Head of Catering - Grove School

The Head Teacher and Governing Body wish to recruit and forward thinking and passionate Head of Catering who has creative flair and can make mealtimes for primary aged pupils fun and exciting.

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate they can manage and lead a team of General Assistants and continue to develop the positive culture in a busy school kitchen that puts children at the heart of their work.

We are a large, 3 form entry school situated on two sites on Dawson Road. Our catering team move equipment and food between the two sites. They set up dining halls and provide a high-quality breakfast and lunch service. Many of our pupils are eligible for free school meals. The take up of meals is good. Pupils look forward to special meal days at Grove.

The catering team all work 3 days in the school holidays to ensure the kitchen and equipment is ready for the start of each term. These days are directed by the senior leadership team.

We encourage potential candidates to contact school to arrange an informal visit. On this visit you will meet the Head Teacher and current Head of Catering. Please contact Elaine to arrange an informal visit for Wednesday 7th January or Friday 9th January 2026 at 11:30am or 12:30pm.

Application forms, job description and person specification are available on the school website: or can be downloaded below.

Please email your completed application form to .

Grove School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to all necessary pre-employment checks.

The pre-employment checks include: Enhanced DBS; Prohibition check; Childcare Disqualification (where applicable); qualifications (where applicable) medical fitness; identity and right to work.

All applicants will be required to provide two suitable references.

An online search will also be carried out as part of due diligence on all short listed candidates. This search does not form part of the shortlisting process and you will have the opportunity to discuss any issues of concern that may arise from this search at the interview.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. Which means that when applying for certain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are 'protected', so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account.

Safeguarding is our top priority. We encourage all applicants to review our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy, which outlines our commitment to the safety and wellbeing of students.

This post is covered by Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016).

Therefore, the ability to speak fluent spoken English is an essential requirement for this role.

Hours

Monday - Friday 6:45am - 2:15pm, (36.5 hours per week), this includes a daily 30 minute unpaid break. This post is Term time plus 5 training days. Staff are also required to work 3 days per year in the school holiday period.

Salary

Grade C (SCP 24-33) - £35,412 - £44,075 Full Time Equivalent, £31,556 - £38,092 Pro Rata

Location

Dawson Rd, Handsworth, Birmingham B21 9HB

Closing Date

Tuesday 13th January 2026, 12:00pm

Interview Date

Monday 26th January 2026