Food Preparation and Nutrition

Curriculum Information

Subject rationale – Why study the subject? What benefits does it bring?

“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to catch fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Food is a vital part of our daily lives. As our students become adults and have busy lives, it is easy to choose food that has been already been prepared. However, it is more nutritious and often cheaper to cook simple, delicious food. At Bishop Challoner Catholic College, students will develop their knowledge and understanding of nutrition, healthy eating, food preparation, hygiene, cooking techniques, and sensory characteristics. We aim to give our students vital life skills that enable them to feed themselves and others affordably and nutritiously, now and later in life. We aim to encourage the development of high calibre skills and resilience in a safe environment, allowing students to demonstrate commitment and act on feedback, to 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. We aim to develop understanding that will allow students to become discerning consumers of food products, enabling them to participate in society in an active and informed manner and to engage with students to encourage them to understand the environmental factors which affect the inequalities in food distribution on a global scale. They will explore the need to minimise ‘food waste’ starting with their own practise.  Students will enhance their understanding, appreciation and acceptance of people from a variety of cultural backgrounds through the preparation of food from different countries and to encourage them to develop an awareness and acceptance of diversity within our community. Our hope is that through Food studies, students are provided with a context through which to explore the richness, pleasure and variety that food adds to life.

 

KS3 curriculum overview

Year 7

The year 7 scheme of work introduces students to basic culinary skills as well as a basic understanding of nutrition and healthy eating principles. They will use basic catering equipment to prepare simple products whilst applying their knowledge of health, safety and hygiene in relation to food preparation.

They will develop skills in weighing and measuring (crumble and muffins), cutting skills; the ‘bridge-hold’ and ‘claw-grip’ (fruit fusion, Veggie wrap and pizza toast). They will develop confidence and competence when using the cooker with guidance (hob and oven) when making a healthier ‘fake away’ such as chicken goujons and spicy wedges.  They will develop basic skills in presentation techniques. They will develop analytical skills when sensory evaluating their work. They will consider food waste, composting, factors that affect food choice, food provenance and the functional and nutritional properties of the food ingredients used throughout the scheme.

 

Year 8

The year 8 scheme of work allows students to build on skills learnt in year 7. They will develop skills with utensils and some electrical equipment and develop a variety of cutting techniques such as to slice and dice into even sizes to help present their products to a good professional standard. They will be able to develop more confidence when using the cooker to stir-fry (veggie stir-fry), fry (fajitas), boil (bolognese and curry) and bake (Banana cake and focaccia). They will be able to prepare, combine and shape (precise knife skills, marinade, roll, wrap, all-in-one method, kneading, shaping and seasoning) whilst preventing cross contamination and handling high risk foods correctly. They will start to explore the catering and hospitality industry such as the origins of the kitchen brigade and the role of the environmental health officer. Throughout the scheme students will further develop understanding of food science and the importance of food provenance, food waste, seasonality, food labelling to include nutritional analysis and foods from other cultures.

 

Year 9

The year 9 scheme of work enables students to recall, apply and transfer the skills learnt in year 7 and 8 when making products using different preparation techniques and methods when cooking with a variety of different skills and present them to a high standard (chilli, calzone, apple cake, marble cake, toad-in-the-hole and a vegetarian/vegan product). They will learn to select and adjust cooking times and to judge and modify sensory properties such as seasoning, precise presentation and garnishing. They will work independently to produce products in a set time whilst demonstrating knowledge of health and safety. Throughout the scheme students will further develop their understanding of nutrition, food science, the catering industry (HACCP, mis en place, food product development, professional finish to products and labour saving equipment), food security, sustainable diets, ethics, consumerism, climate change and reasons for people’s different food choices and that this may be influenced by need, cost, culture or religion.

 

KS4 curriculum overview

At KS4 we offer WJEC Level 1/2 Award in Hospitality and Catering. The course is assessed using a combination of internal and external assessment. This is a two-year course comprises of two mandatory units: Unit 1: The Hospitality and Catering Industry (external examination) and Unit 2:  Hospitality and Catering in Action (internal assessment). Unit 1 is worth 40% of the final grade and Unit 2, the Non Examination Assessment (NEA) the other 60%. Students must complete both units. Students will sit the external examination at the end of year 10 although there is the opportunity to re-sit it at the end of year 11. Unit achievement is based on a student’s ability to meet the assessment criteria. Units can be awarded a summative grade of Level 1 Pass, Level 2 Pass, Level 2 merit or Level 2 Distinction. For unit 1 students will gain knowledge and understanding about the environment in which the hospitality and catering providers operate, how its provisions operate, how the industry meets health and safety requirements, how food can cause ill health and to be able to propose a hospitality and catering provision to meet specific requirements. The duration of the external assessment is 90 minutes which is worth 90 marks. The assessment comprises of short and extended answer questions based around applied situations. Students will use stimulus material presented in different formats to respond to questions. For unit 2(NEA) students will draw on their learning from unit 1 and gain knowledge of the nutritional needs of a range of client groups. They will learn and develop safe and hygienic food preparation, cooking and professional finishing skills when making a range of dishes. Students will respond to a given a brief provided by the examination board that sets out an applied purpose. They will apply their learning to safely prepare, cook and present nutritional dishes while ensuring customer appeal. They will have 9 hours to complete the NEA where they will produce a portfolio of work that addresses all assessment criteria to include a practical session. The NEA is conducted under specified controlled conditions.

 

KS4 Revision Guidance

  • Students are encouraged to revise regularly through half termly tests on the content taught. They are provided with half termly- homework booklets which cover all theory content in an engaging and visual format that is accessible.
  • It is important that the students recognise that the knowledge and understanding they develop is vocationally relevant so they encouraged to watch any relevant TV shows that demonstrate the hospitality industry in action and put it into context such as Masterchef, The World’s most Luxurious Hotels, The Hotel Inspector, Premier Inn, Britain’s Biggest Budget Hotel to name but a few.
  • Students are provided with hard copies of past papers and mark schemes.

 

Career opportunities

Studying Level1/2 Hospitality and Catering can lead to a wide range of opportunities such as further study or employment. Further study would provide students with the opportunity to develop specialist skills that would support their progression to employment. Employment in hospitality and catering can range from waiting staff, receptionists and catering assistants to chefs, hotel and bar managers and food technologists in food manufacturing.

 

Attachments/links/ further information

 

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