St Mary's School Cambridge
17,823 - 25,461 per year
Cambridge
Full-time
30th September 2025
Food Service Assistant Term Time only 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday September 2025 St Mary’s School Bateman Street Cambridge CB2 1LY T: 01223 353253 F: 01223 280254 hr@stmaryscambridge.co.uk St Mary’s School Cambridge – A Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered Office: Bateman Street Cambridge CB2 1LY – No. 184031 England Registered Charity No. 290180 Welcome from the Head Thank you for showing interest in this role at St Mary’s School, Cambridge. We are an independent day and boarding school for girls aged 3 to 18. We have a school roll of about 600 students. Approximately 10% of the students are boarders. Reflecting the cosmopolitan community of Cambridge, on average 25% of students originate from overseas, from 30 countries. The School offers a secure and welcoming learning environment for girls: we are delightfully situated in the heart of the academically renowned and culturally vibrant city of Cambridge. The Junior School is adjacent to the famous backdrop of Coe Fen, and the Senior School and Boarding House overlook the University of Cambridge Botanic Gardens. Cambridge is an outstanding place to live and work. As a university city, Cambridge has the cultural advantages of a much larger settlement but with a population of approximately 145,000, it is a safe, clean and attractive location. The city has an international reputation owing to its world ranking university and the school benefits from its proximity to the digital and enterprise communities in the various high-tech science parks and enterprise hubs. We are within easy travelling distance of London, less than an hour by train and a short hop from London Stansted Airport. There has been major investment in new facilities at the School over the past decade: a new Junior School; a new Sixth Form Centre; new provision of Art & Photography; the creation of our Science Hub; and our new boarding facility, Mary Ward House. We have developed our sporting facilities through an ambitious collaboration with Homerton College, University of Cambridge and have invested in a new boat house in a joint partnership with City of Cambridge Rowing Club and Homerton College. We are proud to be opening our Mary Ward Educational Suite in January 2024 which will provide new state of the art teaching spaces. High quality facilities are only as good as the people who work in them, so we invest heavily in our staff, who we know are our greatest asset. We encourage staff to develop themselves through training and facilitate bespoke CPD opportunities for all. Above all, St Mary’s School, Cambridge is a very happy place. We have an excellent local reputation for being very friendly and nurturing, and yet ambitious, for the young women in our care, enabling strong progress to next steps at university, the world of work or a gap year. Our girls are genuinely delightful, the teachers and support staff are exceptionally dedicated; we are a very close-knit, loving, joyful and purposeful community. St Mary’s really is a warm and welcoming environment for all staff, whatever their role, and we look forward to receiving your application. Hannah Helliar St Mary’s School, Candidate Pack V1 (Jan 24) Page 2 of 7 The St Mary’s Approach We are proud to be a Christian school in the Catholic tradition and founded on the principles of our 17th century foundress, Mary Ward, our vision is that ‘By God’s grace, women in time will do much’ (Mary Ward 1585-1645). The challenge for women is not over, and whilst there are now more opportunities for 'women to do much' there are still considerable barriers and so our work continues via our mission to develop curious, creative and compassionate young women with the aspiration, confidence and integrity to shape a better world for the common good. Our approach is based on the core values of Freedom, Joy, Justice, Love and Truth and we live these values in school through our HEART habits of H – Hard work We show perseverance and sustain focus. E – Empathy We are kind, joyful, generous, value friendship and celebrate diversity. A – Adaptability We adjust to difficult situations, are open minded, discerning and take calculated risks. We act justly and strive to uphold truth and lead by example. R – Responsibility T – Thoughtfulness We are creative, reflective, attentive, show gratitude, hear others and disagree well. Our unique approach to education fosters a love of life and of learning, while growing the academic curiosity and spiritual wellbeing of each individual girl so that they can look beyond themselves and enter adulthood aspiring to be more and to give more, not just to have more. We warmly welcome girls, and staff, of all Christian denominations and other faith and secular backgrounds to join our thriving community. Last year the school celebrated its 125th anniversary. Building on our 400-year tradition, St Mary’s School, Cambridge belongs to an international network of approximately two hundred Mary Ward schools. Innovative Learning at St Mary’s We empower all our students to aim high. As an accredited High Performance Learning World Class School there has never been a more exciting time to join our team. High Performance Learning (HPL) is a research-based, pedagogy-led philosophy that responds to our growing understanding of human capability. It sees all students as potential high performers who are not limited by ‘ability’. HPL makes the goal of high performance the expectation for all students and uses a unique teaching and learning framework to systematically grow minds and develop the cognitive skills, values, attitudes and attributes needed to reach success. Here at St Mary’s, we are proud to be developing our own approach to HPL and welcome applications from like-minded colleagues who are ambitious for their students and committed to research-based approaches to teaching and learning. For further information please visit https://www.highperformancelearning.co.uk/ Digital St Mary’s St Mary's is a digital school which supports the School in its goals through • developing a community of staff and students which learns in, responds to and engages with an ever-changing digital world; • preparing students for their future by giving them the confidence to work in a digital environment; • establishing creative teaching and learning environments; • employing teaching staff who are trained and supported to be technologically and digitally skilled. All members of St Mary's work digitally using Microsoft 365 as a platform. All students in the Senior School and Sixth Form have access to an individual device (Microsoft Surface Pro) which are used in extensively in lessons and for home learning. St Mary’s School, Candidate Pack V1 (Jan 24) Page 3 of 7 Job Description: Food Service Assistant (FSA) Reporting to: The Operations Manager has overall responsibility for the Catering Team but day to day reporting will be to the Catering Manager and in his absence, the Chef on duty. Hours of work: Term-time only, 35 hours per week worked between 7am and 2.30pm with half an hour unpaid break. Contract: Salary: Place of work: On-site: Bateman Street, Cambridge; Chaucer Road, Cambridge (Junior School); Mary Ward House, Permanent £17,823 (FTE £25,461). Cambridge. Rationale We are seeking a dedicated Food Service Assistant (FSA) to manage and support the front-of-house operations for the catering team. In this vital role, the FSA will ensure that all food service areas are clean, organised and welcoming, whilst delivering high-quality customer service to students, staff and visitors. The role also involves assisting with afternoon event setups and ensuring that events run smoothly and professionally. You will be working closely with the Chef Manager and the kitchen team to ensure seamless operation and a high level of customer satisfaction. This is a key role in supporting the success of the School functions, grab-and-go services and catering events. The Food Service Assistant (FSA) is responsible for supporting the preparation and service of meals while maintaining cleanliness and hygiene standards in the kitchen and dining areas. This role involves tasks such as preparing the salad bar, setting up for lunch, serving during mealtimes, clearing the servery, general cleaning, and assisting kitchen staff as required. Key Responsibilities 1. Salad Bar Preparation: o Wash, chop, and prepare fresh ingredients for the salad bar. o Set up and present the salad bar attractively and ensure it remains stocked during service. o Monitor and maintain food safety standards for all salad bar items. 2. Lunch Service Setup: o Arrange tables, serving stations, and food counters in the dining hall. o Prepare and stock condiments, cutlery, and trays for smooth lunch service. o Ensure all serving areas are clean and well-organized before service begins. 3. Serving at Lunch: o Serve food efficiently and courteously to students, staff, and visitors. o Provide information on menu items and accommodate reasonable customer requests. o Monitor portion control and replenish serving stations as needed. 4. Clearing Servery After Lunch: o Clean and sanitize serving stations and counters after lunch service. o Return unused food to the kitchen following storage guidelines. St Mary’s School, Candidate Pack V1 (Jan 24) Page 4 of 7 o Assist with washing dishes, utensils, and trays. 5. General Cleaning Duties: o Clean and sanitize kitchen surfaces, floors, and equipment. o Maintain cleanliness in the dining hall by clearing tables, sweeping, and mopping floors. o Dispose of waste appropriately and follow recycling protocols. 6. Support for Kitchen Staff: o Assist kitchen staff with meal preparation, such as peeling, chopping, or portioning ingredients. o Help unpack and organize food deliveries. o Perform any additional duties assigned by the chef or kitchen supervisor to ensure smooth kitchen operations. Essential Skills and Qualifications: o Experience in a food service or kitchen environment is preferred (training provided for the right candidate). o Knowledge of basic food hygiene and health & safety standards. o Good organizational skills and the ability to multitask effectively. o Strong teamwork and communication skills. o Friendly, customer-focused attitude. Physical Requirements: o Ability to stand for extended periods. o Capability to lift and carry items weighing up to 10–15 kg. o Willingness to work in a busy and occasionally hot/cold environment. The above list is not an exhaustive list of duties and you may be expected to preform different tasks as necessitated by your line manager and the your changing role within the School and overall business objectives of the School. St Mary’s School, Candidate Pack V1 (Jan 24) Page 5 of 7 Child Welfare and Child Protection Issues The interview for this post will include exploring issues relating to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children including: • motivation to work with children and young people; • ability to form and maintain appropriate relationships with children and young people; • emotional resilience in working with challenging behaviours; • attitudes to the use of authority and maintaining discipline. Any relevant issues arising from the take up of references will be discussed at interview. The school is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful applicants are subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Check. Benefits At St Mary’s you will enjoy an exceptional career and comprehensive benefits including a contributory pension scheme, 33% discount (pro rata for part-time staff) on school fees, BUPA cash plan, an occupational sickness scheme, free lunches and refreshments, a season ticket discount and much more. Process Application is welcomed by completing the Application Form and Equal Opportunities Form which can be found on the Vacancies page of our website. This may be accompanied by a covering letter and a curriculum vitae. We are unable to accept applications supported by a CV alone. Interviews will be conducted in person, and they will explore candidates’ suitability to work with children. Candidates are required to bring with them the necessary ID documentation and any relevant qualification certificate(s), all of which must be originals. Further information of the interview format will be provided if you are shortlisted for interview. If you have any question, please contact the HR Team by email: hr@stmaryscambridge.co.uk or call: 01223 353253. Closing date: 30 September 2025 Interview date: to be confirmed We will review applications on receipt. Suitable candidates may be interviewed before the closing date, and we reserve the right to withdraw the position if an early appointment is made. The school is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful applicants are subject to an enhanced DBS check. St Mary’s School, Candidate Pack V1 (Jan 24) Page 6 of 7 St Mary's School CAMBRIDGE