Food Science and Nutrition allows students to develop a range of theoretical and practical skills
The science element affords students an in depth knowledge of how ingredients work together
Students will also acquire a range of high level technical culinary skills
Why study Food and Nutrition?
Diet, nutrition, food and health have never been discussed so much in our lives and media as it is today. There are many health issues attributed to poor diet and nutrition and it is important that students are given the opportunities to explore this.
Good nutrition is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle and your food choices each day affect your health — how you feel today, tomorrow, and in the future.
Key Stage 3
The topics covered at KS3, build up skills and knowledge needed for students to progress to study the subject at GCSE level. The topics studied at KS3 are detailed below:-
Year 7:
- Unit 1 – Leading a fruitful life
- Unit 2 – The Eatwell guide and Multicultural Cuisine
- Unit 3 – Nuritional properties and functions of ingredients
Year 8 and 9 follow the Creative Curriculum programme which allows a multi-discipline carousel of Design and Technology subjects including Food and Nutrition, Creative Media and Design and Technology alongside Philosophy and Ethics and Outdoor Learning to give a unique offering to our older KS3 students.
https://www.whitehavenacademy.org.uk/parents-info/creative-curriculum/
KS4
GCSE
Key Information about the course:
This new GCSE, Food Preparation and Nutrition, is an exciting and creative course which focusses on practical cooking skills to ensure you develop a thorough understanding of nutrition, food provenance and the working characteristics of food materials. At its heart, this qualification focusses on nurturing your practical cookery skills and gives you a strong understanding of nutrition. This course is a very popular course and has successful results for students who enjoy combining theoretical knowledge with practical skills. The team of dedicated and hardworking staff are very experienced and knowledgeable and are driving forward standards rapidly in this subject area.
Content Overview
Food preparation skills: these are intended to be integrated into these five sections:
- Food, nutrition and health
- Food science
- Food safety
- Food choice
- Food provenance
- The range of food and ingredients studied reflect the recommended guidelines for a healthy diet based on the main food commodity groups. Food groups include:
- bread, cereals, flour, oats, rice, potatoes and pasta
- fruit and vegetables (fresh, frozen, dried, canned and juiced)
- milk, cheese and yoghurt
- meat, fish, eggs, soya, tofu, beans, nuts and seeds
- butter, oil, margarine, sugar and syrup.
Method of assessment: Theoretical knowledge of food preparation and nutrition from sections 1-5 above.
- Non-examined assessment (NEA) (50%)
- Paper 1: Food preparation and nutrition (50%)
- Task 1: Food Investigation. Your knowledge and understanding of the working characteristics, functional and chemical properties of ingredients will be assessed. This is in the form of a written report (1,500-2,000 words) including photographic evidence of the practical investigations you have carried out. The practical investigations are a compulsory element.
- Task 2: Food preparation assessment. Your knowledge, skills and understanding in relation to the planning, preparation, cooking, presentation of food and the application of nutrition related to the chosen task will be assessed.
- You will prepare, cook and present a final menu of three dishes within a single period of no more than three hours, planning in advance how this will be achieved. An electronic portfolio will be completed with photographic evidence of the three final dishes and should show case as many skills as possible.
- General practical skills
- Knife skills
- Preparing fruit and vegetables
- Using the cooker
- Using equipment
- Cooking methods
- Preparing, binding and shaping
- Sauce making
- Tenderising meat
- Dough
- Raising agents
- Setting mixtures
Possible career pathways:
Food technologist, dietician, nutritional therapist, product developer, teacher, sport and exercise related careers, health sector professions e.g. nursing, occupational therapy courses.
Upon completion of this course, you would be qualified to go onto further study, or embark on an apprenticeship or full time career in the catering and food industries.