We know how important it us for our students to learn about healthy, nutritional food and how to prepare it. 

KEY STAGE 3

In key stage 3, our students follow a carousel of cooking, performing arts and art. 

During food lessons, students get the opportunity to cook a wide range of different foods from hot cross buns at Easter to strawberry jam in summer.  They learn how to choose the right ingredients for recipes and follow a method to make sure they achieve the right outcomes when they cook. 

It is our aim to encourage our students to develop a love  of cooking and have an active interest in understanding the impact food has on their body.

• Select and prepare ingredients for recipes for a nutritious, two-course meal
• Use cooking skills when following the recipes
• Select and prepare ingredients
• Demonstrate food safety hygiene throughout the preparation and cooking process
• Apply presentation skills when serving the meal

KEY STAGE 4

All students do the BTEC Home Cooking course in year 10.  During the course students develop an understanding of the nutritional requirements of a healthy diet through mainly practical sessions. These practical sessions will include completing experiments to determine the function of particular ingredients. Students learn to develop food preparation techniques, progressing their skills each year. Students learn about making sensible choices for healthy living as well as looking at economical ways of cooking.   They also look at the prevention of food poisoning and the correct storage and preparation of food alongside food hygiene and safety within the kitchen. Students are encouraged to adapt the school recipes to accommodate dietary needs and personal preferences.

Students will complete a portfolio of work, at level 2 students will need to demonstrate that they can meet all the learning outcomes for the unit. The assessment criteria determine the standard required to achieve the unit.

This course helps students to cook independently.  They are expected to select and prepare ingredients for a two-course meal and then cook it independently.  Throughout the course, students learn about food safety and hygiene in the cooking process and learn how to economise when cooking at home.