Food Preparation & Nutrition

Intent

“Imagine a world where... every child was educated about how amazing food is, where it comes from, how it affects the body and how it can save their lives.” Jamie Oliver

At Penwortham Priory Academy the Food Preparation and Nutrition curriculum teaches pupils how to cook and apply the principles of good nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in pupils can 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. We believe we have a moral responsibility to educate our young people so that they are empowered to take charge of their own diets and health.

Through food preparation and nutrition, students build on prior learning from Key Stage 2 to broaden their understanding and application of the principles of good nutrition and health, cook safely and widen their repertoire of predominantly savoury dishes. They are challenged to learn through the use of ‘BIG Questions’ and are required to think hard in lessons. The curriculum encourages them to develop their leadership and organisational skills through practical tasks opportunities to lead and organise food-based events with support. Students are expected to show resilience, becoming increasingly competent in the kitchen, showing initiative by adapting and using their own recipes over time and demonstrating their growing knowledge through their written and verbal communication.

Pupils are given an overview of their learning journey at the start of their unit of work so that they know what they’ll be learning and the skills they’ll develop. This helps them understand how this subject links to others, why they need to know something and how they’ll learn it. We also share ideas for broadening their reading around the subject. We celebrate the cuisines of the world in our lessons and our clubs, enabling pupils to appreciate the origins of the many dishes that have influenced their own cultures.

The curriculum is sequenced to build on existing knowledge and incrementally develop new knowledge – pupils can see this in the learning journey and personal learning checklists. Spaced retrieval, low stakes testing, and repeated practice are used to ensure that concepts are understood, and knowledge remembered.   We place emphasis on the acquisition of tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary, modelling and explaining this in our teaching and facilitating exposure to it using ‘real-life’ reading texts, journals, websites and relevant articles.

In addition to the diverse and rich opportunities offered through the teaching, we value opportunities to take pupils out on trips and visits to enhance the curriculum and we enjoy inviting relevant specialists in such as food producers, farmers, college leaders and chefs. Extra-curricular opportunities such as master classes, creative cookery and competitions are offered to pupils and staff.

Food and Nutrition teachers

Mrs L Cowell, Mrs E Lockwood

Lessons

Yr 7 – 1hr per week for one term per academic year – Approx. 12-14 hrs

Yr 8 - 1hr per week for one term per academic year – Approx. 12-14 hrs

Yr 9 - 1hr per week for one term per academic year – Approx. 12-14 hrs

Yr 10 - 3hrs per week at GCSE following AQA Food Preparation and Nutrition

Yr 11 - 3hrs per week at GCSE following AQA Food Preparation and Nutrition