Head Cook – Astrea Academy Netherwood

Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Start Date: As soon as possible
Salary: £24,831 – £26,491 (Actual Salary, pro-rata)
Closing Date: 1st February 2026

Are you meticulous in your approach to your own work and in securing high-quality contributions from others in the team?

Are you passionate about making sure systems and processes run smoothly and efficiently?

Astrea Academy Netherwood is an 11-16 academy which opened in September 2012, set in an extensive £35 million campus. As part of Astrea Academy Trust, Astrea Academy Netherwood is in an exciting period of development.

Astrea Academy Netherwood are recruiting a Head Cook to support our schools catering operations to create exceptional food experiences, with a focus on family dining.

You will be responsible for the day to day preparation and service of the fresh food provided at our school. You will be working within a team of kitchen staff developing a food led curriculum which is to be delivered to our children. You will be integral in helping our children learn where our food comes from and make healthy choices and will be required to adopt a student led and customer focused approach to delivering a responsive and effective service.

Netherwood Academy’s kitchen has recently been fully refurbished, creating a modern, well‑equipped space designed to support high‑quality food production. With upgraded appliances and an improved layout, it offers an exciting environment for a Head Chef to lead our catering team and make a real impact.

We are values-driven and our vision is to provide an inclusive, aspirational and academic education for all our students, so that all of them will learn, thrive and lead successful lives. We are unapologetically ambitious for every child, no matter what their background, prior attainment or needs. We want to ensure that all our students have the option to be able to go to university or aspirational alternative. We are not going to reduce expectations because of a child’s background or home life, or because they are new to English or have a special education need. In fact, the opposite is true. It is our job to redouble our efforts to help children overcome these barriers so that they can flourish.

We value our staff highly and treat workload very seriously. Our systems are high leverage, ensuring you can really focus on your core purpose.

What we offer:

·         Support and progression opportunities

·         Excellent support from the Astrea Trust Central team

·         Highly visible/supportive senior leaders who have your back

·         Excellent ongoing CPD, career development and promotion opportunities across the Astrea South Yorkshire region

·         Opportunity to complete further qualifications

·         An unrivalled professional progression model

What we are looking for:

The successful candidate will be:

·         Aligned to our values and mission. If you are the type of person who fits with our culture, you will love working here

·         Someone who passionately believes that all children can achieve, no matter what their starting point, background or needs.

Interested in applying?

If this is something you are interested in, looking for a new challenge, have a passion for education or maybe all of the above, take a look at the Applicant Brief to find out more about the role and how to apply.

We actively welcome visits and would be delighted to show you around our academy to appreciate fully our excellent learning environment (details in the applicant brief).

The closing date for all applications is midnight on 1st February 2026.

Commitment to Safeguarding and EDI:

Astrea Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All posts are subject to satisfactory background checks, including references and enhanced DBS checks. We value diversity and encourage applications from candidates who are underrepresented in our workforce. As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to promoting a culture that ensures there are no barriers to the recruitment, development, and progression of disabled staff across the trust. We provide reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process to ensure disabled job applicants have the best opportunity to demonstrate their abilities.

Flexible Interview Dates:

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, so don't miss out on this exciting opportunity. Please note that interview dates are flexible, and the academy reserves the right to interview shortlisted candidates during the application window. Apply today to avoid disappointment and become a part of our mission to create a positive impact!

Ready to Make a Difference?

If you're ready to take the next step in your career and contribute to our dynamic and forward-thinking team, apply today and be a part of our mission to create a positive impact!