Food Prep & Nutrition
The department has two well equipped stainless steel kitchens, enabling classes of up to 22 students to cook independently.
Course description
Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill. Food and Nutrition is not just about cooking however, so students are taught theory alongside practical skills to ensure a rounded curriculum. We hope to inspire a lifelong interest in food and healthy eating, and to equip students with the skills they need to feed themselves and others throughout their life. Students learn a wide range of practical skills and develop their confidence to cook independently.
Students will learn how to plan, prepare, cook and serve food, developing a range of practical skills to enable them to cook independently using a range of commodities, techniques, and equipment. Students will cook a range of predominantly savoury dishes, including those from different culinary traditions, preparing them for independent living later in life. Students will learn and demonstrate excellent hygiene and food safety when preparing, storing, cooking and serving food.
Students will develop their sensory analysis skills to become proficient in accurately describing taste, texture and smell. Students will also research, choose and adapt their own recipes using their sensory knowledge.
Students will learn about the relationship between food, nutrition and health. They will study the function and sources of different nutrients, the benefits of a healthy balanced diet and the consequences of poor nutrition. Students will cover the up to date government guidelines for health.
Students will explore food provenance to understand the source, seasonality and characteristics of a range of ingredients. Students will explore the reasons behind the food we choose to eat. Students will consider how economic, ethical, environmental and socio-cultural factors influence food availability and choice.
Students will learn about the food science involved in cooking and will carry out practical investigations to be able to see this in action. Students will consider the functional properties of food ingredients and will learn how ingredients and processes interact to produce the food we eat.
Food & Nutrition
In year 7, 8 and 9 students have one lesson per week all year. We cook fortnightly, with the other lesson devoted to the theory side of the subject.
What will you learn about?
Please see the Curriculum Maps below to see what is taught in each year of KS3.
- Nutrition – What are the different nutrients? What role do different nutrients have in the body? What is the relationship between diet and health?
- Food Provenance – Where does our food come from? How are crops processed to make ingredients?
- Food Choice – What are the different factors that influence what we choose to eat?
- Food Science – What scientifically happens to food when it is prepared and cooked?
- Food Safety – How can we ensure that food is prepared, cooked and stored safely?
- Practical Skills and Techniques – Students will learn to use the cooker and will learn a wide range of food preparation skills.
Please see the Practical Skills Curriculum Map below to see how practical skills build throughout KS3 and into KS4.
How will you be assessed?
Students will be given regular verbal feedback within their practical lessons ‘in the moment’. This allows students to act upon this feedback immediately for the maximum impact on progress.
Students will be assessed via written and practical assessments.
Homework/Extended Learning
Students are set practical evaluations to reflect upon their practical outcome and own personal performance in practicals. In addition, where students provide ingredients for practicals they will continue to develop their weighing and measuring skills at home when preparing their ingredients for lessons.
Students are encouraged to practice their practical skills out of lessons by helping to prepare and cook meals at home.
To be successful in this subject, students will need to be good at and enjoy:
- Learning how to cook independently
- Developing organisational and time management skills
- Developing problem solving skills and the ability to overcome challenges
- Teamwork when carrying out practical investigations
- Learning through practical activities
Additional information
We offer a Bake Off Club which enables students in KS3 to further develop their practical skills. We help and support students to enter external cooking competitions such as Future Chef and Inspiring Culinary Generations.
