School Chef

About Us

Graffham CE Infant School is a unique and welcoming community where every child is encouraged to thrive. Nestled in the heart of the South Downs, our school combines a nurturing environment with high academic expectations, inspiring our pupils to become confident, curious, and kind individuals.

We are seeking a passionate and dedicated Chef to join our friendly and committed team. As we are such a small school, this role requires flexibility, the ability to work independently and the confidence to make decisions.

We're thrilled to be partnering with Chefs in Schools to transform our school food and culture. We believe every child deserves access to fresh, nutritious, and delicious meals cooked from scratch.

Our goals

• Improve the quality of school meals using fresh, nutritious ingredients.
• Enhance food education and promote a positive food culture across the school.
• Train and support kitchen teams to deliver lasting improvements.
• Engage the whole school community in championing better food.

We want our School Chef to feel fully embedded in school life. They will be recognised as a key member of staff, included in events and communications, and supported through ongoing professional development and team building. We also encourage strong collaboration between the kitchen team and teaching staff to enrich the curriculum through food education.

Our School Chef will benefit from a focused, hands on training programme designed to build a high quality, sustainable in house food service.

From day one, this includes support with kitchen setup and efficient systems for food safety, ordering, and workflow. With practical training, tailored guidance, and ongoing support from an experienced Chef Trainer, they will be empowered to develop menus, refine operations, and lead a thriving, values driven school food culture.

Job Details

Salary: Grade 7

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: 25 hours per week during the school day

Location: Graffham CE Infant School

Interviews: TBC

What You Need to Succeed

We are looking for someone to lead, innovate, motivate and work with a team whose aim is to serve fresh, interesting and nutritious school meals within budget which meet Government and the School's standards at all times. We hope that the Head Chef will also lead on developing a food and cookery curriculum for the whole school and food related projects and have high aspirations for the future of food at School.

Further Information

Lavington Park Federation (Graffham CE Infant School and Duncton CE Junior School) is committed to creating a diverse workforce. We will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to sex, race, religion, belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy, maternity, age, disability, marriage or civil partnership.

Graffham CE Infant School and West Sussex County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. All successful candidates will be subject to an appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service check along with other relevant employment checks, including satisfactory references.