Who employs school catering staff?
School meals are run in different ways, and that changes which rules apply to your pay:
- Council catering service: usually NJC Green Book terms, the same as other council school staff.
- Directly by a maintained school or academy: often Green Book terms, but academies can set their own.
- A private catering contractor: the contractor’s own terms. If you transferred from the council, TUPE may have protected your original terms.
Whoever employs you, the legal minimums are the same: the National Living Wage and at least 12.07% holiday for part-year workers (or holiday built into a salary that matches it). These apply in England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland has different holiday rules and isn’t covered by this site.
How the pay is worked out
If you’re salaried on a term-time contract, the usual method is:
FTE salary × (your hours ÷ full-time hours) × (paid weeks ÷ 52.143)
Kitchen hours are often shorter than the school day, typically 3 to 6 hours. So the hours fraction makes a big difference.
Things to check
- Hourly rate: on a contractor’s terms, check it against the National Living Wage. The calculator flags anything below £12.71 an hour.
- Weeks: are you paid for the INSET days or a pre-term clean? If you work them, they should be in your weeks.
- Full-time hours: some contractors use 39 or 40 hours as full time, not 37. Change this in the full calculator.
- Holiday: contractors often give only the statutory minimum. Use the statutory 12.07% option, or check your contract.
Worked examples
Calculated with the same method as our term-time pay calculator, using 2026/27 NJC pay spine values. Your council or school may put the role on a different spine point.
Kitchen assistant: SCP 3, 15 hours
Three hours a day over the lunch service, 39 weeks.
FTE salary £25,614.00, 15 of 37 hours a week, 39 weeks a year, holiday: Green Book (pro-rated).
Actual pay: £8,892.21 a year, £741.02 a month.
See the working
Working
- Hours fraction 15 ÷ 37 hours = 0.4054
- Full-time leave (all-year employee) 23 + 8 + 2 days = 33 days
- Full-time leave in weeks 33 days ÷ 5 = 6.6 weeks
- Term-time holiday weeks (pro-rated) 39 × 6.6 ÷ (52.143 − 6.6) = 5.652 weeks
- Paid weeks 39 weeks worked + 5.652 holiday weeks = 44.652 weeks
- Paid-weeks factor 44.652 ÷ 52.143 weeks in a year = 0.8563
- Actual annual pay £25,614 × 0.4054 × 0.8563 = £8,892.21
- Monthly pay (12 equal instalments) £8,892.21 ÷ 12 = £741.02
- Hourly rate £25,614 ÷ (37 hours × 52.143 weeks) = £13.28
- Weekly pay in a week you work £13.28 × 15 hours = £199.15
Worked at full precision and rounded only for display (money to 2 decimal places, factors to 4). Some employers use a days-based method or round at different stages, so your payslip may differ by a few pence.
Assistant cook: SCP 5, 25 hours
Five hours a day, including food preparation before service.
FTE salary £26,427.00, 25 of 37 hours a week, 39 weeks a year, holiday: Green Book (pro-rated).
Actual pay: £15,290.76 a year, £1,274.23 a month.
See the working
Working
- Hours fraction 25 ÷ 37 hours = 0.6757
- Full-time leave (all-year employee) 23 + 8 + 2 days = 33 days
- Full-time leave in weeks 33 days ÷ 5 = 6.6 weeks
- Term-time holiday weeks (pro-rated) 39 × 6.6 ÷ (52.143 − 6.6) = 5.652 weeks
- Paid weeks 39 weeks worked + 5.652 holiday weeks = 44.652 weeks
- Paid-weeks factor 44.652 ÷ 52.143 weeks in a year = 0.8563
- Actual annual pay £26,427 × 0.6757 × 0.8563 = £15,290.76
- Monthly pay (12 equal instalments) £15,290.76 ÷ 12 = £1,274.23
- Hourly rate £26,427 ÷ (37 hours × 52.143 weeks) = £13.70
- Weekly pay in a week you work £13.70 × 25 hours = £342.44
Worked at full precision and rounded only for display (money to 2 decimal places, factors to 4). Some employers use a days-based method or round at different stages, so your payslip may differ by a few pence.
Cook in charge: SCP 10, 30 hours, 5+ years' service
Running the kitchen, ordering and paperwork, with more than 5 years' service.
FTE salary £28,608.00, 30 of 37 hours a week, 39 weeks a year, holiday: Green Book (pro-rated).
Actual pay: £20,128.41 a year, £1,677.37 a month.
See the working
Working
- Hours fraction 30 ÷ 37 hours = 0.8108
- Full-time leave (all-year employee) 26 + 8 + 2 days = 36 days
- Full-time leave in weeks 36 days ÷ 5 = 7.2 weeks
- Term-time holiday weeks (pro-rated) 39 × 7.2 ÷ (52.143 − 7.2) = 6.248 weeks
- Paid weeks 39 weeks worked + 6.248 holiday weeks = 45.248 weeks
- Paid-weeks factor 45.248 ÷ 52.143 weeks in a year = 0.8678
- Actual annual pay £28,608 × 0.8108 × 0.8678 = £20,128.41
- Monthly pay (12 equal instalments) £20,128.41 ÷ 12 = £1,677.37
- Hourly rate £28,608 ÷ (37 hours × 52.143 weeks) = £14.83
- Weekly pay in a week you work £14.83 × 30 hours = £444.85
Worked at full precision and rounded only for display (money to 2 decimal places, factors to 4). Some employers use a days-based method or round at different stages, so your payslip may differ by a few pence.
Covers England and Wales. Northern Ireland not covered. Northern Ireland did not adopt the 2024 holiday changes for part-year workers, so these results don't apply there.
- Scotland: council staff are on SJC terms, not the NJC Green Book, and many Scottish councils use a 35-hour week. Change the full-time hours and holiday to match your contract.
- Academies: most academies follow the Green Book, but they don't have to. Check your contract for your full-time hours and holiday entitlement.
- Gross pay only: no tax, National Insurance, pension, overtime or allowances.