Food Preparation and Nutrition
Content
Food is a fundamental part of our everyday lives and is vital for sustaining life.
The Food and Nutrition Department is a lively, inspiring and rewarding educational environment where the students’ creativity flourishes. A wide range of practical skills are taught in the well-equipped Food room, and we have an additional classroom for teaching the non-practical aspects of the curriculum. The Department is well resourced and offers a wide range of specialist equipment for all students to utilise.
In studying food, the course is designed to provide all pupils with a knowledge and understanding of nutrition, healthy eating, food preparation, hygiene, cooking techniques, and sensory characteristics. They will also develop practical making skills and learn about the function of key ingredients.
Students are expected to provide all ingredients for practical lessons.
Practicals are subject to change and review.
Aims of the department
- To provide a range of learning opportunities in a safe environment implementing good food safety and hygiene practices.
- To allow pupils to make informed choices to achieve a healthy, balanced diet.
- To explain how and why food is cooked and the functional properties of ingredients, to gain a scientific understanding that underpins key food preparation and cooking processes.
- To allow pupils choice and personalisation of cooking activities, encouraging independence and decision-making skills.
- To encourage pupils to understand other people’s situations, lifestyles, social and cultural differences.
Skills
In Key Stage 3, food preparation and cooking are taught with consideration for the selection of equipment, ingredients, food sources and functional characteristics. Pupils examine food provenance, including where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught, and processed, and consider sustainability and the impact of different choices on the environment. They also learn to depict how preparation and cooking affects the sensory and nutritional properties of the ingredients. Food and Nutrition lessons provide an excellent platform for developing confidence, problem solving, organisation and time management skills.
In Year 7 the scheme of learning has been developed to enable pupils to acquire a range of food skills, increasing in complexity and accuracy, to cook a range of dishes, safely and hygienically, and to apply their knowledge of nutrition and food provenance. Pupils will develop their knowledge and understanding of ingredients and healthy eating, food provenance, consumer food and drink choice; they will demonstrate food preparation and cooking techniques and the principles of food hygiene and safety. Pupils will develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and will build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills to create high quality dishes for a wide range of people.
In Year 8 lessons have been developed to enable pupils to develop and demonstrate a range of food skills, increasing in complexity and accuracy, to cook a range of dishes, safely and hygienically, and to apply their knowledge of nutrition and food provenance. In addition, they will consider the factors that affect food choice, food availability and food waste. Pupils will deepen their knowledge and understanding of ingredients and healthy eating and food provenance and build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills to create and make recipes and dishes for a wide range of people. Pupils will evaluate and test their ideas and the work of others.
In Year 9 the scheme of learning has been developed to enable pupils to secure and demonstrate a range of food skills, increasing in complexity and accuracy, to cook a wider range of dishes, safely and hygienically, and to apply their knowledge of nutrition and food provenance. In addition, they will consider consumer issues, food and its functions and new trends in food. Students will consider the influence of lifestyle and consumer choice when developing meals and recipes and develop the ability to review and make improvements to recipes as well as manage time effectively.
Assessment
Homework tasks are set weekly with pupils being expected to prepare for the practical lesson, including the weighing and measuring of the ingredients. End of unit tests or tasks use a range of strategies to assess progress and regular feedback is given to pupils detailing how they can improve their work. There is no formal end of year examination in food and nutrition, however regular assessment takes place throughout the lessons using a range of strategies with regular written and verbal feedback given by the teacher highlighting how they can improve their work; self and peer assessment takes place in all practical lessons. Levels are awarded based on both their food preparation progress as well as written tasks that link to the practical sessions.
Additional Educational Experiences
Pupils are encouraged to follow food and cookery programmes to keep well-informed of developments within the industry as well as enjoying the many different cooking styles that may encourage them to experience different techniques and tastes of different cuisines.
Optional enrichment activities are offered throughout the term, giving students the opportunity to extend their skills beyond the classroom, including inter-house competitions and charity bake-offs. Healthy Eating Week offers students challenges to improve their diet and raise their awareness of diet, health and environmental issues linked to food, food security and sustainability.
Where possible students will experience local off-site trips that support their learning in the classroom. Visits planned include Guernsey Dairy to look at milk production and secondary processing.
