Nursery Cook

Role Description

Nursery Cook

Location: Erith, Kent.

Salary: £27,135.22 per annum (pro rata)

Contract/Hours: Part Time - This is a job share role working 19.5 hours per week between 8.30am-3.30pm.

Time off to recharge - 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)

24/7 Confidential Helpline - speak to trained counsellors any time, 365 days a year, for emotional, wellbeing or mental health support.

Enhanced Well-being - 8 sessions In-Person, Phone, or Online Counselling or CBT

Treat yourself - Staff discounts portal and Blue Light Card with 15,000+ retailers

Childcare Discount - 60% off childcare within our nurseries and out of school clubs

Up to 3 Days Dependency Leave - to care for dependents in an emergency.

Paid maternity, adoption, and paternity leave

Gain professional qualifications - excellent training/development opportunities.

Salary Finance - access to financial advice and the ability to manage savings or loans directly from your salary.

Secure your future - Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover.

Staff discount portal: and Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 national retailers' discounts

We're thrilled that you're considering a career with Spring. Spare us five minutes, and we will tell you what you need to know.

Why Spring Nurseries

Imagine a place where laughter echoes, imaginations run wild, and every day is a new adventure. That's Spring Nursery! We're not just a nursery; we are a family dedicated to creating a joyful and nurturing environment where children thrive. As part of Action for Children, we're on a mission to provide outstanding early education that's accessible to all.

At Spring, we support your career growth! Our Spring Career Progression Map highlights options for progression into specialist roles.

A bit about the role

We're looking for a Nursery Cook to join the team at Spring Harlequin. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone with experience in a larger or commercial kitchen who is ready to prepare nutritious, tasty meals for young children every day.

As our cook, you'll take full ownership of the kitchen, working from our set menus to plan, prepare and serve balanced child friendly meals. You'll manage stock levels, place food orders, and always maintain excellent hygiene and safety standards. You'll keep the kitchen spotless, well organised, and running smoothly.

A bit about the nursery

Northumberland Heath is a family focused nursery and a full day care setting for children aged 6 weeks to five years. Our passionate practitioners put children's learning and development at the heart of everything they do. Children are encouraged to explore, create, and lead their own play using natural resources, with access to free flow play throughout the day.

What you'll be doing

• Plan healthy meals that are nutritious, varied and tasty, meeting children's dietary and cultural requirements.
• Ensure compliance with all food hygiene and Health & Safety requirements.
• Keep stock ordered and replenished, store food correctly, rotate stock, and maintain clean equipment.
• Keep waste to a minimum and keep costs low.
• Manage the food budget and handle expenditure and invoicing.
• Follow the latest legislation on food and food hygiene and complete all required training.

What we need from you

• Basic food hygiene certificate - Level 3 preferred but can be obtained in the role.
• Passion for cooking and willingness to follow the Spring menu and contribute new ideas and recipes.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• Experience in a similar catering role.
• Commitment to safeguarding best practice and an understanding of safeguarding.

We encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic and disabled candidates and particularly welcome male applicants for this sector. We are committed to safer recruitment practices to protect our service users.

If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly, we invite you to apply anyway. You might be the perfect person for this role, or another role within the Action for Children family.

Application Process

Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

The application has five sections: Personal Details, CV, Supporting Statement & Information, Equality & Diversity, Submission & Declaration. Refer to the JD and Person Specification when applying.

We also want to know what unique qualities you can bring to help us reach our vision for children and families.

If you need support with your application, contact our Recruitment Partner. We'll be happy to give you any support you require.

Want to know more about Spring?

See below for further information about working with us: