Curriculum Intent Food and Nutrition

As part of their work with food, students will be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking that will open the door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables students to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life.

“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.”
 George Bernard Shaw

Subject Aims

• All students should have the skills, confidence and resilience to undertake preparing and cooking a range of dishes independently and safely.
• All students should have some understanding of how the food they consume will have impact on the health of their body and mind, both now and in the future.
• All students should understand that ingredients have specific functions in recipes and be beginning to understand some of food science.
• All students should understand some of the impact that growing, rearing and processing foods can have on people and the planet.
• All students should have some understanding of their choices as consumers.

Key Stage 3

Year 7

This subject is taught as part of a rotation of subjects. In Food and Nutrition, students will learn how to apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Students will be introduced to the “Eatwell Guide”, food and its nutritional value along with the health and safety needs when preparing and making food.

Students will learn the importance of hygiene and the potential hazards when working in the kitchen. They will prepare and cook a variety of mainly savoury dishes incorporating the theoretical understanding and knowledge gained from their written based lessons. The dishes made in Year 7 are Fruit Salad, Tortilla Wraps, Pasta Salad, Crumble, Muffins and Scones. All ingredients are provided by the school, but students will be expected to bring in their own containers to take the dishes home in. 

Year 8

This subject again is taught for half the year along with Resistant Materials. In Food and Nutrition, students will learn how to apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Students will be developing their understanding of the Eatwell Guide, by learning about the Government’s 8 Tips for a healthy lifestyle.  Students will continue to develop and practice the importance of safe personal hygiene whilst making an array of dishes. Students will prepare and cook a variety, of again, mainly savoury dishes: Apple Sculptures, Bread, Pizza, Vegetable Chow Mein, Swiss Rolls and a Pancake Challenge. All ingredients are provided by the school, but students will be expected to bring in their own container to take the dishes home in. 

Year 9

In preparation for GCSE, students will explore the functional properties of eggs and how they can be used to make a wide range of dishes.  In the second of the term, students will learn about current issues in food such as food waste and food mileage.  Practicals are built around these topics. 

Key Stage 4  GCSE Food and Nutrition (AQA 8585)

Students at the Skegness Academy will be taking the GCSE in Food Preparation and Nutrition AQA course. The number of lessons will increase from 1 to 3 a week and the students will continue to develop on the knowledge, understanding of Food and Nutrition along with cooking skills obtained in KS3.

The majority of the course is delivered through preparation and making activities, this means that on average students will be cooking at least once a week. 

The topics covered in this GCSE are:

1. Food, Nutrition and Health
2. Food Science
3. Food Safety
4. Food Choice
5. Food Provenance

Year 10

In Y10, each term will follow a similar structure, where students will learn through a mixture of theory, practical and science based experiment lessons. The students will be routinely assessed on all of these areas, along with a written test at the end of each term.

Year 11

Students will independently complete both of the assessment tasks set by the exam board along with the final paper at the end of the school year.

Examination (1 hour 45 mins): Paper 1: Food preparation and nutrition

1. Multiple choice questions (20 marks)
2. Five questions each with a number of sub questions (80 marks)

This is worth 50% of the GCSE