At Weatherhead High School, Food Technology is taught across Key Stage 3 and 4. Our intent within the department is to provide a curriculum that is interesting and relevant which references social and cultural issues. The courses are coherently planned and sequenced towards developing knowledge and practical skills.

In our schemes of work students are taught to combine their knowledge and practical skills while also instilling a love of cooking that enables students to feed themselves and others. They are encouraged to have a sense of pride and self-fulfilment in their work. Practical work will be teacher/self and peer assessed and examples of excellent work will be displayed within the department.

Students will learn and develop an understanding about food safety, including the preparation and safe storage of food, and sound microbiological food safety principles when buying, storing, and preparing food and how to use equipment safely.

Students at KS3 will use recipes to develop cooking skills but these can be adapted to suit personal tastes, family dietary/religious needs. This then develops at KS4 and students are encouraged to be more creative showing their understanding of individuals with specific dietary needs through planning their recipes, demonstrating appropriate skills and evaluating their dishes according to the needs of the target group. Each year, builds on the knowledge gained in the previous year’s skills as they move through the Key Stages.

In Food Technology , skills are delivered through units of work across the year group. In each year students’ complete units of work that develop their skills in using equipment safety.

At Key Stage 3 students’ study a range of different topics to help them develop an understanding of the importance of nutrients needed in our diet, different cultural diets, the effects of a poor diet and the processes involved in food production. Students are assessed at the end of each topic and individual targets are given to help students improve their work in the future. Each year builds on the skills of the previous year to develop a deeper understanding of each of the principles.

At Key Stage 4, students follow the Eduqas specification and achieve a level 2 award in hospitality and catering. Theory knowledge is taught through a mixture of practical activities and written work throughout the 2 year programme. Students complete a range of practical tasks to develop their knowledge and understanding of ingredients, nutrients and personal diets. As well as developing an understanding of different practical skills such as pastry making, sauce making, portioning a chicken, filleting a fish and cake making.

Students at all levels are encouraged to push themselves and attempt all elements of the course, helping the students to build their confidence and resilience.

Within Food we give our students vital life skills that enable them to feed themselves and others affordably and nutritiously, now and later in life. We also empower students to enable them to follow a recipe and substitute ingredients and cooking methods as appropriate, demonstrating an understanding of food choices e.g. veganism, allergies and healthy eating.

Our varied topics allow students to explore a number of multicultural perspectives concerning food. Students will enhance their understanding, appreciation and acceptance of people from a variety of cultural backgrounds through the preparation of food from different countries.

Students are expected to make good or better progress, this individual progress is tracked and reported to parents and carers at parents’ evenings, phone calls and postcards home and end of year reports. The impact of the curriculum is monitored through student voice activities and results data.

Enjoyment of the curriculum and its structure allows students to access all aspects and develop a range of practical skills, while promoting achievement, confidence and resilience. This is also enhanced by our thriving extra-curricular clubs offered to students outside of the school day. As a department we also run a range of competitions which allows the students to showcase their amazing talents.

Over the past 3 years students have gone on to achieve excellent results within the subject:

2021- 2022 – Eduqas level 1 / 2 Hospitality and Catering (YR 11) – 90% of students achieved level 2 D*- P. 

2022- 2023 – Eduqas level 1 / 2 Hospitality and Catering (YR 11) – 77% of students achieved level 2 D* – P.

2020- 2021 – Eduqas level 1 / 2 Hospitality and Catering (YR 11) – 100% of students achieved level 2 D*- P.

Two specialist classrooms designed for practical work for 20 students.

Classrooms are available at lunchtimes and after school for support clinics. Teachers are there to offer advice and give support to enable students to achieve their best. The use of the clinics promotes student independence in their learning.

• As part of the Extended Schools provision, year 7 students can participate in an after school cookery club which is run – this is run on rotation across the year.
• Competitions are published throughout the year. A recent success was in conjunction with ‘Hickorys’ restaurant chain – students were asked to create a dessert which would be used for one week on their menu across the country. One of our year 10 students won the event.

Visit weatherheadhigh.co.uk/extra-curricular-clubs for our current programme of extra-curricular activities.