Food Technology Technician

Leigh Academy Blackheath are seeking to appoint a Food Technology Technician, joining us as soon as possible. The role involves supporting teaching and learning within the Food curriculum area under the direction of the Director of Learning for Design Technology. The successful candidate will provide an essential service to the Food curriculum area; liaising with teaching staff and preparing materials before lessons. They will also be responsible for cleaning and maintenance of equipment, keeping stock inventories, supporting students within practical lessons, doing small group demonstrations in the use of equipment and machinery and ensuring Health and Safety procedures are up to date and relevant risk assessments are carried out.

We are looking for a candidate that:​​​​​​​

• is reliable and able to complete tasks effectively without direct supervision;
• has good organisational skills;
• is flexible and is prepared to take on a range of tasks;
• is able to communicate appropriately with young people and adults;
• is able to work as part of a team;
• is prepared to undergo further training if required.

Desirable attributes:

• an interest in food such as preparing, cooking and making;
• an understanding of food hygiene and safety;
• an understanding of time management when cooking and preparing.

This is a part time, fixed term opportunity until July 2023. The salary offered is £11,067 per annum (£25,392 full time equivalent) based on 18.75 hours per week, Term Time + 1 week inset. 

Working at Leigh Academy Blackheath: We are a co-educational 11-18yr comprehensive school and, already oversubscribed, our new school is a beacon of excellence for secondary education in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. We are driven by the belief that every learner is entitled to an enriching, varied and personalised education; delivered through a broad and balanced curriculum that provides challenge, irrespective of need, starting point or background. Our mission is to ensure all our students develop into powerful citizens of the digital future on both a national and global scale.

Our strong learning community works together and shares the value of collaboration; every member of our academy family works together to achieve success, cultivating a strong sense of belonging. Our belief in ‘human-scale’ education, delivered through a schools-within-schools model, ensures every one of our students is known and valued. Strong pastoral care is at the heart of our academy and we place great importance on building strong partnerships with parents and carers.

Since opening in September 2018, Leigh Academy Blackheath (LAB) has established itself as the local community’s preferred choice for their child’s secondary education. We have received over 1,000 applications for this September’s 180 Year 7 places, with nearly 300 first choice preferences. It is an exciting time to be joining our learning community.

At LAB, everything we do is built upon our core values of: Respect, Integrity, Ambition, Scholarship and Resilience. We are a strong team and work hard together to ensure every student realises their full potential. Staff have access to a wide range of professional development opportunities both within the academy and across Leigh Academies Trust (LAT). A flexible approach with a can-do ethos is required, as is drive, grit and boundless enthusiasm. A sense of humour is essential!

Being part of Leigh Academies Trust: As of 1st September 2022, our Trust comprises 30 geographically organised academies (14 secondaries, 14 primaries and 2 special) educating 20,000 students, and employing 3,000 talented staff. The Trust is establishing four ‘clusters’ of academies: North Kent; Central Kent; South East London; Medway. In addition, the Trust is responsible for one of the region’s biggest initial teaching training organisations, a large teaching school hub and is an accredited apprenticeship provider. Our future plans are found in our Vision 2030 document available on our website.​​​​​​​

As part of Leigh Academies Trust, you will have ample opportunity to collaborate with your peers both within the academy and across the whole Trust. This is an important part of our vision as we know through experience that we perform better when we work together. You are supported to undertake regular self-development to continue your professional development and hopefully progress further within the organisation.

Our commitment to safeguarding: Leigh Academies Trust and all of our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We adopt a fair, robust and consistent recruitment process across all academies and business units which is inline with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. This includes online checks for shortlisted candidates - you can read more about this in our Recruitment Guidance. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check.  ​​​​​​​

Our commitment to equality and diversity: As a Trust, we are passionate about diversity and recognise that as individuals, we all bring something unique to the role regardless of any protected characteristics which is why we treat all of our people equally, without compromise. We are committed to providing equality and fairness throughout our recruitment and employment practices and not discriminating on any grounds.