Food Technology

Vision

At Holly House School, our Food Technology curriculum equips pupils with the practical knowledge, confidence and independence needed to prepare food safely and participate successfully in everyday life. Through purposeful cooking, sensory exploration and clear routines, pupils develop essential life skills linked to nutrition, hygiene, wellbeing and preparation for adulthood. We want pupils to experience success in the kitchen, broaden the foods they are willing to explore and understand how informed choices about food can support healthy, independent lives.

Intent

Our curriculum is ambitious, inclusive and carefully sequenced from supported participation to increasingly independent planning, preparation and evaluation. It prioritises:

Independence and functional life skills, including preparing simple meals and making informed food choices.
Safe and hygienic working, including the 4Cs: cleaning, cooking, chilling and avoiding cross-contamination.
Practical preparation and cooking skills using an increasing range of tools, equipment and methods.
Understanding nutrition, food groups, the Eatwell Guide, hydration and balanced diets.
Sensory exploration, communication and subject-specific vocabulary.
Understanding where food comes from, seasonality, culture, sustainability and food waste.
Budgeting, shopping, meal planning and evaluation in preparation for adult life.

Implementation

Food Technology is delivered through highly structured, practical lessons across Key Stages 2 and 3. Every lesson reinforces ready-to-cook routines, hygiene, safe equipment use, accurate following of instructions and responsible clearing and storage. Learning is organised through consistent curriculum threads: Safety and Hygiene; Equipment and Cooking Methods; Nutrition and Healthy Eating; Food Origins, Culture and Sustainability; Sensory Analysis and Evaluation; and Independent Living. Visual recipes, modelling, step-by-step instruction, adapted equipment and repeated practice enable pupils to access learning from their individual starting points. Pupils revisit key knowledge and skills in progressively demanding contexts. They move from naming equipment and completing supported preparation tasks to selecting methods, controlling temperatures, adapting recipes, planning meals, costing ingredients, shopping within a budget and evaluating finished dishes. Ongoing Holly House School | Food Technology Curriculum assessment through observation, questioning, practical outcomes, photographs and pupil reflection informs next steps.

Impact

Our Food Technology curriculum supports pupils to become safer, healthier and more independent learners. As a result of the curriculum, pupils:

Prepare and cook food with increasing confidence and independence.
Demonstrate secure hygiene and kitchen-safety routines.
Select and use tools, equipment and cooking methods appropriately.
Understand how food choices, nutrition, hydration and activity contribute to wellbeing.
Use subject vocabulary to describe ingredients, processes and sensory qualities.
Plan, cost, prepare and evaluate meals with increasing independence.
Show greater willingness to explore a range of foods, tastes and textures.
Apply practical learning to home, community and preparation-for-adulthood contexts.

Evidence of impact is seen in practical outcomes, teacher assessment, photographs, pupil voice and the increasing reduction of adult support over time.

Food Technology - Curriculum Delivery

food technology curriculum delivery class headings corrected.pdf

Food Technology - Knowledge and Skills Mapping

food technology knowledge and skills mapping progression holly house.pdf