Teach Secondary Issue 14.2

purchasing a jar of cinnamon for whole class use, a sack of carrots or 10kg of minced beef from a wholesale supplier, rather than from a local supermarket. Paired or group work can be real game-changer in this regard, sometimes helping to bring the cost of ingredients down to as low as 30 or 40 pence per pupil. It’s also far easier for a pair of pupils to make a recipe and do the washing up within 50 minutes, versus one pupil working on their own. Moreover, if the school provides the ingredients, each pupil can concentrate onmaking a single portion, rather than a meal for four to take home with them– thus further cutting down on cooking time, the amount of storage space you’ll need and required laundry loads. Exciting times Most people considering entering teaching nowwon’t have had the same experiences of food education that I did. As things stand, we need more teachers, and new routes into food education – approaches that leverage our growing fascination and interest in food, whilst accepting that we’re ‘selling’ a teaching role that likely isn’t what applicants will have experienced themselves. Right now, it’s an exciting time. The University of Roehampton has recently launched two new food teaching qualifications, which helpfully demonstrate the innovative thinking we need. Its new 10-day L7 qualification is designed for two distinct audiences – the first group being qualified teachers of other subjects, who want to gain the specialist knowledge and confidence they’ll need to deliver hands-on food lessons. The second intended audience comprises chefs, TAs and technicians who possess some culinary or classroom experience, but without the degree qualification needed to enable a PGCE pathway. It’s a new qualification, specifically designed to teach the specialist knowledge and skills needed to deliver a practical food curriculum– and would be a good investment for any school wanting to set up or revitalise their practical food learning provision. Leiths Education is proud to be working with the University of Roehampton on this new qualification, and to be supporting them with the first regional PGCE in Food and Nutrition. Closing thoughts While I make no apologies for being passionate around food education, I must acknowledge that secondary education today is very different frommy experiences over 40 years ago. That’s why we need new, innovative thinking, so that we can enable more children to benefit fromhands-on practical food lessons. What encourages me is the commitment shown by some teachers and school leaders to offering young people a broad and balanced curriculum, and the courage with which they have tried to innovate, despite the many challenges schools regularly face. High quality food education is valuable in and of itself, but also a subject that gives much more to young people than youmay initially think. I urge you to make it a priority in the curriculum! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Maria Dunbar is CEO of Leiths Education and is a former secondary food technology teacher; for more information, visit leiths.com/explore/ partner-schools THE IDEAL FOOD EDUCATION RECIPE 1 CONSIDER THE WIDER BENEFITS Food education is a great way of helping young people learn valuable life skills, such as problem solving, timekeeping and project management. 2 KEEP IT SIMPLE Introducing food education needn’t entail major investments in equipment. At KS3, there are many recipes that require little in the way of specialist kitchen aids and utensils. 3 TEAMUP Getting students to work in groups can significantly reduce the cost of ingredients and the amount of equipment needed within the learning space. 4 HELPDELIVER OUTCOMES It’s rewarding for young people to create (and sample) delicious food. Doing so affords a sense of accomplishment and a positive connection with the food they eat. 5 EXPLORE DIFFERENT CUISINES Food education provides opportunities for young people to be exposed to – and appreciate – a wide range of foods, while exploring new tastes from different countries and cultures, and expanding their palate. 51 teachwire.net/secondary F O O D E D U C AT I O N