Year 7

As this is the first year in Key Stage 3, it is really important and exciting as students have the opportunity to develop skills they will need for the rest of the course and to use in their homes to help contribute to the food provision for their family.

Learning is centred around developing competencies around selection of ingredients, food preparation, food safety and hygiene, use of equipment and techniques.

Recipes will be demonstrated explaining how ingredients are selected and prepared, how they work together scientifically and aesthetically. Students will learn to evaluate the success of their food outcomes in terms of sensory analysis and their practical application of skills.

The government guidelines are for students to focus on savoury food products as these choices promote healthier eating patterns. They will aim to explore and consider using healthier options where applicable. (For example, toppings for a Potato Pie could use low-fat cheese to reduce the fat content in the outcome.)

Favourite practical outcomes include: Pizza, Pasta bake and Mexican Hot Pot.

Year 8

The Year 8 course builds on work carried out in Year 7, extending knowledge and skills.  It is designed to introduce/reinforce practical skills, safe and competent use of equipment, safe methods for food preparati0on, understanding healthy eating and government guidelines, the functions of ingredients.

Term 1 and 2: The Equipment Project

A series of practical recipes are taught so that a wide range of kitchen appliances are used. Students learn to use them correctly and safely, knowing how each item can be used and for what purposes, how to set it up, clean it and store it correctly.

The project involves students evaluating practical outcomes, carrying out nutritional analyses and sensory analysis profiles. There is scope for creativity with practical outcomes and project formatting.

Term 3 and 4: The World Bread Project

The focus of this project is to learn about bread cookery and the functions of ingredients. The students make 6 different world breads (including British Bread Rolls, Focaccia, Pitta, Naan, Irish Soda Bread and Japanese Milk Bread). The students photograph their finished outcomes and build a project which allows them opportunities to get feedback on their practical outcomes, do more work with nutritional analyses and sensory profiles. There is a Bronze/Silver/Gold challenge as a final practical when bread is developed and a side dish made alongside it, in the same lesson.

Term 5 and 6: Further stand-alone practical outcomes

Students produce mainly savoury products to complete the year. In these sessions, students learn more skills, like preparing a range of different fruits for a fruit salad/fruit kebabs, pizza with a yeasted bread base, seasonal soups, and BBQ sides (coleslaw and potato wedges), healthy salad dressings etc.

Year 9

The Year 9 Scheme of Work further builds on skills and knowledge acquired during Years 7 and 8. 

By Year 9, students should be very competent in this subject area with a vast number of aspects already covered which are largely focused on skills, safe food preparation and safety in the kitchen.

Term 1 and 2: students learn the skills to cook 6 different practical outcomes on an international theme. For example, stir-fry, chickpea masala, quiche and lasagne, tagine and pilaf. These outcomes showcase more complex skills such as sauce making, pastry and meat cookery (optional) etc. The ‘savoury’ aspects of these products comply with the Government guidelines for teaching Food in Schools.

Students are encouraged to choose healthier ingredients and are introduced further to the idea that dishes can be adapted to provide these options (i.e. different milks for a lasagne sauce, use of lower-fat mince or substitute in lentils or extra vegetables, etc.)

Term 3, 4 and 5: students do the World Cuisine Food Project.

Students will embark upon this project with autonomy to choose their own savoury healthy dishes from a world food culture of their own choice. After researching the food culture and a client, product outcomes are carefully planned and ingredient sources to make four varied dishes.  Outcomes are evaluated, including sensory profile charts and nutritional analyses. 

All elements used must be made from scratch – limiting the use of bought in sauces, pastry etc.  Also included within the project will be consideration of seasonality, use of local produce and food miles, sustainability, the wider environment, food allergies/intolerances/ethical issues etc.

Term 6 affords the opportunity to develop a few additional skills, such as making Viennese biscuits (piped), apple pie and chocolate brownies if time permits!

The notion of ‘International Cuisine’, a broad set of practical skills such as knife skills and different methods of cooking, plus seasonality, sustainability etc. is all part of the Food Preparation and Nutrition GCSE, so this course in Year 9 dovetails perfectly into GCSE should the students choose it as an option. By the end of Year 9, even if students do not take the subject further, they will be fully equipped for their future lives.

Food – AQA Food Preparation and Nutrition GCSE Specification

Year 10

Students work through a scheme of work which dovetails the learning of practical skills and theory.

The course is very interactive and hands-on.

Most fortnights, the students have a double-lesson-practical and some single-lesson-practicals too.

The majority of the GCSE content is taught in Year 10, enabling the students to have acquired all the necessary knowledge and skills to do well in their GCSE NEA tasks which are completed from the start of Year 11.

Year 11

Students predominantly focus on their two NEAs (worth 50%) of their GCSE.

NEA 1 is about the functional properties of ingredients and has a scientific investigation at the heart of it.

NEA 2 focusses on the students researching a brief and making informed choices for a range of suitably demanding dishes, culminating in a 3-hour practical showcase of these skills.

After the NEAs are completed, students complete the theoretical aspects and have sufficient time to develop their exam technique and to revise the full GCSE content, with some sessions being practical to address the theoretical elements being taught.

Mrs E Rock - Subject Leader 

Mrs R Payne - Technician