Apprentice Nursery Cook

CHILDCARE AND LEARNING GROUP LIMITED

Haywards Heath (RH17 6NL)

Closes on Tuesday 1 September 2026

Posted on 16 July 2026

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Summary

Become an Apprentice Nursery Cook with the Care and Learning Group. Work alongside our cook in a busy daycare, preparing meals and managing allergy and hygiene practices. We are invested in your training, helping you build skills towards a recognised qualification to progress in our growing company.

• Wage:

  £26,436.80 a year

  Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

  Starting rate of £12.71 per hour. We offer an attractive bonus scheme to reward our team members for their hard work.

• Training course: Production chef (level 2)
• Hours: Monday to Friday, daytime hours to cover nursery meal times. No evening or weekend work required. Specific shift patterns will be discussed at interview.

  40 hours a week

• Start date:

  Monday 7 September 2026

• Duration:

  1 year

• Positions available:

  1

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

• Preparing daily, nutritionally appropriate meals for children aged 0 to 5
• Supporting the nursery team with allergy management
• Assisting with menu planning and budgeting
• Adhering to health and safety regulations and strict hygienic practices
• Keeping the nursery kitchen clean and organised
• Working alongside the experienced nursery cook to gain kitchen skills

Where you'll work

Haywards Heath Road
Balcombe
Haywards Heath
RH17 6NL

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

THE OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER LTD

Training course

Production chef (level 2)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

• Prepare and cook pre-portioned fresh and frozen meat, fish, and poultry to business standards.
• Prepare and cook fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables to business standards.
• Prepare salad vegetables to business standards.
• Cook poached, simmered, steamed, boiled, braised, stewed, baked, grilled, and fried dishes.
• Regenerate dried and frozen ingredients and dishes.
• Undertake stock control, storage, and rotation.
• Communicate professionally with colleagues, line managers, stakeholders, and customers.
• Work as part of a team to support service delivery.
• Follow specifications to produce, portion, and present food.
• Manage own time to ensure allocated tasks are completed.
• Use techniques for maintaining good mental health and wellbeing to support self and others, including asking for and giving help with daily tasks.
• Use feedback to improve own performance.
• Prepare and close down an area for service.
• Use problem solving techniques to resolve routine and non-routine issues within scope of own role.
• Maintain prep and par levels according to business need.
• Clean and maintain manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking tools, equipment, and technology.
• Follow standard operating procedures to select and safely use appropriate knives and boards for the task, for example red handled knife and red board for raw meat.
• Monitor and record food temperatures and manage allergens during preparation, cooking, holding, and serving.
• Apply hygiene management techniques to maintain a safe clean work environment, for example COSHH, personal hygiene, and uniform.
• Reduce the waste of resources, acting to measure and reduce plate waste, exercise portion control, and maximise yield.
• Comply with health and safety legislation, regulations, guidelines and procedures, including stress management.
• Follow equity, diversity, and inclusion legislation and organisational policies.
• Deliver to key performance indicators to support the production, performance, and budget within own area of responsibility.
• Use manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking tools, equipment, machinery, and technology.
• Prepare and cook pre-portioned fresh and frozen meat, fish, and poultry to business standards.
• Prepare and cook fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables to business standards.
• Prepare salad vegetables to business standards.
• Cook poached, simmered, steamed, boiled, braised, stewed, baked, grilled, and fried dishes.
• Regenerate dried and frozen ingredients and dishes.
• Undertake stock control, storage, and rotation.
• Communicate professionally with colleagues, line managers, stakeholders, and customers.
• Work as part of a team to support service delivery.
• Follow specifications to produce, portion, and present food.
• Manage own time to ensure allocated tasks are completed.
• Use techniques for maintaining good mental health and wellbeing to support self and others, including asking for and giving help with daily tasks.
• Use feedback to improve own performance.
• Prepare and close down an area for service.
• Use problem solving techniques to resolve routine and non-routine issues within scope of own role.
• Maintain prep and par levels according to business need.
• Clean and maintain manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking tools, equipment, and technology.
• Follow standard operating procedures to select and safely use appropriate knives and boards for the task, for example red handled knife and red board for raw meat.
• Monitor and record food temperatures and manage allergens during preparation, cooking, holding, and serving.
• Apply hygiene management techniques to maintain a safe clean work environment, for example COSHH, personal hygiene, and uniform.
• Reduce the waste of resources, acting to measure and reduce plate waste, exercise portion control, and maximise yield.
• Comply with health and safety legislation, regulations, guidelines and procedures, including stress management.
• Follow equity, diversity, and inclusion legislation and organisational policies.
• Deliver to key performance indicators to support the production, performance, and budget within own area of responsibility.
• Use manual and electrical food-preparation and cooking tools, equipment, machinery, and technology.

Training schedule

You will complete the Production Chef Level 2 apprenticeship with HIT Training. Your apprenticeship includes regular one‑to‑one sessions with a dedicated trainer/coach, workplace learning and online study.

You will develop skills in basic food preparation, cooking methods, portioning, following recipes, food safety, allergen awareness, nutrition for children, teamwork and working efficiently in a busy kitchen environment.

You will also receive on‑the‑job training, including food hygiene, health and safety, equipment use, cleaning routines, stock rotation, allergy procedures and maintaining high kitchen standards.

Functional Skills in English and Maths will be provided if required.

Requirements

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

• Communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Organisation skills
• Customer care skills
• Presentation skills
• Team working
• Creative
• Initiative
• Patience

Other requirements

Successful completion of an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, as you will be working in a nursery environment with children.

Comfortable working in a busy, fast-paced daycare kitchen environment.

About this employer

A small privately owned group of nurseries whose passion is delivering exemplary childcare to all of our families.

Company benefits

• Comprehensive induction and ongoing supervision
• Performance-related bonus scheme
• Fun company events
• Nursery is closed between Christmas and New Year to ensure a restful break

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).

Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, there is a clear opportunity to progress into a permanent role within the company.

As a growing company, our qualified cooks are offered opportunities to take on and manage their own kitchen in one of our existing or new nurseries.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

THE OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER LTD

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000043236.

Apply now

Closes on Tuesday 1 September 2026

After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.