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Five Acre Wood School is looking to appoint a Commercial Catering Manager who will play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality, industry-standard catering training for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This role is central to the school's commitment to providing meaningful, real-world learning experiences that foster independence, confidence, and employability skills among pupils aged 4 to 19 across diverse learning approaches.
Situated within a special school environment with a high proportion of pupils with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), and other complex needs, the role demands a sensitive and adaptive approach. The Commercial Catering Manager will oversee the transformation of the existing teaching kitchen into a fully equipped commercial kitchen, supporting the school’s vision of inclusion, personalised learning and community engagement. This initiative will provide pupils with hands-on experience producing and selling goods via the on-site school shop (Peggy's FAW-tique) and hospitality training academy (The FAWrient Express).
The role supports Five Acre Wood’s ethos of collaboration, respect, and aspiration, ensuring pupils develop essential life skills and vocational competencies in a supportive, nurturing environment.
For a full list of duties, please view the job description.
In addition to salary, SEN allowance and pension, staff benefits include:
1. Confidential counselling service and Employee Assistance Programme
2. School Counsellor (for staff and pupils)
3. Wellbeing app
4. Annual flu vaccinations
5. Strong social, supportive staff community
6. Development opportunities
Successful candidates will hold a relevant qualification in hospitality management or a related field (e.g., NVQ Level 3 in Hospitality Supervision and Leadership) plus a Food Safety and Hygiene Certificate or be willing to work towards gaining. Experience of working in a café or similar food service establishment and of training and supervising staff is essential. Experience of working with individuals with special needs or in an educational setting would be an advantage.
We encourage you to explore our website to see our unique facilities—including a library housed in an aeroplane and a counselling space in a lifeboat—plus examples of our innovative approaches to learning across all sites.
Five Acre Wood is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All appointments are subject to enhanced DBS checks, online searches and additional employment references in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education (2025).
We look forward to hearing from you!