We’re looking for a Catering Assistant to join our school kitchen team on a permanent basis. This role will involve working within the school kitchen and dining room, assisting the cooks, to deliver an efficient catering service for the school, operating to the highest standards of food safety. This will include help with basic food preparation, setting out and putting away dining furniture, serving meals, washing up and cleaning the kitchen and dining room.

Job Details

Hours of Work: Monday to Friday 12:00 - 2:30pm, total of 12.5 hours per week, term time only.

Position Type: Permanent

Line Manager:  Catering Manager

Travel Required:  No 

Please see the attached job description for more information.

Key Responsibilities

• Support basic food preparation
• Assist with setting out and putting away dining furniture
• Serve meals to students
• Wash up and maintain cleanliness of the kitchen and dining room

What We’re Looking For

• Has high expectations of themselves and others
• Shows initiative and responds positively to change
• Works well as part of a team and collaborates effectively
• Has strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate well with pupils and staff
• Is reliable, organised and flexible, with a positive attitude 
• Takes pride in maintaining high standards of cleanliness and food safety
• Is committed to the Trust values of kindness, respect, integrity and good manners
• Can contribute to creating a safe, supportive and well‑disciplined school environment
• Strong commitment to safeguarding

Why Join Us?
Ryedale Secondary School is part of Areté Learning Trust, committed to providing high-quality education and support for all students. You will be joining a collaborative team dedicated to excellence and continuous improvement.

Closing Date:
Please apply via MyNewTerm by 12 noon Monday 23rd February 2026.

About the Trust

Areté Learning Trust currently has 11 schools and educates over 7,000 young people in and around North Yorkshire from ages 2-18.  Our learners are at the heart of everything we do.

At Areté Learning Trust we work together and collaborate to ensure that all of our learners and our staff team have the chance to reach their potential.

Our Trust is committed to promoting:

• Health, happiness and wellbeing

• A safe, disciplined and supportive environment

• A love of learning through a passionate and committed approach

• High standards and expectations

• Integrity, kindness and good manners

• Respect for individuality and difference

• Collaborative working to secure excellence

 To realise our aspiration for every child to be the best they can be, we need to ensure that as a Trust we are ‘Striving for Excellence’.

Why work for us?

We want everyone who works within ALT to feel valued and see how their work fits into the bigger picture.

We seek employees who are prepared to take personal responsibility and constantly challenge the norm to improve performance.

In return, we are committed to providing an empowering and supportive learning environment for all staff.

Areté Learning Trust is committed to being the ‘Employer of Choice’.

Essentially this means that we want our schools and our central team to be great places to work. We want our staff development opportunities to be first class and we want to enable staff who are ambitious to grow their careers with us. To give our learners the best education and opportunities we are committed to recruiting and retaining the very best people in all areas of our organisation.

Regardless of role, we seek staff who:

• Have high expectations of themselves and the people they work with.

• Are committed to our Trust values.

• Show initiative and are responsive to change.

• Have strong interpersonal skills with the ability to inspire and motivate others.

• Are creative in their approach to problem solving.

• Are able to influence effectively, whatever their role.

• Are team players.

We welcome applications from all backgrounds; for more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy statement (https://www.arete.uk/careers).  If you are ready for the next step in your career and you feel that your skill set makes you a good fit for this very exciting opportunity, then we look forward to receiving your application.

Application Process

Please complete the online application form to apply for this role. All candidates are advised to refer to the job description and person specification before making an application.  You should use the information supplied with in the Job Description & Person Specification to make the best of your application by identifying some specific pieces of work you may have undertaken in any of these areas. Your application may be viewed in regard to some or all of the skill specific areas over the course of the selection process.  Applications via agencies will not be considered.

Interviews will take place as soon as possible after the closing date.

The Areté Learning Trust is committed to safeguarding and protecting our children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.  All posts are subject to a safer recruitment process which includes enhanced criminal records and barring checks, scrutiny of employment history, robust referencing and other vetting checks.

Our safeguarding system is underpinned by a range of policies and procedures which encourage and promote safe working practice across the Trust. On joining you will be required to undergo continuous professional development to maintain safe working practice and to safeguard our children and young people.