Part-Time Nursery Cook / Kitchen Assistant & Lunchtime Support
Nature’s Little Learners
Location: Working across both Nature’s Little Learners nursery sites
Working Pattern: Part-time / flexible
Required Day: Friday, 8:00am–5:00pm
Additional Hours: Flexible to meet nursery needs
Minimum Shift: 4 hours
About Nature’s Little Learners
Nature’s Little Learners is a warm, welcoming nursery committed to providing high-quality care, education and nutritious food within a safe, nurturing environment.
We are looking for a reliable, organised and caring Part-Time Nursery Cook / Kitchen Assistant & Lunchtime Support to join our supportive team.
This is a varied role combining food preparation and cooking, kitchen responsibilities and support for children during mealtimes.
The successful candidate will play an important role in promoting children’s health, safety and wellbeing and will be expected to work in accordance with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework effective from September 2026, our safeguarding procedures, food safety requirements and relevant early years nutrition guidance.
Hours of Work
This is a part-time, flexible position, with working hours arranged around the operational needs of the nursery across both sites.
Fridays are a required full working day, 8:00am–5:00pm. On Fridays, you will have sole responsibility for the day-to-day management of the nursery kitchen.
Additional hours will be offered throughout the week to support the Nursery Chef, provide lunchtime cover and meet the operational needs of the nursery.
Any scheduled working day will be for a minimum of 4 hours.
Additional hours may also be required to provide holiday, sickness and absence cover for the Nursery Chef across both nursery sites.
Flexibility is therefore an important part of this role, as additional working days and hours may vary according to staffing levels, holidays, absence and the needs of the nursery. Wherever possible, additional hours and cover requirements will be communicated in advance.
The Role
A key responsibility of this position is the sole management of the nursery kitchen every Friday from 8:00am–5:00pm.
On Fridays, you will be responsible for independently preparing and serving healthy, balanced and nutritious meals and snacks, safely managing children’s allergies and dietary requirements, maintaining food hygiene standards and ensuring the smooth and safe operation of the nursery kitchen.
You will also provide planned holiday, sickness and absence cover for the Nursery Chef across both nursery sites, maintaining consistent standards of food safety, nutrition, hygiene and allergy management.
At other agreed times during the week, you will support the Nursery Chef with kitchen duties and provide lunchtime support within the nursery rooms.
Because this role involves regular contact with young children, the successful candidate will be expected to understand and follow the nursery’s safeguarding procedures and safer eating practices.
Appropriate training will be provided according to the responsibilities of the role.
Key Kitchen Responsibilities
You will:
- Independently manage the nursery kitchen every Friday.
- Prepare, cook and serve meals, snacks and drinks in accordance with the nursery’s approved menus.
- Ensure meals, snacks and drinks provided to children are healthy, balanced and nutritious.
- Follow the nursery’s menus, recipes, portion guidance and relevant early years nutrition guidance.
- Prepare food appropriately for each child’s age and stage of development.
- Follow safe food preparation methods designed to reduce choking risks, including adapting the size, shape and texture of food where required.
- Follow appropriate food hygiene, temperature control, storage, preparation, cooking, cooling and reheating procedures.
- Complete required kitchen, temperature, cleaning and food safety records accurately.
- Maintain high standards of cleanliness, hygiene and organisation throughout the kitchen.
- Follow cleaning schedules and food safety procedures.
- Assist with food preparation, portioning, washing up and general kitchen cleaning.
- Monitor food supplies and report shortages or concerns to the Nursery Chef or management.
- Provide holiday, sickness and absence cover for the Nursery Chef across both nursery sites.
- Maintain consistent standards of food safety, nutrition and allergy management when working independently.
- Report food safety, equipment, allergy or dietary concerns promptly to management.
Allergies, Intolerances & Dietary Requirements
Protecting children with food allergies, intolerances and individual dietary requirements is a key responsibility of this role.
You will:
- Maintain up-to-date awareness of children’s allergies, intolerances, dietary requirements and individual needs.
- Follow the nursery’s allergy and anaphylaxis procedures at all times.
- Check children’s allergy and dietary information before preparing or serving food.
- Prepare appropriate alternatives for children with allergies, intolerances, medical dietary requirements, vegetarian diets and cultural or religious dietary requirements.
- Follow individual healthcare plans and allergy information where applicable.
- Understand the importance of distinguishing between food allergies and intolerances and follow nursery procedures accordingly.
- Take appropriate steps to prevent cross-contamination and allergen cross-contact during storage, preparation, cooking and serving.
- Use separate equipment or preparation procedures where required by nursery procedures and risk assessments.
- Clearly identify, label and check adapted meals before they leave the kitchen.
- Ensure the correct meal is provided to the correct child.
- Never make an unauthorised substitution or menu change for a child with an allergy or medical dietary requirement.
- Immediately report any uncertainty, discrepancy or change relating to a child’s dietary requirements to the Nursery Chef or nursery management.
- Follow the nursery’s emergency procedures should an allergic reaction be suspected.
Safer Eating & Lunchtime Support
When supporting within the nursery rooms during meals and snacks, you will help create a calm, positive and safe eating environment for children.
You will:
- Support nursery practitioners with the supervision of children during mealtimes.
- Follow the nursery’s safer eating and supervision procedures at all times.
- Remain alert to choking, allergic reactions and other signs that a child may require assistance.
- Follow the nursery’s choking and emergency procedures.
- Ensure food being served is appropriate for children’s ages, abilities and stages of development.
- Support children to develop independence and appropriate self-feeding skills.
- Encourage children to experience a variety of healthy foods without forcing or pressuring them to eat.
- Promote healthy eating and a positive relationship with food.
- Model positive table manners and support calm, sociable mealtimes.
- Respect children’s individual, cultural, religious and dietary needs.
- Communicate concerns about a child’s eating, drinking or wellbeing promptly to the appropriate nursery practitioner or manager.
- Work collaboratively with the nursery team to ensure dietary and allergy information is communicated accurately.
Safeguarding Responsibilities
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility at Nature’s Little Learners.
The successful candidate will be expected to:
- Understand their responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
- Complete required safeguarding and child protection training.
- Understand how to recognise and respond to potential signs of abuse, neglect or harm.
- Know how and when to report a safeguarding concern.
- Follow the nursery’s safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures.
- Understand the nursery’s whistleblowing procedures and how to report concerns regarding the conduct or suitability of another adult.
- Maintain appropriate professional boundaries with children, families and colleagues.
- Maintain confidentiality and share information appropriately in accordance with safeguarding procedures.
- Inform management promptly of any circumstances or information that may affect their suitability to work with children.
- Participate in ongoing safeguarding training, supervision and suitability requirements as appropriate to their role.
Health, Safety & Hygiene
You will:
- Follow all nursery food safety, hygiene, infection prevention and health and safety procedures.
- Maintain a clean, hygienic and safe kitchen environment.
- Complete relevant kitchen checks and records accurately.
- Store food safely and securely.
- Ensure cleaning products, kitchen equipment and other potentially hazardous items are safely stored and inaccessible to children.
- Report damaged equipment, food safety concerns, accidents, incidents and hazards promptly.
- Follow nursery risk assessments and safe working procedures.
- Maintain excellent personal hygiene and appropriate standards of cleanliness when preparing and serving food.
Qualifications & ExperienceEssential
- Previous experience within a kitchen, catering, food preparation or similar environment.
- Experience of preparing and cooking food safely.
- Ability to confidently work independently and take responsibility for the nursery kitchen, particularly on Fridays.
- Good understanding of food hygiene and safe food preparation.
- Understanding of food allergies, intolerances and cross-contamination, or willingness to undertake appropriate training.
- Ability to follow written menus, recipes, dietary information and food safety procedures accurately.
- Strong attention to detail.
- Good organisation and time-management skills.
- Good communication skills and a friendly, professional manner.
- Ability to work effectively within a busy environment.
- A caring, professional and responsible approach when working around young children.
- Ability to work flexibly according to the operational needs of the nursery.
- Availability to work the required full day every Friday, 8:00am–5:00pm.
- Willingness to work additional shifts of a minimum of 4 hours per working day when agreed.
- Willingness to undertake required safeguarding, allergy, safer eating/choking, food safety and first aid training appropriate to the role.
Food Hygiene
A Level 2 Food Safety/Food Hygiene qualification is desirable on appointment.
Where the successful candidate does not already hold an appropriate current qualification, they will be required to complete the nursery’s specified training.
Desirable
- Previous experience cooking within a nursery, school, early years or childcare environment.
- Experience preparing meals for babies and children under five.
- Knowledge of early years nutrition guidance.
- Experience managing children’s food allergies and intolerances.
- Allergy awareness training.
- Knowledge of choking prevention and safer food preparation for babies and young children.
- Paediatric First Aid qualification.
- Previous experience working with young children.
Personal Qualities
We are looking for someone who is:
- Reliable, punctual and organised.
- Calm and confident when working independently.
- Caring, patient and child-centred.
- Vigilant about children’s health and safety.
- Extremely careful when managing allergies and dietary requirements.
- Positive, flexible and proactive.
- Able to use their initiative while following nursery policies and procedures.
- Comfortable taking responsibility for the kitchen when working alone.
- Able to adapt to changing nursery needs.
- A strong team member who communicates effectively and raises concerns promptly.
- Committed to maintaining high standards of hygiene, nutrition and safeguarding.
Training & Professional Development
Nature’s Little Learners will provide and/or arrange training appropriate to the role, which may include:
- Safeguarding and child protection.
- Paediatric First Aid.
- Food allergy and anaphylaxis awareness.
- Choking prevention and safer eating.
- Food hygiene and food safety.
- Early years nutrition guidance.
- Health and safety.
- Infection prevention and control.
The successful candidate will be expected to keep required training up to date and consistently apply their training in practice.
Benefits
- Supportive and friendly team environment.
- Relevant safeguarding and safety training.
- First aid training appropriate to the role.
- Opportunities to develop skills in early years nutrition, catering and childcare.
- Experience working across two nursery settings.
- Opportunities for further training and career development within Nature’s Little Learners.
Safer Recruitment & Suitability Statement
Nature’s Little Learners is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All staff, students and volunteers are expected to share this commitment.
Recruitment will be undertaken in accordance with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework effective from September 2026 and Nature’s Little Learners’ safer recruitment procedures.
The successful applicant will be subject to appropriate pre-employment and suitability checks, which will include:
- An enhanced DBS check, including barred list information where appropriate to the role.
- Satisfactory employment references.
- Verification of identity.
- Verification of the applicant’s right to work in the UK.
- Verification of relevant qualifications and training.
- Appropriate checks relating to employment history and suitability.
- Consideration of any information relevant to the applicant’s suitability to work with children.
The successful candidate must complete all required pre-employment checks before commencing duties where required by the EYFS and applicable safeguarding requirements.
All employees are expected to maintain their ongoing suitability to work with children and must disclose any information or changes in circumstances that may affect their suitability in accordance with the nursery’s safeguarding and staff suitability procedures.
Nature’s Little Learners is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from suitably qualified candidates who share our commitment to providing children with safe, healthy, nutritious and nurturing early years experiences.
Job Type: Part-time
Pay: £13.50 per hour
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
