Food Technology
Intent
In National Curriculum (England and Wales) terms, the purpose of the Design & Technology (D&T) curriculum is to develop each pupil’s capability to combine practical skills with knowledge and understanding. It is from this context that Food Technology is taught.
Pupils are provided with opportunities to develop the relevant knowledge, skills and understanding about their world, considering what it consists of, how it is made up, how it impacts on people’s lives and how individuals can interact with it and improve it.
Learning about food should be as practically involving an experience as possible because food presents pupils with everyday decisions to make and problems to solve. Pupils need to develop the knowledge, skills and practical capability to meet needs and requirements through appropriate responses to the challenges which food presents in their lives. As such, food has a role to play in linking aspects of education that relate to health, life skills and in preparing young people as citizens.
Implementation
The Food Technology curriculum is diverse, innovative and promotes creativity, with opportunities focusing on the essentials of food and nutrition. In Key Stage 3, the pupils follow a 3 year, rolling programme which incorporates all the requirements of the National Curriculum. The pupils learn essential skills and techniques, using a range of equipment and utensils. The pupils are given the opportunity to learn about different cultures and lifestyles which may be different to their own and to try and prepare foods they may be unfamiliar with.
In Key Stage 4, the pupils are given the opportunity to follow the Jamie Oliver Home Cooking Skills programme at Levels 1 and 2 and, this year, we are introducing Individual AQA units in Food Technology to meet the needs of pupils at all levels.
Impact
Food Technology is a very popular subject in school and enjoyed by most pupils. The Food Technology curriculum and subsequent qualifications prepare pupils with essential skills for life and give them the opportunity to progress into a career in many fields involving catering and hospitality.
The impact of our curriculum is measured through the following methods:
- Summative assessment of pupil discussions about their learning.
- Images and videos of the pupils’ practical learning.
- Marking of work.
Year 1 Eating Well (2020 – 2021) |
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| Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | |
| Fuelling up-
Starting the day with breakfast Eatwell plate activities – food groups Tasting and testing commercial breakfast foods Making breakfast foods for selves and others, egs cooking eggs, omelettes with a variety of fillings, fruit and savoury pancakes, snacks on toast, toasties, fruity cereals, fruit salads Fruity breakfasts – different ways of getting off to a good start with 5 a Day Get juicing – dairy and fruit based smoothies Establishing safe and hygienic working practice and procedures Safe storage of food Planning and sequencing Understanding tools and equipment Where does our food come from – origins of foods from animal and vegetable sources |
Snack Attack-
Healthy snacking throughout the day – fruit and vegetable snacks, bread-based snacks, spreads and dips eg hummous, toasted sandwiches, salads The nutritional value of healthy snacking Evaluating the snack market – crisps and confectionary Eatwell plate model – analysing composite dishes Focus on meat, fish, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein – different ways of incorporating them into snacks Making hand-held snacks and lunch-box items, egs wraps, filled pittas, pizzas, samosas, spring rolls, wraps, cereal bars Making a range of sausages and burgers from scratch Snacking on salads Safety and hygiene |
Take 5- Importance of fruits and vegetables Making a range of different soups using vegetables, pulses and wholegrains Take 5 ingredients (Ready Steady Cook style) including veg, pulses and/or wholegrain and combine into a soup – evaluate ideas Make a suitable bread or pizza bread to accompany your soup Eatwell plate activities – a question of balance Use of tools and equipment Combining ingredients creatively into successful soups Considering presentation, garnishing and what could be served with soup to make a balanced meal or snack eg bread, sandwich, salads Sensory evaluation Develop safe working practice and storage of foods |
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| Cooking skills: weighing & measuring; knife skills; using oven, grill & hob; preparation skills eg peeling, chopping, grating; using basic tools and equipment | Cooking skills: weighing & measuring; knife skills; using oven, grill & hob; preparation skills eg peeling, chopping, grating; using basic tools and equipment | Cooking skills: Knife skills, safe working practice, Chopping, peeling, slicing skills, sautéing, simmering | |
| Discussing issues: who has what for breakfast; Energy in/out concept; healthy start to the day; the Eatwell plate | Discussing issues: Energy in/out concept; healthy snacking during the day; the Eatwell plate, safety and hygiene | Discussing issues: how to Get (at least) 5 a day; the Eatwell plate, seasonality, recognising value for money | |
| Designing sub-skills: planning, evaluating | Designing sub-skills: exploring, planning, evaluating | Designing sub-skills: exploring, generating, developing | |
| Design and make a Breakfast bar/Bake Off Competition | Design and make a happy burger meal | Design and make a soup and bread meal-deal for the school canteen | |
| ICT | Using electronically controlled equipment eg scales, cooker controls
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Using Internet and CD-ROMs for research
Sensory evaluation – star profiles |
Using Internet for recipe databases
Nutritional analysis |
In Year 10, pupils decide which Design and Technology area they would like to study. Depending on their ability level, pupils will either be entered for BTEC Levels 1 and/or 2 in Home Cooking Skills and this year we are introducing Individual AQA Units with the Year 11 pupils.
Jamie Oliver BTEC Levels 1 & 2 in Home Cooking Skills:
Qualification profile:
• Consists of two single unit BTEC qualifications at Level 1 and Level 2
Level 1 Contributes to Foundation Learning provision Focuses on giving young people the skills to prepare delicious and nutritious home-cooked food – using fresh ingredients – as well as an understanding of the value of passing on cooking knowledge
Level 2 Equivalent to half a GCSE Develops the student’s ability to plan and prepare a series of nutritious home-cooked meals for breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner, and helps them understand how to cook economically
Pupils take Level 1 in Year 10 and Level 2 in Year 11.
The qualification is purely coursework based and the pupils complete a controlled practical assessment at the end of each level.
This Year the Year 11 pupils will be completing Individual AQA units in Food Technology https://www.aqa.org.uk/programmes/unit-award-scheme/units
