What are the aims and purpose of our curriculum?

This curriculum equips pupils with practical food skills and develops their understanding of healthy and sustainable diets. Pupils will be taught to make informed decisions about food and drink, and to celebrate food as an important part of different cultures, and source of nourishment, connection, and joy.


What overarching curriculum principles inform the design of our curriculum?

This principle recognises the important role that knowledge, and vocabulary as a particularly important type of knowledge, play in learning. Substantive knowledge, such as healthy eating or food science, is taught with increasing complexity throughout the key stages. Procedural knowledge is developed through practical cooking lessons, where knowledge of food, skills and techniques for more accurate and precise work are introduced. These types of knowledge work together to enable pupils to plan, prepare, make and evaluate a range of dishes. We identify and map vocabulary across the curriculum, both in terms of the introduction of new vocabulary and the necessary repetition of vocabulary that has gone before. New vocabulary, called keywords, are signalled in bold in our lesson materials to indicate their importance.

A careful and purposeful sequencing of our curriculum content underpins the design of our curriculum, ensuring that pupils are able to build on and make links with existing knowledge. For example, in year 1, when learning about food origin and provenance the focus is on the sources of food, with pupils able to describe food from plants and animals. This knowledge is built on to include food origins, through learning about ‘farm to fork’, seasonal fruit and vegetables and the processing of foods. Pupils apply this learning by making recipes such as potato salad, mackerel and tomato pâté and a seasonal salad. Attention is paid to vertical coherence via threads, which map the developments of concepts over time; for example, in our ‘healthy eating and nutrition’ thread, pupils are introduced to the Eatwell Guide in year 2 which is part of the fundamental knowledge for pupils to be able to explain why macronutrients are needed for health in year 8.

Our evidence-informed approach enables the rigorous application of research outcomes, science of learning and impactful best practice both in education in general and at a subject specific level. For example, the design of our resources reflects findings from Sweller’s cognitive load theory and Mayer’s principles of multimedia learning whilst our lesson design draws on Rosenshine’s principles of instruction. We also draw on findings from research organisations such as the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). At the subject level evidence-based cooking skill recommendations have been considered, national healthy eating guidelines followed, and insights into more sustainable eating reviewed. The curriculum is based on the ‘Food - a fact of life’ education programme and the research undertaken into effective food and nutrition teaching and learning approaches, teacher training, and good practice in UK schools.

Our flexible approach enables schools to use our resources in a way that fits their contents and meets the varying needs of teachers and their pupils. Our curriculum can be used in its entirety or units can be selected to complement existing curricula or to match the equipment and materials available to the school. Our resources are adaptable so that, for example, teachers can edit or add checks for understanding, adapt practice tasks to better reflect the prior knowledge of their pupils or recipe ingredients can be changed to suit school budgets, pupil food skill level, equipment availability, dietary needs, and timetabling.

Our commitment to breadth and diversity in content, language, texts, and media can be seen in the curriculum, for example in the group of diverse school age characters that feature in our resources. Pupils are taught about food and cuisines from around the world. Food examples and recipes are diverse, introducing pupils to unfamiliar foods, customs and traditions. A social commentary runs through our cooking lessons that adds to the broader socio-economic context of the important role of food in our lives. For example, in the year 7 unit ‘Independent and confident cooking’ pupils learn about how food is deeply ingrained in our cultural heritage, whether through an ingredient, a national dish, or traditions and celebrations. Pupils learn that yakisoba, originally from China, is now a staple in Japan.

Our curriculum is intentionally designed to facilitate high-quality teaching as a powerful lever to support pupils with SEND. Aligned with EEF guidance, our resources have a focus on clear explanations, modelling including food skills videos and frequent checks for understanding, with guided and independent practice. Lessons are chunked into learning cycles and redundant images and information are minimised to manage cognitive load. For example, a reduced pictorial representation of the Eatwell Guide is provided. We have removed reference to year groups in our resources so that they can be used when pupils are ready, regardless of their age. Our resources are purposefully created to be accessible, for example by using accessible fonts, colours with good contrast, and captions in our videos.

What subject specific principles inform the design of our curriculum?

Specifically in relation to food and nutrition (in Key Stages 1-3 only):

Focuses on the knowledge and skills specific to food and nutrition, including:

Planning, preparing and cooking a repertoire of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of ingredients and cooking techniques;

To ensure that knowledge and skills specific to food and nutrition are enacted throughout the curriculum, units are sequenced to teach food preparation and cooking, healthy eating, food provenance, and consumer awareness. Pupils learn how to plan, prepare and cook a wide variety of predominantly savoury dishes, safely and hygienically, applying their food knowledge to make informed nutrition and health decisions.

Applies our diversity principle by enriching learning through the experience of a range of international cuisines.

There is a focus on the diverse nature of food, cuisine, culture, custom, and heritage, and how these influence personal food choice. For example, we celebrate diversity through cooking experiences and references to a range of cultures, giving pupils the opportunity to expand their own food horizons. In the year 8 unit ‘Local food to world wide cuisine’ pupils focus on the wide range of cuisines, ingredients, cooking techniques and equipment that are used around the world. In the year 9 unit ‘Global food challenges’, pupils learn about the pressure on food systems, caused by climate change and a growing population.


How does our curriculum reflect the aims & purpose of the national curriculum?

The national curriculum for design and technology has four aims, three relating to design and technology and one to cooking and nutrition. Here we discuss how our curriculum enacts the cooking and nutrition aim.

Our curriculum reflects the national curriculum aim relating to cooking and nutrition that all pupils should ‘understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook’. The concepts of healthy eating, cooking, and food provenance are taught over time with increasing complexity, providing pupils with the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills by making informed choices when preparing, making, and evaluating dishes.

What teaching time does our curriculum require?

Our curricula for key stages 1-3 are designed for 36 weeks of curriculum time across the school year, leaving time for other activities both within and beyond the curriculum such as assessments or school trips. At key stages 1-3, our design and technology and cooking and nutrition curricula have been presented independently on our platform, for ease of use by teachers. We don't currently offer key stage 4 cooking and nutrition.

Our curriculum has been designed to teach one weekly lesson, approximately 40 minutes long in key stage 1 and 50 minutes to an hour in key stages 2 and 3. Our allocation of units and lessons is two thirds to design and technology and one third to cooking and nutrition, but we understand that exact time allocated can vary greatly between schools due to differences in curriculum planning, resource allocation and school-specific priorities. Therefore we fully expect and encourage teachers to adapt our curriculum and resources to best suit their needs and available curriculum time.

We use threads to signpost groups of units that link to one another, that together build a common body of knowledge over time. We use the term thread, rather than vertical concepts, themes or big ideas, because it helps us to bring to mind the visual concept of a thread weaving through the curriculum.

Our cooking and nutrition threads that weave through both our primary and secondary curricula are (in alphabetical order):

Our threads have been chosen to reflect the core knowledge and skills that underpin cooking and nutrition. The threads support the key aspects of the Cooking and Nutrition National Curriculum content and the government’s Core competences for children and young people and published Characteristics of good practice in food and nutrition teaching. Consistent threads across our primary and secondary curricula can enable more effective transition, helping pupils to bridge their knowledge and understanding from primary to secondary. For example, in the primary curriculum, the thread ‘Food origins and provenance’ is first taught in year 1 in the unit ‘Food from plants and animals’ and is then developed through all year groups such as the ‘Safe and edible food’ unit in year 6. The thread continues into secondary, with units such as ‘Food origins’ in year 7 and ‘More sustainable diets’ in year 8.

Recommendations from subject specific reports

How does our curriculum address and enact recommendations from subject specific reports (e.g. EEF guidance reports & Ofsted Research Review)?

Our cooking and nutrition curriculum incorporates guidance from the Core competences for children and young people aged 5 to 16 years developed by Public Health England and the Food Standards Agency (and updated to reflect the NHS Eatwell Guide in 2017). These competences form the foundation of our curriculum, which aims to help children and young people make and implement healthy food choices through the knowledge and skills developed and applied around diet, consumer awareness, cooking, food safety, and active lifestyles.

The curriculum also reflects the Characteristics of Good Practice developed by the British Nutrition Foundation including ensuring that practical food lessons are delivered in a hygienic, safe and organised way. Through our additional materials, teachers will be able to access guidance such as cooking practicalities and setting up the classroom.

How does our curriculum deal with elements that arise from the specific needs of the subject?

Why does cooking and nutrition have a distinct curriculum rather than being embedded within the design and technology curriculum?

Our design and technology, and cooking and nutrition curriculum have been presented separately to help teachers find cooking and nutrition content quickly and easily and to signpost the importance of cooking and nutrition as a body of knowledge. Each subject area has been carefully sequenced so that they can be taught independently or together. Cooking and nutrition has approximately one third of the curriculum time compared to design and technology. Each subject has its own distinct group of threads.

What equipment is required to teach the curriculum?

Careful consideration has been given to the equipment and space needed to teach our cooking and nutrition curriculum. We understand that resources are limited, especially within primary schools. We have followed the Design and Technology Association guidance not to cook with heat in key stage 1. We have limited the use of hobs at primary, with covered classroom tables suitable for most lessons. Where ovens are used, these can be used by adults. Advice for each practical cooking lesson is given within our additional materials.

British Nutrition Foundation

Secondary

Cooking and nutrition

Consumer awareness

Food culture

Food hygiene and safety

Food origins and provenance 

Food preparation and cooking

Healthy eating and nutrition

Sensory evaluation

Sustainability and climate change

The science of food

This unit introduces pupils to working in a different environment, learning new skills and procedures, and using a range of equipment. The focus is on establishing hygiene and safety procedures, and the food skills measuring, peeling, cutting and using the hob. Sensory work is undertaken.

Making a mini deli salad

Making leek and potato soup

Making yakisoba noodles

Independent and confident cooking

In this unit pupils use the Eatwell Guide, the 8 tips for healthy eating, and portion guidance to plan healthy meals and evaluate diets. They also use food labels to help make better food and drink choices.

Eat well now

Making better food and drink choices

Making aloo gobi

The Eatwell Guide: meals and diets

Pupils describe the origins of different foods, identifying how they have been produced, processed and sold. Food labels are used to investigate ingredient origins. Pupils cook two dishes, investigating ingredient source, as well as functional properties.

Growing, farming and catching our food

Making veggie tarts

Making mini carrot & orange cakes

Food origins

This unit develops pupils' knowledge of food choice, and how occasion and location can have an influence. Food skills and nutrition understanding are further developed through practical work, with pupils calculating energy and nutrients provided by a recipe, and explore the use of components.

Factors affecting food choice

Making a Chicago style pizza

Making Jollof rice

Informed food choices

This unit extends pupils' cooking techniques, focusing on their food skill proficiency. Through three practical lessons, they develop food skills and apply their nutrition understanding. Recipe modification is undertaken, and the functional properties of key ingredients are analysed.

Making cheesy bean burritos

Making herby foccacia

Making green mac & cheese

Cooking techniques and proficiency

Pupils describe the source and function of macro and micro nutrients, as well as fibre and water in the diet for health. The concept of energy balance is reviewed, and pupils undertake nutritional analysis of recipes.

Micronutrients

Macronutrients, fibre and water

Making toad in the hole

Energy and nutrients: source and function

In this unit pupils identify ways in which a diet can be healthier and more sustainable. Pupils suggest practical ways in which a range of strategies could be implemented. Through cooking two dishes, pupils apply this learning, giving them tools to adapt recipes in the future.

Plant rich and diverse

Making mushroom bean burgers, with flatbreads

Making beef and lentil cottage pie

More sustainable diets

This unit focuses on the wide range of cuisines, ingredients, cooking techniques and equipment that are used around the world. Pupils explore food imports, food produced in the UK, and food waste. They cook two dishes to highlight cuisine differences, undertaking different types of evaluation. 

Eat local to taste the world

Making mini Victoria sandwich cakes

Making a Thai curry

Local food to worldwide cuisine

Through three recipes, the emphasis of this unit is on accurate and precise use of a range of food skills, and independent working. High standards of food safety are embedded, and pupils modify recipes for health and explore food science in action and the cost of ingredients.

Making sweet potato katsu curry

Making Chelsea buns

Making sweet & sour fakeaway

Accurate and precise cooking

In this unit pupils explore key nutritional needs throughout life, and allergies, food labelling, portion size and health conditions. They plan dishes and menus, and describe how diets can be changed for health to meet the needs of different groups of people.

Nutritional needs throughout life

Health conditions

Making pea and mint falafel, with tzatziki

Health and dietary needs

This unit investigates the pressure on food systems, caused by climate change and a growing population. Pupils critique these challenges and explore principles of more sustainable diets, balancing the needs of the planet and human health. Practical work reinforces these principles in action.

One planet

Fish burger street wraps

Making bang bang veg, with an Asian slaw!

Global food challenges

This unit concludes pupils' food learning journey in Key Stage 3. Pupils reflect on food culture, looking at how food is deeply rooted in identity, heritage, tradition, custom and celebration. Two dishes are prepared, highlighting different cooking styles and histories, and traceability is explored.

KS3 Cooking and nutrition

Unit sequence

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

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