Food Technology is a creative, “hands on” subject to be enjoyed by all children at The Willows School. We aim to instil a love of cooking in children from an early age and equip them with crucial life skills for the future.

The curriculum focuses on the importance of a healthy and varied diet and how this can be achieved whilst enabling children to produce tasty and interesting meals and snacks. Basic nutrition; hygiene and safety; weighing and measuring are incorporated into every lesson to ensure confidence when preparing food from recipes. Pupils will be making products from “scratch” so gaining confidence and independence when preparing a wide range of ingredients as well as learning many new food preparation skills. Students are fully involved in the process from preparing, cooking, clearing away to tasting and evaluating the products they make.

As pupils progress through the school they will plan and prepare increasingly challenging products, further developing their understanding of the links between science and food; nutrition and the functions of ingredients.

Food is an ideal medium for sharing cross-curricular links with other subjects and the Food Technology department works with all of the subjects – following written and verbal instructions, reading, speaking and listening, weighing, measuring, using time and money, personal hygiene and problem solving.

Pupils are taught by a specialist Food Technology teacher, providing the pupils with the opportunity to use basic cooking skills, using a cooker and clearing away after the practical work. Following routines, safety and independence are always paramount.

The Food Technology curriculum culminates with an Enterprise fast food project and a restaurant offering a 3 course meal or afternoon tea. There is also an opportunity to take part in a hospitality related work experience.