Food Technology
Welcome to the Food Technology Department – Meet the team
Miss F Lawless - Teacher of Food Technology
Subject Curriculum Intent
Food Technology contains elements of a wide range of subjects. It focuses on English for writing evaluations, discussion and reasoning. Maths for weighing, measuring and estimate timings. Design and Technology is used for developing students’ creative flair and design abilities. PSHE is taught within the lesson when learning about the health benefits of eating certain foods. We deliver a curriculum that is designed to create an understanding of portion sizes and costings of food and develop lifelong skills for the future of all pupils in how to feed themselves healthily. Students develop an understanding of the nutritional content of their food and where it comes from.
Implementation:
Pupils are taught the safety and hygiene rules of the working kitchen. They work to gain confidence and be more competent in the kitchen environment. Revisiting, consolidating and extending their knowledge and skills. The range of skills used within the working kitchen help pupils to create food for themselves and others to a high standard of hygiene and presentation. The skills taught use a range of equipment such as blenders, steamers, mixers and food processors. All pupils are expected to partake in the activities within the kitchen; pupils are also expected to discuss and evaluate their work with others. The documentation is important as this encourages changes to their product next time they choose to make it again.
Impact:
Pupils understand the why, the how and the use of evaluating their creations. All pupils, when entering the working kitchen for the first time, are obliged to follow an introduction to cooking and the kitchen environment as we assess their baseline knowledge. KS3 pupils then follow a program of study that is designed to build more confidence in basic skills, broaden and extend.
Key Stage 3 Aims
The lessons are designed to engage and provide variety to Key Stage 3 students. We aim to give pupils an understanding of food and apply the principles of nutrition and health; be able to cook a repertoire of predominantly savoury dishes so that they are able to feed themselves and others a healthy and varied diet, whilst becoming competent in a range of cooking techniques. These include using utensils and electrical equipment; applying heat in different ways; using awareness of taste, texture and smell to decide how to season dishes and combine ingredients; adapting and using their own recipes. Alongside this, pupils will gain an understanding of the source, seasonality and characteristics of a broad range of ingredients.
Extra Opportunities
- Clubs
- Trips and visits
Food Technology 5 Year Curriculum
Level 1 Food
Food Technology at Wixams Academy is focused on making cooking fun, accessible and interesting with the aim of engendering a lifelong love of food in our students, while at the same time equipping them with the tools they need to understand how to cook safely, healthily, economically and to make informed choices regarding ingredients.
Curriculum Intent
Through consolidation of skills learned at KS3 and the introduction of new cooking skills, the aim of Home Cooking Skills is for the students to develop a passion for cooking, the knowledge, understanding and confidence to follow recipes to cook meals at home for themselves and their families. They will gain an understanding of how to store food safely, use a wider variety of equipment safely and economise when planning a meal. They will become confident in their ability to transfer their skills to different recipes, which are underpinned with knowledge about sourcing food, nutrition, and hygiene and food safety. They will know the value of acquiring excellent cooking skills and understand the importance of inspiring others through exploring a variety of ways to pass on their knowledge.
Implementation
In Year 9 students will embed key skills and knowledge so that it is firmly fixed in the long term memory. They will refine their skills by cooking a variety of dishes based around a topic or theme, to embed and deepen their knowledge, understanding and confidence in cooking.
In Year 10, level 1 students are assessed on their ability to:
- Use cooking skills when following a recipe (assessed through a final assignment portfolio)
- Demonstrate food hygiene and safety throughout the preparation and cooking process (assessed by portfolio)
- Reflect on own learning about the value of gaining cooking skills (assessed by portfolio)
- Identify ways to pass on information about home cooking (assessed by portfolio)
In Year 11, Level 2 students are assessed on their ability to:
Complete all requirements of Level 1 plus:
- Plan a nutritious two-course meal (assessed by portfolio)
- Select and prepare ingredients for recipes for a nutritious two-course meal (assessed by observed practical)
- Apply presentation skills when serving the meal (assessed by observed practical)
- Explain ways to economise when cooking at home (assessed by portfolio)
Teaching and assessment across the three years will include:
- Cookery demonstrations (live and recorded), practical lessons, theory lessons including evaluations of their dishes.
- Continuous assessment in the form of low stakes quizzing, recall activities and practical assignments.
- Homework tasks e.g. completing evaluations, gathering feedback from family, practising skills and preparing ingredients.
- Compiling a portfolio of evidence throughout the course to support their final assignments for each level.
- There will be a formal internally assessed practical assignment at the end of L1 and L2.
Impact:
The courses will develop knowledgeable, reflective learners with a passion for food and cooking for themselves and others. The learners will have the confidence in using a broad range of embedded and refined skills to attempt increasingly challenging recipes. Their underlying understanding of food safety and nutrition will give them a lifelong ability to make informed choices regarding food.
