Food and Nutrition
Food and Nutrition at St James’ aims to build global Catholic citizens by equipping students with the knowledge, understanding and skills required to cook and apply the principles of food science, nutrition and healthy eating. Our curriculum will encourage students to cook and enable them to make informed decisions about a wide range of further learning opportunities and career pathways as well as develop vital life skills that enable them to feed themselves and others affordably and nutritiously, now and later in life.
The Food and Nutrition schemes of work are designed to develop the life essential skills required. Allowing pupils the opportunity to practise their skills and become confident in a kitchen during Key Stage 3.
During their time in Food and Nutrition pupils:
- Demonstrate effective and safe cooking skills by planning, preparing and cooking using a variety of food commodities, cooking techniques and equipment
- Develop knowledge and understanding of the functional properties and chemical processes as well as the nutritional content of food and drinks
- Understand the relationship between diet, nutrition and health, including the physiological and psychological effects of poor diet and health
- Understand the economic, environmental, ethical, and socio-cultural influences on food availability, production processes, and diet and health choices
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of functional and nutritional properties, sensory qualities and microbiological food safety considerations when preparing, processing, storing, cooking and serving food
- Understand and explore a range of ingredients and processes from different culinary traditions (traditional British and international), to inspire new ideas or modify existing recipes
Food is a compulsory subject at Key Stage 3 and an essential need in life. By participating in Food and Nutrition pupils not only gain a wide range of life skills, but also broaden their taste preferences and exposure to new flavours. The Food and Nutrition curriculum promotes enjoyment and immediate outcomes where pupils can celebrate their successes and a culture of competition is formed. They learn how to produce nutritional meals for themselves and their families whilst gaining an understanding of where food has come from and how transportation can impact on the environment. Pupils also explore the many moral issues relating to food production. Pupils learn to work as part of a team and develop the skills of multi-tasking. They understand the importance of good personal hygiene and how to store food correctly to reduce the risk of food borne diseases.
