What we are trying to achieve with students
In Food Technology we aim to give the students an awareness of the role and value of food in society. We hope to develop a knowledge and understanding of healthy eating patterns and develop the practical skills that are needed to prepare and cook food. Students are encouraged to problem solve and understand how food products are conceived, researched and developed. We also want to help our students make wise food choices for the future and understand the consequences for the quality of future life.
The courses we run
At KS3 pupils develop a wide range of practical skills through Design & Make activities and focused practical tasks. Pupils are introduced to nutrition and apply their knowledge to develop products which reflect current dietary guidelines.
At KS4 students can choose between two option courses.
GCSE Food & Nutrition OCR J431
This course offers a more in depth study of foods and their nutritional value. It considers the role of food in society and meal planning for individual needs and has a strong focus on the link between diet and health.
Catering WJEC single option 4730SA
This course develops skills and knowledge in a vocational context. It considers nutrition and meal planning in the catering industry and factors which influence menu planning. This course is ideal for a student who prefers a more “hands on approach”
KS5: AQA Design & Technology: Food Technology
Food Technology at AS is a dynamic course which has been designed to enable the student to combine an in depth knowledge of nutrition with the development of advanced practical skills using food materials.
The course will encourage students to apply their knowledge and skills to the design and development of food products. Students complete two design portfolios in which they chart the development of their own products within a set context. Practical work and skill development is an important element of this piece of work.
Food Technology at A2 gives students the opportunity to study the full spectrum of food. They will study nutrition in depth alongside the social and health implications of diet. Students will gain knowledge of Food Science and develop a broad range of practical skills by using a variety of food materials and components. Through design and make coursework students will apply their food knowledge to develop and solve problems relating to food design and making. They will also gain an understanding of industrial and commercial practices in the food industry.
Gifted and Talented Students
Subject Specialists in Food will demonstrate several of the following:
- Flashes of inspiration and highly original or innovative ideas
- High levels of technological understanding and application
- High quality making and precise practical skills
- Different ways of working or different approaches to issues
- Sensitivity to aesthetic, social and cultural issues when designing and evaluating
- A capacity for rigorous analysis and interpretation of products
- Frustration when a teacher demands that they follow a rigid design-and-make process
- The ability to work comfortably in contexts beyond their own experience and empathise with users’ and clients’ needs and wants
- The enthusiasm to seek out relevant research material independently and use it to develop creative design ideas
- High level communication skills
- An ability to be a reflective practitioner
- An ability to apply knowledge that has been taught within a given context
- An ability to sequence activities within a given task
Items of particular interest
- “Let’s Get Cooking” Club
- Junior master chef competition
- Rotary “Young Chef” Competition