Year 7 Hospitality & Catering

What students learn this year:

Students build on their Key Stage 2 Design and Technology learning, developing basic cooking skills and learning how to use equipment safely. Food is taught for a 10-week rotation with other areas of DT. The following programme is repeated for each class when they enter the Food rotation rather than being a different curriculum for each school term. They study The Eatwell Guide, Healthy eating, Energy balance, Macro and Micronutrients, and Personal hygiene & food safety.

Students prepare a range of dishes from basic, medium to complex skills using different cooking methods and learn to modify recipes and evaluate their food using sensory analysis.

Overview

Area	Main topics / units	Key knowledge & skills
Food and nutrition theory	● The Eatwell Guide and healthy eating guidelines ● Energy balance – diet and the importance of nutrition ● Dietary guidelines and Nutrients ● Diet and health – food choices ● Food hygiene and safety ● Food science ● Equipment and Cooking methods	● Recall and apply The Eatwell Guide and the 8 tips for healthy eating to their own diet ● Discuss energy and how needs change through life ● Name the key nutrients, their sources and functions ● Acquire and demonstrate the principles of food hygiene and safety ● Identify how and why people make different food and drink choices ● Acquire and apply the basics of food science ● Identifying equipment and learning about cooking methods
Practical cooking	Fruity flapjacks, fruit salad, pizza toasties, bread rolls (shaping and glazing), shortbread biscuits, fruity or cheese scones, Chilli nachos, pasta salad with homemade salad dressing, cupcakes with icing.	● Use basic equipment and tools and a range of food skills and techniques ● Adapt and follow recipes using appropriate ingredients and equipment, increasing in complexity ● Food groups and provenance, nutrition and recipe modification ● Health and safety and cultural influences on food
Planning, making and evaluating	Recipes with basic and medium skills; recipe modification; planning, preparation, cooking and evaluation using sensory analysis	● Engage in an iterative process of planning and making ● Evaluate and test their own ideas and the work of others using a range of sensory analysis methods ● Apply literacy and numeracy skills in real-life preparation, cooking and nutrition ● Progress towards technical skill, dietary guidelines and portion control, large-scale production and international cuisines

How learning and progress are checked

Teaching approach: Each 100-minute Food lesson follows a structured routine focused on safety, skill-building and independence. Lessons begin with an introduction to lesson objectives, a do now task, and a short culinary demonstration. Students establish the foundations of food and nutrition and independently plan, prepare, cook and present their dishes following hygiene and safety methods when handling ingredients and equipment. Students are given one-to-one guidance and spot demonstrations from the teacher and the food technician. All students challenge themselves to make quality outcomes and evaluate their work using sensory analysis. T hey apply the Eatwell Guide and develop their understanding of nutrients, food provenance, food choice and recipe modification. By the end of the rotation, students should be increasingly confident in completing practical tasks independently and evaluating their own work.

Assessment in this year group:

Type of assessment	Approx. frequency / when	What it is used for (e.g. reports, targets)
Practical cooking and sensory evaluation	Every practical lesson (weekly)	Students evaluate their dishes using sensory analysis to judge quality and identify improvements
Teacher observation and one-to-one feedback	During every practical lesson	To check safe working and skills, and give targeted guidance and demonstrations
My learning journey booklet	Ongoing throughout the year	Students track their progress in cooking, nutrition, food provenance, ingredients and creativity
End-of-topic / end-of-rotation or term assessment	Students are assessed based on their practical skill progression, evaluation and written assessment on theory knowledge in lessons.	Students are graded based on the school’s assessment criteria based on classwork, independent work, and commitment to learning.

Homework and Independent Study

Weekly homework is set for students to plan for their practical, modify given recipe and research the topics being taught and evaluate dishes made.

Typical length per task: homework ranges between 20 minutes to 30 minutes weekly.

Suggested independent study: Students are encouraged to use BBC food website, watch videos on various apps, read the theory of nutrition and use recipe books. Students are encouraged to practise recipes from lessons at home and to review their making tasks.

How parents and carers can support

Encourage your child to practise the recipes they have made in school at home.
Involve your child in planning, shopping for and cooking family meals.
Talk about The Eatwell Guide and healthy food choices at mealtimes.
Ask your child to explain how they kept food safe and hygienic in their lesson.
Make sure your child brings their ingredients and a suitable container on practical days.
Learn to identify ingredients and practice the skills of weighing and measuring ingredients with accuracy.
Develop an understanding of modifying recipes to address dietary needs and allergies.

Support, stretch and enrichment

Support for students who need extra help: Teachers provide one-to-one guidance and spod demonstrations during every practical to ensure safety and build skills. The consistent lesson routine and step-by-step demonstrations help all students work safely and with growing confidence.

Stretch & challenge: More confident students are challenged to modify recipes, address different dietary needs, health issues or allergies, and to use metacognitive strategies to recall techniques and achieve high-quality outcomes. They are encouraged to build a repertoire of skills to create high-quality dishes for a wide range of people.

Clubs / trips / extra opportunities: Students have enrichment activities and inter school Bake off competitions. Students volunteer to support the department with school fund raising events i.e., bake sales and selected to demonstrate skills for open evening and options evening events.