherings – optional meetups are encouraged for staff to relax, unwind and celebrate.
Communication – WhatsApp, Google Calendar and email are used to try to keep everyone as up-to-date as possible with news and events. Staff can opt in and out of these notifications whenever they please, with no expectation of out of hours responses. Deadlines are carefully considered and well publicised.
Duvet Days – we offer all of our staff the opportunity to have a whole school day off per year, no questions asked!
Residential Reward – in recognition of the free time given up attending residential trips we reward each member of staff with a day off.
Mental Health First Aider – it is incredibly important to us that staff know that there is always someone available for them to talk to.
Buddy – new staff have a colleague who can offer support when needed.