Food & Nutrition

Current Teaching Staff:
Ms F Gould - Head of Department

Department Technician:
Miss B Hamlyn

Curriculum Intent:

Food Preparation and Nutrition helps to develop and foster an interest in and love of food that equips learners with the knowledge, understanding and skills required to cook and to apply the principles of food science, nutrition and healthy eating.

Subject Overview

All students in Key Stage 3 will be taught in a specialist room with catering equipment. The course is a mixture of practical and theory work that relates to food science, food commodities, food provenance, food safety and diet and good health, as well as cooking and food preparation. Students can explore and make a wide range of multi-cultural foods and dishes throughout the food curriculum. They will be able to then make the connections between theory and practice to apply their understanding of food and nutrition to practical preparation.

In Food, students cook a wide variety of dishes linked to current healthy eating guidelines and are given the chance to hone their practical skills.

Students in Key Stage 4 may choose to study GCSE Food Preparation & Nutrition, where they will build on their practical and theoretical skills acquired at Key Stage 3. Opportunities are provided for students at various stages to choose, plan, cook and present their own choice of practical work. They will have opportunities to enter cake making competitions within school and national competitions.

SMSC

We look at the welfare of farm animals: caged hens, free range farming. Fair trade. Effects that food waste and packaging and imports of food have on the planet. People’s carbon footprint and how it affects the environment.

British Values

We look at British Cuisine and the importance of buying local produce.

Open and free debate is encouraged to help students understand and embrace British values.

Reading

Students are given tasks to carry out research in textbooks and to use the internet. They are also encouraged to read around subjects.

Oracy

Students give presentations regarding international cuisine and have the chance to explain their work.

They are also encouraged to answer questions during lessons.

Careers

We look at various food careers and have external visits from companies.

Character skills

They are required to follow recipes and self-evaluate their work. They realise the importance of practice makes perfect and, at times, appreciate that a recipe may not work and be unsuccessful. It does not mean they are not good cooks, as it happens to everyone at times. They are encouraged to think about why a dish may have not turned out well and what they could next time to ensure that it does.

They often work in pairs to prepare and cook a dish and work as a team to tidy their work areas.

Students can enter competitions include making cakes.