Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Head Chef

Graffham CE Infant School
Graffham, Chichester

Posted: 16 Apr 2026

Deadline: 28 Apr 2026

Compensation: £15.31 - £16.62 per hour

Paid Part-time Permanent

Job description

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. We are therefore seeking a passionate and dedicated Head 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.

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 Head 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 Head 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.

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. 

Food Preparation, Quality and Standards 

• To prepare fresh food to meet the specified standards. 
• To prepare meals in accordance with an agreed seasonal menu cycle and to change this in accordance with the school food standards and allowing for allergen issues, ensuring full adherence to recipes, food presentation standards and portion control. 
• To understand and cater for the needs of those pupils with special dietary requirements
• To work to deadlines to ensure meals are served promptly. 
• To ensure that meals are presented and served in an attractive way. 
• To ensure that work is carried out hygienically, safely and tidily within current legislative framework. 
• To help promote the uptake of school lunches through taster days, parent events and other events. 
• To support the School’s emphasis on pupils’ health and well-being.  
• To support on projects such as a kitchen garden on the school site and food recycling projects.

Option, once the role has been established:

• To lead cooking classes for children and liaise with school staff on using school garden produce.
• On occasion, and with agreement, to lead on food preparation for special events, which may be outside normal hours. 

Administration

• To be responsible for the financial and administrative tasks associated with ordering food and sundries, including checking delivery notes and invoices. 
• To monitor, control and reduce waste and make recommendations to the Operations Manager for menu adjustments. 
• To work with the office manager when providing management information including the breakdown of meal numbers and meal costs on a weekly basis and on request. 
• To conduct stock takes on a monthly basis and on request. 
• To report any complaints or incidents to the School Business Manager or Headteacher

Health and Safety

• To ensure that policies and procedures with regard to health and safety and hygiene are understood by all kitchen staff and always adhered to. 
• To ensure cleaning schedules are carried out. 
• To always wear the correct uniform. 
• To ensure all kitchen equipment is maintained in good condition and any faults are reported to the School and the Business Manager. 

Conduct

• To be familiar with all relevant School policies, rules and procedures and any changes to these. 
• To set a standard of behaviour to colleagues which is polite, honest and friendly. 
• To deal with children in a polite, professional and friendly manner at all times and to seek guidance where necessary from Business Manager and the Headteacher.

General

• Any other duties which may reasonably be regarded as within the nature of the duties and responsibilities of the post.  

Application information

Contact the school office to arrange a visit for further information - office@graffhaminfant.org.uk  or 01798 867324

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