An introduction to King’s Ely

Purpose, Ethos and Values

King’s Ely exists to make the most and best of childhood, and in particular to give the very best education, opportunities and pastoral care to as diverse a community of children as we can. In doing so we aim to prepare each one to live positive, productive, successful and fulfilled lives, for the betterment of themselves and the world around them. We achieve this through the operation of a family of schools centred around a 2-19 co-educational day and boarding school in Ely, aiming to draw fully on our exceptional environment, history, physical, cultural, spiritual and human resources in doing so.

History

King’s Ely can trace its origins from at least 970AD, making it one of the oldest schools in Europe. The School was first established to educate the choristers of the worshipping community of Ely and throughout our history we have maintained strong links with Ely Cathedral.

In 1541, King Henry VIII founded a College of Canons at Ely Cathedral to replace the monks whose monastery has been dissolved in 1539 and the School received its Royal Charter, later becoming known as “The King’s School”.

King’s Ely Today

In recent years King’s has expanded rapidly, becoming co-educational in 1970, and today educating around 1150 children aged 2-18 at Ely, including 200 boarders.

The school is divided into three sections: King’s Ely Senior (age 13-18) and King’s Ely Prep (age 7-13), which occupy adjacent campuses and benefit from shared facilities, and King’s Ely Acremont and Nursery (ages 2-6) which have their own self-contained campus about 400m from the main site. Additionally, Fairstead House School in Newmarket (for pupils aged 1-11) joined the King’s Ely family of schools in 2022.

The main campus extends to around 75 acres and contains buildings spanning the thirteenth to twenty-first centuries, including many of the historic monastic buildings adjacent to Ely Cathedral as well as more recent, purpose-built facilities and almost 40 acres of playing fields.

King’s Ely plays a key role in the local community. We are one of Ely’s largest employers and contribute greatly to the local economy, and we also continue to educate the choristers of Ely Cathedral. King’s Ely also offers a number of bursaries to enable pupils from all walks of life to benefit from the education it offers.

King’s Ely is affiliated with the HMC, Society of Heads, IAPS, the Boarding Schools’ Association and the Choir Schools’ Association, and has been awarded ‘excellent’ in all categories by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) in 2021.

Job Description

- To carry out serving of food as set out in the dining hall rotas and as instructed by the Dining Hall Supervisor or Deputy Dining Hall Supervisor.

- To carry out all cleaning including as set out in the dining hall rotas and as instructed by the Dining Hall Supervisor or Deputy Dining Hall Supervisor

To maintain the hygiene standards for the kitchen and appropriate areas, as set out in King’s Ely Food Hygiene policy.

To report to the Catering Manager any damage or defects to the buildings, furnishings and equipment which you may notice during your daily routine.

It is the duty of every employee to read and comply with King’s Ely Health and Safety policy documents.

This description is not exhaustive and may well be subject to change over time. The intention is to offer candidates an accurate impression of the expectations commensurate with the post and an outline of the role as it is envisaged at this time.

Person Specification

The successful candidate is required to:

• Good understanding of Health & Safety and Food Hygiene (training will be given)
• Good verbal communication and interpersonal skills
• Able to work flexibly and independently.
• Physically fit.
• Good organisational skills;
• A good team player.
• Friendly with a positive outlook.

Remuneration and Hours

Hours - Monday – Friday 10.30am – 2.30pm for 42 weeks per year

Start Date- September 2025

Salary £10,668.00 per annum

Terms and Conditions

• Enrolment in the statutory auto-enrolment pension scheme. The employer and employee contribution rates for the auto-enrolment pension scheme are currently: Employee contribution 5% and Employer contribution 3%.
• Members of staff are entitled to educate their own children in any of the three parts of the School (subject to acceptance). There is a staff discount for Children's fees from Reception Year upwards; the total staff discount value for school fees is 50% for full-time staff, reduced pro-rota for part-time staff, subject to an overall cumulative school fees remission limit of 50% of their gross salary. All extra items are to be paid in addition.
• The School offers a private healthcare insurance scheme, which staff may opt to join, at their expense, shortly after the start of each academic year (the policy starts on 1st November each year). The scheme can only be joined at the start of the policy year, not part-way through the year.
• School lunch provided when at work over lunch time and tea and coffee throughout the day.
• Limited use of school gym facilities (during specific times) and use of the school swimming pool at specific times (during summer school holidays – small fee applies)
• Limited free on-site parking.
• Employment is subject to satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure certificate from the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) and all other statutory checks relevant to the position.

• King’s Ely is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure & Barring Service.

  If you are selected for interview, you will need to provide proof of identity, birth certificate, documentation confirming your National Insurance Number or your right to work in the United Kingdom and certification of qualifications.

We appreciate your effort in completing this application and for your interest in working for King’s Ely.