Become A School
School Chef
Educator
Funded Training
Devon and Cornwall, Riverford
Free training
in devon and cornwall
APPLY NOW!
Partnering with our friends at Riverford, we’re training chefs to reach 40,000 children over the next three years.
Thanks to Riverford, we’re offering fully funded training courses to schools across Devon and Cornwall in a roadshow format, bringing our training directly to school kitchens as well as more intensive support for schools looking to really transform their school food offer.
We’ll be kicking off 2026 by bringing our flagship training course directly to schools and kitchen teams across Devon and Cornwall. If you’re a school chef or caterer in the region but have struggled to travel to our training previously, this is the perfect solution for you. The same top quality training delivered by our expert team, without the travel.
What the programme includes
- Nutrition and School Food Standards
- Food waste reduction strategies
- Creative menu development to expand children’s taste buds
- 1:1 mentoring and support from expert Chef Trainers
SCHOOL CHEF EDUCATOR
A FULL PROGRAMME
The School Chef Educator programme aims to develop passionate school chefs. These chefs will prepare tasty, healthy meals that nourish both bodies and minds. Feeding children well isn’t always easy. This programme offers tips, tricks, and tools for everyone. Whether you’re an expert chef or a beginner, you can change your school food culture. Get children excited about trying new dishes!
Key Facts
| COST | Free. Fully funded for Devon and Cornwall Schools. |
| LOCATION | On the road, in your schools |
| START DATE | 26th January 2026 |
| FORMAT | Two in-person training days, plus eight short online sessions |
| PROGRAMME | Full School Chef Educator |
What to Expect
Dedicated Chef Trainer
Our experienced lead Chef Trainer will be with you every step of the way.
Practical Kitchen Tasks
8 Weekly Live Sessions
Tasks, Reviews, Feedback
Certificate
What is Covered
Our training package, includes these main themes:
- School Food Standards
- Nutrition
- Craft Skills
- The Big Picture
- Educator Skills
- Culinary Skills
Benefits to You
Imagine getting fifteen of you in a room – the possibilities are endless.
You will work with other skilled chefs to explore ways to improve school food, and you’ll benefit from:
- Career Development
- New Skills
- Cool Recipe Ideas
- Meeting & Sharing Ideas
- Professional One-to-One Advice
100% of Participants
Who took part would recommend the course.
3 Modules
From nutrition to knife skills, we covered it all.
Hundreds of School Chefs
Each taking their new skills back to their own kitchen teams.
98% of Chefs
Now more involved in food education.
Got Questions?
Book a chat to find out more
Request a call to find out more about this school chef training project.
Ready to Apply?
is this right for you?
If you’re reading this, we know you care about the food and food education in your school.
We’re sure you won’t regret making the leap. We’re also sure you have a talented team in the kitchen, ready to benefit from training. They’ll learn new recipes and skills that will elevate your menus. And don’t forget – the research is clear: improve school food, then attainment, health and wellbeing increase too. Still have doubts? Check out our frequently asked questions or get in touch.
Commitment
Our online training usually requires chefs to be released for two full days, and for about one hour a week, over a 10-week period. Our in-depth transformation support will be highly tailored to suit your school’s situation.
Eligibilty
This project is open to all state funded schools in Southend with a kitchen team. Funding is open and support is for primary, secondary, SEND and alternative education settings.
SIGN UP FOR TRAINING NOW
Click to see our upcoming free training courses and apply now to take part.
FAQ's
We’ve tried to answer the most common questions about our training programmes, but do get in touch if you have a question we haven’t answered.
What is the cost to the school?
Our short training courses are fully funded. In-depth transformations are costed on a school by school basis and funding is available to ensure affordability.
How do I apply for funded support?
Check out our training page to see any fully funded cohorts that might be available, they will be clearly signposted.
When and where does training take place?
On our short courses, training takes part mostly online through our learning portal, with an in-person skills workshop in your area. To celebrate our students, we stage a graduation celebration in person at the end of the course.
Why is this needed?
Cooking for children isn’t easy; it requires energy and love, yet too often school kitchen teams are not trained or supported to develop.
Why is the daily food education needed?
We created Chefs in Schools with one simple mission: to ensure that schools are not just feeding children, but educating them about food every day. By ensuring chefs talk through their menus with knowledge and enthusiasm, and want to share exciting ingredients with children, every day becomes an education in good food.
How many children have you helped?
As of October 2024, we’ve reached 100,000 children. Our practical, solutions-focussed training is making a difference across the country.