Home > Curriculum > Design and Technology > Food Technology
Food Technology
- Members of Staff and Roles/Responsibilities
- Subject Overview
- KS3 Structure
- KS3 Content
- KS4 Option
- Additional Information
Members of Staff and Roles/Responsibilities
| Miss Elise Eldredge | Deputy Team Leader and Teacher responsible for Food Technology |
Subject Overview
Students who enjoy working both independently and as part of a team will get the most out of Food Technology – Students will complete a range of dishes and also produce their own project from concept to final product, building on skills learnt throughout the year. Students with innovative ideas and flair coupled with a logical and practical approach to producing quality products will enjoy the exciting challenges that KS3 and 4 Food Technology can offer.
Students start the year by completing a range of health and safety activities, one which is logged and kept centrally by all staff at the beginning of the year. All students complete the ‘food charter’. This ensures that they are all briefed on expectations of behaviour, homework, health and safety and hygiene protocol.
The food scheme of work is organised by strands from the national strategy. Each one is visited thoroughly; work is completed, assessed fed back and rewarded or concerns addressed and recorded. When all six strands are completed a range of design and make and focussed practical tasks and written tasks make up the rest of the years activities, building on what they have already gained experience in.
All of the girls are encouraged cook every practical lesson. Students should either bring their own ingredients or pay for ingredients provided in school. Students work is assessed every time they cook and folder work is marked continuously during theory lessons and at the end of a module where N/C levels are awarded and recorded in the books. The girls can see the criteria required for a level in each strand and these help them set their own targets both before and after a module.
Rewards come in the form of DT Food merits and school merits. These are stored in sticker form in a page in their planner for rewards by the HOY at specific times of the year. We also find that the tracking and monitoring exercise serves as a reward. Those who get a post card home are rewarded by parents who I have been told are thrilled to receive notice of their daughters’ achievements.
KS3 Structure
The girls are taught in mixed ability groups. In years 7 and 9 they are allocated two DT lessons per week. They will visit two DT areas each week for the first half year and the other two subjects in the second half of the year. In year 8 they have one DT lesson per week, so visit two DT areas during that year.
KS3 Content
Year 7 |
Year 8 |
Year 9 |
|
|
|
KS4 Option
Food Technology is an important subject because it underpins many careers. The food industry employs 17% of the entire UK workforce. In addition to academic and vocational routes, Food Technology teaches many life skills which are invaluable to all.
Who is it for?
This option will suit students who enjoy working independently. Students with innovative ideas and flair, coupled with a logical and practical approach to producing quality products, will enjoy the exciting challenges GCSE Food Technology can offer.
What will I study?
Essential life skills you will develop, such as:
-
How to cook, food safety, health and nutrition, time management skills, budgeting and costing
-
Advanced food preparation skills.
-
Design and graphics skills including the use of computers and CAD/CAM.
-
Industrial practices, legislation, quality control and scientific principles of food manufacture.
How will I study?
You will develop a design folio based on a project outline chosen from a selection. You will investigate the theme and design and make a range of ideas, using a variety of ingredients and equipment. Go on to develop one of these ideas as a final product. The product will be packaged, tested and evaluated. You will also keep a theory book where you will keep detailed notes from lessons which can be used for revision. Most weeks you will cook, when you will learn about food, health and safety legislation and techniques used to combine ingredients to make healthy meals and food products. It is recommended that 20% of folio work will be computer generated. This includes word processing, making charts, using design packages like Photoshop to design packaging and a plotter cutter to make packaging and labeling for products.
What exams are there?
AQA GCSE Food Technology
-
60% coursework – practical and written work to design and make a food product.
-
40% examination – principles of healthy eating, food safety, food science, product design, food industry practice and trends in food products and design.
CIEH Level 2 Award Food Safety in Catering
This six hour course in Year 10, with a thirty minute exam at the end, provides vital knowledge of the safe working practices required when working in the kitchen. It will also provide you with useful knowledge and revision materials required in the final exam in GCSE Food Technology. This qualification is worth half of one GCSE.
Career Information
You will be able to work immediately in the food industry with the CIEH Food Safety Certificate and in a whole range of catering careers which might require a GCSE in Food. For example:
-
chef or baker serving and preparing food or working in fast food outlets
-
food technician, who develops products, assesses nutritional values and tests them for suitability to be marketed
-
packaging or software designer to assist in producing products using computer aided design and manufacture
-
nutritionist or dietician in hospitals and private establishments
Progress Information
There are a range of courses for students to move on to develop a career in food. For example:
-
BTEC National Award in Hospitality Supervision
-
HND in Hospitality Management and Initial Catering
-
NVQ in Catering levels 1 and 2
-
NVQ in bakery levels 1 and 2
-
NVQ in Professional Chefs Catering levels 1 and 2
Pre-requisites
If you are opting for this course you must be aware of health and safety issues in a potentially hazardous area. Of course it helps if you love to cook!
You must be organised, plan ahead and be prepared to bring ingredients and containers in.
Internet access at home would useful, so that you can complete homework on-line and carry out research for your main project. However all students have internet access in college.
Enrichment
There is a range of activities open to KS3 and KS4 students.
Reward trip to Cadbury World in Birmingham
Trip to Brooks food manufacturers in Wigston.
BBC good Food Show
Trip to the DMU open day and degree shows in Art and Design.
Student Chef of the Year
Future Chef competition
