Food Technology, Hospitality and Catering

Food Technology Curriculum Overview

Intent

• The national curriculum for Cooking and Nutrition aims to ensure that all pupils understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.
• As part of their work with food, students are taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in pupils will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life. At St. Aidan’s through a variety of creative and practical activities, students are taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making.
• At Key Stage 3, all of our students are given the opportunity to cook with a range of different foods so that they are able to develop their skills and create a wide range of family meals to share at home. We aim for them to develop their knowledge on the importance of food safety in the kitchen and how to reduce the risks to health when buying, preparing, cooking and storing food. We ensure that they have a clear understanding of the importance of a healthy balanced diet and current dietary guidelines, understand the risks to health associated with a poor diet and how to adapt their diet to reduce the risks. Ultimately, we aim to develop an enjoyment of cooking in our students
• The curriculum ensures that students can actively contribute to creating a healthier society and improving the nation’s cooking skills. It also sets some learners on the path to careers in the food and hospitality industries.

Implementation

• At St. Aidan’s, in KS3 students we concentrate on teaching student’s practical cookery skills in order to help them understand the characteristics of ingredients and about their diet and nutritional needs. This helps students to develop skills and knowledge they need to make and implement healthy food choices and to be comfortable and confident in the kitchen.
• In year 7, students are given a basic introduction to Food Technology. They learn how to work safely and hygienically in a Food environment and develop their skills to produce a variety of dishes.
• We aim to give pupils the key non- negotiable knowledge and key vocabulary needed at each key stage. This is supported through well planned resources and displays.
• Furthermore, pupils are given learning/ curriculum maps to support their progression and knowledge, in line with the Academy vision. 5-year learning journeys are also displayed in each room for each of the disciplines and qualifications we offer.

Impact

• Pupils will have developed important knowledge and skills that can be applied to their day to day lives, including how to cook for themselves and others.
• Thy will also understand how to combine ingredients and food commodities using a variety of cooking processes, to produce existing dishes that are used in the industry.
• Substantive knowledge gained through their five-year journey is assessed through quizzes, questioning and retrieval strategies. Disciplinary knowledge will have been gained from the variety of practical tasks and approaches to allow for real understanding of the food industry and home cooking.
• This knowledge can be applied to possible progression routes and pathways into the hospitality and catering industry, both local and international, with clear links to careers in this sector.