Assistant Chef

Responsible to: Senior House Chef

Contract Type: Permanent, term-time, with 288 hours outside of school term

Hours of work: Varied hours available during term time, and 288 enterprise hours outside of the school term

Benefits: Employer Pension Scheme, free membership of Repton Sports Centre

Repton School is seeking a reliable, conscientious and talented Chef to work within one of our boarding houses. You will be responsible for producing quality, healthy and appealing fayre for pupils within the House, with ages ranging from 13 to 18 years old.

If you are an experienced Chef looking for a new challenge in a prestigious environment and you possess the skill, knowledge and qualities required to flourish in this role we would encourage your application. 

Please note that applications will only be accepted on the School’s

official application form. If you are having trouble accessing the online form

please contact HR@Repton.org.uk for an offline version of the application form.

The role of Assistant Chef is responsible to the Senior House Chef for the provision of a high quality, in house catering service. This is a hands on, proactive role that requires a passion for fresh, nutritious and seasonal cooking. The role will be demanding, but wide ranging and fulfilling for the successful candidate. It is likely that the Senior House Chef will have previous experience leading and working within a small team able to lead and drive change and establish a culture of continuous improvement. You will need to be an innovative chef, conscious of current trends in food and innovations and dietary requirements.

Managing Resources

• To work closely with the Senior House Chef to provide best value without comprising quality of catering, food service and hospitality
• Working closely with the Senior House Chef you will take the lead with menu compilation, recipes and be responsible for quality of food produced and the service.
• Ownership and management of kitchen and stores
• Budgetary control of all aspects of catering provisions relating to house
• To accurately complete weekly expenditure reports and submit all necessary paperwork on a punctual basis to the Head of Catering.
• To ensure authorised food stock levels are maintained with monthly closing stock valuations.
• To ensure delivery notes/invoices are checked against orders/delivered items, signed for as accurate and any discrepancies are communicated immediately to the supplier.

Service Provision and Delivery

• Work closely with the Senior House Chef to ensure effective delivery of service.
• Proactively respond to service issues or escalations. Promptly and resolve professionally.
• Proactively review the quantity and quality of all food & beverages offered within the boarding house across the School day.
• To provide additional hospitality in the form of School functions & House Suppers and Dinners.
• To constantly strive to improve what we do, incorporating new & innovative dishes.
• To understand modern cooking techniques, recipes & trends.
• To ensure that sufficient portions are prepared and available at the appropriate service times.
• To ensure that food is attractive and appealing to the end user of the catering provision.

Health and Safety/Compliance

• To ensure adherence to all procedures within the School’s Health & Safety manual.
• To ensure compliance with the agreed health and safety policy and the completion of daily due diligence diary, adhering to COSHH regulations regarding food, equipment, materials and general safety.
• To ensure that the safe and efficient functionality of all kitchen equipment and report any defects to the Senior House Chef.
• To ensure that all catering staff maintain a clean and hazard free kitchen and follow best practice on all aspects of food storage, preparation and service relating to customer health.
• To always ensure the security of catering areas, that storage areas are locked, and that the facility is secure out of hours.
• To ensure that all catering personnel maintain high standards of cleanliness, personal hygiene and appearance.
• To maintain level 3 food hygiene as a minimum, undertaking refresher training when required.

Relevant Prior Experience

• Experience in managing a busy & diverse kitchen. 
• Experience in the delivery of high-volume quality, nutritious and well-balanced food. 
• Experience in maintaining budgets as set out by management.
• Knowledge of relevant Food Hygiene & Health & Safety Regulations.

Candidate Profile

• High energy, resilient, can-do attitude, proactive and flexible approach
• Strong leadership and hands on management skills
• Keen to support staff and pupils, whilst working towards the school’s ethos & objectives
• Confident verbal communicator, able to communicate effectively with professionals, staff, pupils and contractors
• Well organised, used to working at pace.
• Care and attention, particularly for all aspects of food presentation & safety

About Repton School

Repton School, founded in 1557, is a leading co-educational School situated in the historic village of Repton. Five miles from Burton upon Trent and eight miles from Derby, Repton lies in the very centre of England. The School boasts a consistently fine academic record and is active and successful in a wide range of other activities. The School’s 600 plus pupils, both boys and girls, are predominantly boarders. Each belongs to one of the ten boarding houses. Repton prides itself on its long and close association with the village. 

With the establishment of Repton Dubai in 2007, Repton was a pioneer among UK independent schools in establishing overseas ‘branches’. Repton International Schools Ltd has now established a family of six international schools (seven as of September), with four in the UAE, one in China, one in Malaysia and Repton Cairo opening in September. The School takes great pride in its international family and works closely with its overseas partners to ensure that each Repton International school fully reflects the ethos and values of the UK school.

The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment, therefore the following shall be deemed to be included, in addition to the duties that you may be required to perform:

Promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom you are responsible and with whom you come into contact.

Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 it is a criminal offence for a person over 18 (e.g. teacher, matron, sports coach) to have a sexual relationship with a child under 18 where that person is in a position of trust in respect of that child, even if the relationship is consensual. This applies where the child is in full-time education and the person works in the same establishment as the child, even if s/he does not teach the child. Moreover, whatever the age of the pupil, a sexual relationship between an employee and a pupil will be considered an abuse of a position of trust and gross misconduct, likely to result in dismissal.