Kitchen Assistant
Chingford Forest Day Nursery
Part of Grandir UK
Salary (£10.85-£12.71) (depending on experience and qualifications with
regular pay reviews)
Join a supportive, child focused nursery offering strong benefits, flexible working and genuine career progression.
Our Chingford Forest Day Nursery in Chingford is looking for a caring and enthusiastic Kitchen assistant to join our team. In this role you are there to support the chef in preparing nutritious, delicious meals and help maintain a clean, safe, and organised kitchen environment
Hours: Mon-Fri (either 10am-2pm or 11am-3pm) = 20 hours per week
Why You’ll Love Working at Chingford Forest
At Chingford Forest Day Nursery & Preschool you will be part of a welcoming and supportive team who genuinely care about one another. We create a positive working environment where everyone feels valued, respected and supported to grow.
Core Benefits
- 33 days' annual leave, including bank holidays, with 3 days used during the Christmas shutdown period.
- Christmas and New Year shutdown.
- Flexible working options available.
- Big childcare discount.
- £500 Refer a Friend bonus.
- Company pension scheme with employer contributions.
- Statutory Sick Pay from day 1.
- Life assurance for employees aged 18 to 65.
- Certified Great Place to Work, voted for by our current colleagues.
About Our Nursery
Chingford Forest nursery & preschool is nestled on the edge of magical Epping Forest. It is in a Lodge old Lodge House with bright, spacious rooms, we are a 72 place Nursery. We have a Log Cabin which is on the grounds of the nursery and this is where our preschooler’s transition up to from the Nursery building.
We have half an acre of outdoor grounds, where we have 3 big gardens for our children to enjoy the outdoor space. We believe this contributes to nurturing, inspiring and encouraging a child’s development and allows them to thrive.
As were by Epping Forest, we have implemented Forest school learning, we try and take our children to the Forest where they get to explore and enjoy natural, learning from the natural environment.
We have also set up a lovely sensory room where our children can go and relax, use the space for meditation, listen to calming music exploring a variety of senses. Watching our babies and children flourish in this space is amazing.
We have excellent parent partnerships, with our team being long standing, this has helped develop great relationships with families, many children have returned with siblings.
Parents have also recommended our nursery to friends and families
Our score on Day Nurseries is currently 9.6
Good rating in last inspection Aug 2022, with the Nursery joining Grandir, we are expecting Ofsted soon
We have local shops about 10-15mins walk from the Nursery
Epping Forest is at our doorstep
Location and Travel
We have parking available in our car park where parents can drop off and pick up their children with ease.
Nearest station is Chingford Overground station, you can catch a 397 bus from the station which brings by right by the Nursery.
What You'll Be Doing
- Ensuring all food production, service, and presentation meet the required standards.
- Carrying out all catering activities in line with the allocated budget.
- Responding promptly to any feedback regarding the catering operation.
- Purchasing supplies through approved suppliers.
- Ensuring compliance with all aspects of the Health and Safety at Work Act.
- Cover the Nursery Cook’s duties when required, including preparing meals and completing all necessary paperwork.
- Assisting within the nursery rooms as directed by the Nursery Manager or Cook.
Enhanced Family and Wellbeing Benefits
- Maternity and adoption leave paid at 100% for the first 12 weeks.
- Paternity leave paid at 100% for the first 4 weeks.
- Parental bereavement leave of up to 4 weeks, fully paid.
- Compassionate leave of up to 2 weeks, fully paid.
- Miscarriage leave of up to 2 weeks, fully paid.
- Wellbeing Day – an extra day off just for you.
- The Grand Event – up to an additional week of annual leave to attend a significant life event after 2 years' service.
Even More Benefits
- Employee benefits portal with hundreds of retail discounts, including ASOS, gym memberships, cinemas, M&S, and major supermarkets.
- Dayforce Wallet – gives you the ability to access a portion of your earned pay before your normal payday.
- 24-hour remote GP appointments.
- Medical cashback for dental treatment, physiotherapy, and alternative therapies.
- Recognition, rewards, and team celebrations throughout the year, with May dedicated to celebrating our teams.
- Tailored in-house training and genuine progression opportunities.
- Sustainability focus with Carbon Literacy-trained teams and Eco-Schools accreditation.
Grandir UK is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. An enhanced DBS check is required for this role and will be carried out by our approved third-party provider.
We are an equal opportunity employer and recruit based on merit. To support our recruitment process, we may use AI-assisted tools for tasks such as application screening and reference checks. These tools help us manage applications efficiently, and all hiring decisions are made by our team.
Apply today. We review applications as they are received and may close the role early.
