Food Preparation and Nutrition
Curriculum Intent
Students will gain a deep understanding of the principles of a healthy sustainable diet in a diverse world. Students are taught theoretical knowledge alongside developing practical life skills, including different cooking techniques, hygiene and safety and how to independently feed themselves and their families during their time at Maplewell and beyond into their adult lives. Food Studies is a compulsory part of Design technology education for all Key Stage 3 students.
Students will build the essential skills to be safe and creative in the kitchen and instil a love of cooking and enjoyment. Learning to cook is a crucial life skill that enables students to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life. Practical activities will be an integral part of the course. Students' knowledge and skills will be developed by preparing and cooking ingredients to create a wide range of healthy, nutritious and tasty dishes.
As a part of the curriculum, students will learn the importance of a healthy balanced diet and how to analyse the nutritional values of the food they eat and suggest ways food products can be adapted to meet the needs of different groups of people. Students will develop an understanding of the principles of nutrition and health and how nutritional needs vary with age and health conditions. Topics will also include learning how different ingredients are grown, reared, produced, food provenance and seasonality to create fresh, healthy, affordable dishes. Hygiene and safety in the kitchen is embedded throughout each year group to ensure all food produced is safe to consume for everyone. The sensory analysis of some foods and or drinks will extend students’ tasting experiences where they will be encouraged to explore some ingredients and share their thoughts and opinions verbally and in writing.
Key Stage 3
In Key Stage 3 students will learn how to:
- develop an understanding of the principles of Food safety, personal hygiene in the kitchen and eating a healthy balanced and sustainable diet
- cook a repertoire of predominantly savoury dishes so that they are able to feed themselves and others a healthy and varied diet
- develop experience in a range of cooking techniques (for example, selecting and preparing ingredients; using utensils and electrical equipment; using awareness of taste, texture and smell to decide how to season dishes and combine ingredients; evaluating and suggesting how a recipe could be adapted to meet the needs of a special diet
- develop an understanding of the source, seasonality and characteristics of a broad range of ingredients and their provenance
- Theory and practical- a focus on hygiene, safety, hazards, and the Eatwell Guide
Year 7
- A focus on developing student's basic practical skills in the kitchen, via completion of a selection of individual and group practical tasks.
- Theory knowledge on Food Provenance and where ingredients are reared, grown and sourced.
- Pathway A – Focus on how to become more independent in the kitchen to prepare, make and cook dishes with some accuracy, making a range of dishes. Focus on hygiene and safety in the kitchen.
- Pathway B – Focus on teaching skills and knowledge on how to carry out practical work with skill and accuracy and making a range of dishes. Focus on hygiene and safety in the kitchen.
- Pathway C (Learning for life)– Focus on teaching skills and knowledge on how to carry out practical work with some support and in small groups. To make a range of dishes, snacks, hot and cold drinks. Use of adaptive teaching to ensure all learners achieve their potential: teacher modelling, practical work, project work, group work, teaching assistant support, reflection and evaluation, gapped worksheets, and use of some ready-made components.
Year 8
- Predominant focus on producing a varied selection of savoury main meals in line with curriculum guidance.
- To build on skills practised in year 7
- Theory - a focus on more detailed principles of nutrition including food labelling and how much sugar in dishes, ethical issues, digestion of food in the body, dietary needs and current issues in food. All pathways are encouraged to extend their written answers using Tier 3 vocabulary.
- Learning for Life Pathway: To carry out practical work with some LSA support, in small groups, peer support and teamwork activities
Year 9
- Pathway A and B are encouraged to extend their written answers using Tier 3 vocabulary.
- Learning for Life Pathway: To carry out practical work with some support and in small groups.
- Adaptive teaching are applied to encourage all learners to achieve their potential: teacher modelling, practical work, project work, group work, teaching assistant support, reflection and evaluation, gapped worksheets, and use of some ready made components
- Atheory focus on Pastry, energy balance and special diets
Key Stage 4
Home Cooking Skills Year 10 and 11
The curriculum is delivered via a mixture of both practical and theory lessons - producing tasty, appetising dishes which underpin the taught theory content, to give learners the knowledge, skills and confidence to follow a recipe and enjoy cooking meals at home for friends and family.
Learners will develop a wide range of food preparation and cooking skills using seasonal, fresh, frozen and dried ingredients. They will gain an understanding of how to economise when planning meals and will be encouraged to transfer these skills to other recipes, which will empower learners to make changes that have benefits to health and well-being.
Students will work towards their summative assessments where they will plan and make one dish in year 10 for a Level 1 certificate and two dishes in Year 11 for Level 2.
Course comprises of:
Formative practical assessments throughout the year where students will develop experience of making and evaluating a wide range of dishes in the kitchen to build a learning portfolio of evidence showcasing a range of different practical skills.
Summative assessment where students work independently on an assignment and choose their dishes to make.
Students’ are able to add their own flair and creativity to their dishes during the development and selection of their products in the assignment.
Students will be encouraged to keep a food folder of their theory work, revision notes and any other supporting documents all in one place to remain as organised as possible and build their portfolio.
