Food Studies at The Polygon School

Ethos

Our curriculum is designed to equip students with essential life skills, including keeping safe in a cooking environment, healthy eating, food preparation and an understanding of where our food comes from. This helps to promote sustainability, cultural awareness and ethical food choices which will allow our students to make informed choices around food as they move into adult life. Removing barriers to learning is a key part of what we do at The Polygon, therefore, all ingredients are provided at no cost. Together, pupils learn many key skills such as organisation, time management, communication, planning, evaluation and resilience. We provide our pupils with recipes that are inclusive of all cultures including traditional British dishes, West African and Chinese food to mention a few.

Intent

Key Stage 3

Pupils learn about food origins, healthy eating, and practical cooking skills right from the beginning of Key Stage 3.

Year 7

Lots of the pupils that come to us in Year 7 have not cooked from scratch before. We want our Year 7 students to feel comfortable and confident in the cooking environment.

The main objectives within Year 7 are:

• Becoming familiar with the cooking environment
• Health & Safety
• Food Hygiene
• Practical Cooking Skills
• Nutrition & Healthy Eating
• Food Science & Sensory Analysis
• Food Provenance & Storage

Year 8

During Year 8 skills are further developed alongside the theory of food and nutrition.

• Knowledge & Understanding - Eatwell Guide, nutrients and their functions, food provenance and food safety and hygiene.
• Practical Skills- developing the use of different kitchen equipment, follow recipes more independently, demonstrating safe food handling and storage and adapting recipes for healthier outcomes
• Behaviour & Attitude - Work safely and hygienically, show respect for shared equipment and work areas, follow instructions and complete all tasks on time and reflect on their cooking and suggest improvements.

Years 9, 10 and 11

Qualifications – NCFE level 1/2 Technical Award in Food in Cookery

This qualification aims to:

• Focus on the study of food and cookery
• Offer breadth and depth of study, incorporating a key core of knowledge
• Provide opportunities to acquire a range of practical and technical skills

 

• Health and Safety in Food Preparation

-Safe working practices in the kitchen

-Hygiene and food safety procedures

• Food Legislation and Provenance

-Understanding food laws and regulations

-Knowledge of where food comes from and how it's produced

• Nutrition and Balanced Diets

-Food groups and key nutrients

-Planning and evaluating balanced meals

• Factors Affecting Food Choice

-Cultural, ethical, and personal influences on food selection

• Food Preparation and Cooking Techniques

-Practical skills in preparing and cooking a variety of dishes

-Use of tools, equipment, and cooking methods

• Recipe Development and Evaluation

-Amending and improving recipes

-Evaluating outcomes and suggesting improvements

• Menu and Action Planning

-Planning meals and managing time and resources effectively

The assessment is formed of 2 parts, 60% course work where students plan, prepare, and evaluate dishes in response to a brief and 40% where the theoretical content is assessed.