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School Cook (Cooking Instructor)

School Cook (Cooking Instructor)

OA-Tunbridge Wells
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Employment type: Term time only - 39 weeks per annum and 37 hours a week
Salary: £31,022 - £33,143 (FTE)
Closing date: Monday 12 October 2026
Interview date: Friday 16 October 2026
Start date: Monday 2 November 2026

We are are seeking to appoint a School Cook (Catering Lead) at our alternative provision academy in Tunbridge Wells. The successful candidate will be responsible for the catering of students at the academy, including Breakfast Club, break and lunch arrangements, lead classes/groups in the kitchen and work under direction from other staff in the classroom to maximise impact on learning, including the delivering of a BTEC Catering Qualification and intervention lessons.


The closing date for receipt of applications is Monday, 12 October

Interviews will be held at OA-Tunbridge Wells week commencing Friday, 16 October

The start date is Monday, 2 November


Olive Academies is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. To this end, both an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and a Barred List check are required for this role. We particularly welcome applications from under-represented groups.

A message from our CEO

Dear candidate,

Thank you for your interest in applying for a job at OA-Tunbridge Wells. Olive Academies is a not-for-profit multi-academy trust, approved by the Department for Education. Established in 2013, it is one of the first academy sponsors specialising in alternative provision (AP) in England.  We have seven provisions in London, Kent and the East of England – in Cambridge, Havering, Suffolk, Thurrock, Tunbridge Wells and Wisbech, as well as an outreach service.

Our AP academies attract staff who care about removing barriers to learning. From teachers, trustees and senior leaders to administrators and support staff, everyone has a role to play in the success of individual academies and the OA network as a whole. Our staff have the opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable children and young people.

At  Olive Academies we want to ensure that young people can reach their potential in a supportive, inclusive and nurturing environment.  This is reflected in our values:

  • Conviction – everyone has the capacity to reach their potential
  • Determination – not giving up on those who have not experienced success in their lives
  • Ambition – all challenges can be overcome and education is an important lifeline journey
  • Reflection – learning from experiences and developing a capacity to improve further

Olive Academies provides all staff with access to a wide range of CPD and training opportunities. We value our staff as professionals and collaborative work is the key to our success - we want our staff to support each other, to share best practice, to work alongside local schools and agencies, to engage the local community and support families.

Olive Academies is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and we expect all our staff to share this commitment.

If you are someone who thrives on challenges and believes in the potential of all young people, then we look forward to receiving your application.

Mark Vickers,

CEO, Olive Academies

Download the job pack

To find out more about this rewarding role, download the School Cook (Cooking Instructor) job pack.

Apply now

If you think this is the right role for you, download an application form and an equalities monitoring form. Please send your completed forms to michael.sammut@oliveacademies.org.uk

Please note; we are unable to accept CVs.

  • The closing date for receipt of applications is Monday, 12 October
  • Interviews will be held at OA-Tunbridge Wells week commencing Friday, 16 October
  • The start date is Monday, 2 November

Arrange an informal discussion

If you would like to visit the academy, or for an informal discussion about the role, please contact Michael Sammut, Office Manager:

E: michael.sammut@oliveacademies.org.uk

T: 01892 519841

What is it like to work at Olive Academies?

We value all our staff and offer:

Our recruitment process

Olive Academies is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children and young people in our academies. You can find out about our robust recruitment procedures and checks for appointing staff and volunteers in our Safer Recruitment and Selection Statement and in our safeguarding policy.

As part of any recruitment process, we collect and process personal data relating to job applicants. We are committed to being transparent about how we collect and use that data and to meeting our data protection obligations. For more information, please read our Candidate Privacy Statement.