Kitchen Assistant

Recruitment Pack

The Offer at Empower Trust

Mission:  ‘Inspire, Empower and Achieve – a commitment to excellence’

Vision:  ‘To create a home for world class learning that improves the lives of each child in our family of schools.’

Our Vision and Mission statements are underpinned by our Trust Values:

Working for Empower Trust is rewarding in lots of ways. We value and appreciate our people and recognise our staff are instrumental to the success of the Trust. We therefore offer a wide range of exciting and useful benefits to all our employees:

Career Progression and Staff Development

We are committed to developing our staff and to providing opportunities for growth. We want to encourage the career progression of our employees wherever possible, and support staff who wish to move between our schools and the Central Team when suitable roles arise. We also offer secondment opportunities when available.

At Empower Trust you would be working alongside excellent leaders in education, each with specific areas of expertise. We offer Middle and Senior Leadership development programmes, professional support networks and career development pathways for staff at all levels. In addition, we also have mentoring and coaching programmes, peer learning, internal and external CPD opportunities.

Health and Wellbeing Services

Working in education is a challenging job and the health and wellbeing of our staff is high on our agenda and a key priority. We have several Trust wide wellbeing initiatives that offer support and guidance for our workforce:

 A Trust Wellbeing Strategy and Charter outlining our commitment to staff wellbeing

·         At least one trained Mental Health First Aider in every location, helping to embed our belief that physical and mental health hold equal importance

·         A network of Mental Health First Aiders and Mental Health Leads who provide support, guidance, and signposting to colleagues across the Trust

·         A Future in Mind network representing all our academies, who signpost staff to wellbeing support and information, and ensure staff voice is heard

·         A designated Trustee sponsor whose role is to ensure staff wellbeing remains a priority

·         Wellbeing is a discussion item on each Trustee / Local Governing Body meeting agenda

·         Dissemination of annual staff wellbeing questionnaires to inform future actions

·         Active engagement in national and international awareness days

·         Working towards the Mental Health at Work Commitment and the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter

Employee Assistance Programme

We are committed to ensuring everyone at Empower Trust gets access to the support they need for personal issues as well as any work-related worries. Our completely confidential Employee Assistance Programme offers numerous services:

 Physiotherapy and musculoskeletal (MSK) services

·         Confidential counselling via face-to-face therapy or secure online video sessions

·         Stress coaching

·    Support services for menopause, long covid, bereavement, cancer, cardiac conditions, lung conditions, medical trauma, mental health problems, motor neurone disease, orthopaedic conditions, multiple sclerosis

·         24/7 GP helpline and prescription service, offering consultation, private prescriptions, open referrals, and fit notes

·         Surgical assistance programme

Flexible and Family-Friendly Policies

Our employment policies are flexible and responsive to promote diversity and equality, as well as attract and retain the highest quality workforce. We offer flexible working opportunities; job share arrangements, term time working and part time-roles; generous family leave packages; and compassionate or emergency leave.

 Pension Scheme

We offer an excellent pension scheme with either the Local Government Pension Scheme (support staff) or the Teachers’ Pension Scheme which include death in service benefits. As well as employee’s paying contributions into the scheme (banded, based on earnings level) Empower Trust also pays a generous contribution on your behalf.

Cycle to Work Scheme

Save on the cost of the commute, promote a healthy lifestyle, and reduce your carbon footprint - all with our superb cycle to work scheme! Find the bike of your dreams and save up to 42% in tax and NI contributions. Whether it’s a mountain bike, BMX, fixie, electric cycle, or one of those natty bikes with a basket on the front, get the wheels you really want; all at an affordable cost spread over 12 to 18 months.

Other Benefits

·         Eye care scheme

·         Attractive annual leave allowance

·         Free on-site parking

·         In-house catering

·         Financial wellbeing support

·         Discounts for teachers – https://www.discountsforteachers.co.uk/

The Opportunity at St George’s Junior School

 Position:  Kitchen Assistant - 8.75 hours per week

Monday to Friday - 12 to 13.45 each day Term time plus 3 days

Terms:  Permanent

Start Date:  Autumn Term

Salary:  £12.85/hour

Closing Date:  24th October 2025

Interview Date:  TBC

Website:  www.stgeorgesjunior.org.uk

Address:  St George’s Junior School, Woodfield Road, Shrewsbury, SY3 8LU

Telephone:  01743 357 133

Email:  admin@stgeorges.empowermat.co.uk

 St George’s Junior School and Empower Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.  The post is subject to enhanced DBS clearance and other safeguarding checks. If shortlisted, you will be subject to an online search.

Application and Selection Process

Please complete the application form in full detailing how your kills, experience and attributes reflect the vision and values of the school and how they align with the person specification provided.  All completed applications forms should be submitted via email.  Please note that CVs will not be accepted. 

Successful candidates will be invited to interview following the shortlisting process. Applicants who make it to this stage will be required to bring in a minimum of three pieces of identification with them to verify their name, date of birth and current address – one of which must be a form of photographic identification.  The following are acceptable:

 Valid passport, birth certificate or driving licence

·         A recent utility bill, council tax bill or bank statement

Applicants will also need to bring evidence of their qualification certificates.  Any appointment will be subject to the receipt of satisfactory references.  These will be sought from their current employer and any gaps in employment history will be followed up.

Criminal Convictions

The amendments to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (2013 and 2020) provides that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain convictions and cautions are considered ‘protected’. This means that they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account.

Should you be shortlisted for interview you will be asked to declare on a separate form whether you have any convictions or cautions that are not “protected” in line with this legislation. Further information on the filtering of these cautions and convictions can be found in the DBS filtering guide.

Online Checks

In line with the Statutory Guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education, an online check will be undertaken for all shortlisted candidates prior to the interview.

Someone who is not on the interview panel will undertake this search and only share information obtained with the panel should this have potential implications around your suitability to work with children.

The panel may ask you specific questions about any information obtained via this online search if appropriate.

All information given/obtained will be treated as strictly confidential and will be stored securely.

 Main Duties and Responsibilities

Working with the Cook in Charge and the rest of the kitchen team, the Kitchen Assistant will be responsible for the following areas of work:

 • Preparation and presentation and serving of school meals to the highest standards compliant with food safety regulations.

• Serving and clearing the food areas to exceptionally high standards

• Washing up crockery and utensils after service to an exceptionally high standard

• Actively involved in the cleaning of the catering equipment on a daily and weekly basis as directed by the Cook in Charge in accordance with the school kitchen’s cleaning rotas.

• Be confident in dealing with concerns as they arise and taking corrective action if necessary.

•  Actively encourage the children to enjoy a well-balanced diet and make sensible choices.

• Be confident in the use of appropriate equipment.

The post holder must be willing to undertake any training relevant to the post, i.e., foundation hygiene certificate/health and safety certificate/other CPD as appropriate for the school.

 Privacy Notice – Job Applicants

This privacy notice advises job applicants of the Trust’s commitment to data protection responsibilities of privacy and confidentiality relating to the collection and processing of their personal information.

 We collect and process your personal data as part of the recruitment process in relation to the role you are applying for. All Headteachers and Managers involved in the recruitment process have a responsibility for ensuring that applicants’ personal information is held and processed in the correct way.

 What is personal information?

Personal information is any information that relates to you and can be used directly or indirectly to identify you, such as a name, identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity of that natural person (GDPR article 4).

 Special categories of personal data means information about an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, health, sex life or sexual orientation and biometric/genetic data (GDPR article 9).

 Legal Basis for Using Personal Data

We collect personal data only for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes, whether or not by automated means, such as collection, recording, storage, retrieval, use, disclosure, dissemination, erasure, or destruction (GDPR article 4).

 1.        We process personal data lawfully, only where it is adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary for the purposes of processing.

2.       We keep accurate personal data, only for the period necessary for processing, and take all reasonable steps to ensure inaccurate personal data is rectified or deleted without delay.

3.       We adopt appropriate measures to make sure that personal data is secure, and protected against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction, or damage.

4.      We do this to ensure a candidate is suitable for the role and to make sure reasonable adjustments can be made for those applicants who have a disability.

5.       Processing of personal data ensures that a fair recruitment process has taken place.

 We will not process personal data of applicants for reasons other than the recruitment and selection process. Where we process special categories of personal data or criminal records data to perform obligations, this is done for legal reasons. We will update personal data promptly if an applicant advises that his/her information has changed or is inaccurate.

 To operate an effective recruitment process, we will collect and store personal information you submit as part of the application process. By submitting your personal information, you are consenting to us using it in accordance with this policy. You are under no obligation to provide your consent for the organisation to hold your data outside of the recruitment process. If you do not consent to the holding, processing, and sharing your personal data during the recruitment process, we may not be able to process your application.

 In some cases, the organisation will need to process data to ensure it is complying with its legal obligations. For example, we must check an applicant’s entitlement to work in the UK.

 What data do we hold on you?

The personal data we hold regarding you can include, but is not limited to:

 Your name and address

·         Email address and telephone number

·         Date of birth

·         Equal opportunities monitoring information

·         Your nationality and entitlement to work in the UK

·         National insurance number

·         Information about your current salary and benefits

·         Qualifications and skills

·         Work experience and employment history

·         Information about your criminal record

·         Disability status to enable us to make any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process

 Any applicant wishing to see a copy of the information about them that we hold should contact the organisation.

 Who has access to your personal data?

Your personal data may be shared internally with other members of staff involved in the recruitment process for them to perform their roles. Throughout the recruitment process we maintain strict confidentiality and only process and retain personal data of unsuccessful applicants for up to 12 months before being deleted or destroyed.

How do we protect applicants’ personal data?

Our servers and storage systems are based in the UK, and we have ensured that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data.

We take the security of your personal data very seriously. Internal policies and controls are in place to try to ensure that data is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused, or disclosed, and is not accessed except by our employees in the performance of their duties.

Where we engage third parties to process personal data on our behalf, they do so based on written instructions, are under a duty of confidentiality and are obliged to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure the security of data. For example, we ensure we use encrypted devices, passwords, virus protection and firewalls.

What rights do you have in relation to your information?

You have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

The right of access to the personal data and supplementary information. This right is to enable you to be aware of and verify the lawfulness of the personal data we are processing.

·        The right to rectification. This right allows you to have personal data rectified if it is inaccurate or incomplete.

·         The right to erasure. This is also known as the ‘right to be forgotten’. This is not an absolute right and applies in specific circumstances.

·         The right to restrict processing. This right applies in circumstances where, for example, the data subject contests the accuracy of the data or challenges the public interest or legitimate interest basis. Further guidance can be obtained from the ICO’s website.

·         The right to data portability. This allows individuals to obtain and reuse their personal data for their own purposes.

·         The right to object. Individuals have the right to object to:

o    Processing based on legitimate interests or the performance of a task in the public interest/exercise of official authority.

o    Direct marketing.

o    Processing for scientific/historical research and statistics.

o    Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling. 

Further guidance and advice on the above rights can be obtained from the ICO:

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulationgdpr/individual-rights/

 This policy may be subject to change. We recommend that you check the Privacy Notice each time you submit an application. If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, we ask that you raise your concern with us in the first instance by contacting the Data Protection Officer on admin@empowertrust.co.uk Alternatively, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/concerns to raise any issues you have.