Description

At KS3, Food Preparation & Nutrition operates within a carousel system alongside Art and Design, giving every student the chance to work with a range of materials and processes. In Food Preparation & Nutrition, we cover the five main areas across KS3:

1. Food, nutrition & health
2. Food science
3. Food safety
4. Food choice
5. Food provenance

Alongside this theoretical knowledge, students develop practical cooking skills, building confidence in both theory and practice to prepare them for success on the GCSE course but also equip them with essential life skills for independence and healthy living.

Content

Food is fundamental to our students’ health and wellbeing. At KS3, we develop both practical and theoretical skills, helping students understand nutrition, food science, and the wider context of food while learning to cook a variety of dishes from scratch, a key life skill for independence.

Year 7

Focus on nutrition, healthy eating guidelines and food safety. Students learn about key nutrients, portion control, and creating balanced meals using the Eat Well Guide and 8 tips for healthy eating. They also develop an understanding of food hygiene, including safe handling of ingredients, preventing cross-contamination, and cooking food to the correct temperature. This knowledge is applied through practical lessons, helping students make healthy and safe choices when preparing dishes.

Examples of dishes cooked	Practical skills
Egg fried rice, scones, scone-based pizza, pasta in a cheese sauce (all in one sauce), stir-fry, soup, seasonal fruit crumble, cheesy mash.	Measuring and weighing ingredients, knife skills, mixing and combining, cooking methods (boiling, frying, baking), testing for readiness, using equipment (kettle, grill, hob, oven, food probe, stick blender), preparing & shaping a dough.

Extended homework task – Students explore where food comes from, journey from farm to fork through a research-based project.

Year 8

Focus on food provenance and factors affecting food choice. They consider ethical, environmental, and economic factors that influence what people choose to eat, including special diets and the impact of religion on food choices. This knowledge is applied in practical lessons, helping students make informed decisions about ingredients and recipes while developing more advanced cooking skills.

Examples of dishes cooked	Practical skills
Ragu, lasagne (fresh pasta & roux sauce), pizza (yeasted dough), bread rolls, Chelsea buns, scones with homemade butter, sausage rolls (standard component puff pastry).	Preparing sauces, making fresh pasta, kneading and shaping dough, bread making, layering and assembling dishes, using equipment (equipment from Year 7 as well as pasta machine), applying cooking techniques to more complex recipes.

Extended homework task – Students explore advising a teenager on how to follow a healthy balanced diet, looking at the consequences of poor dietary choices and creating a new lifestyle plan. 

Year 9

Focus on food science and how ingredients interact. Students investigate the chemical and physical reactions that occur during cooking, such as how proteins set, sugars caramelise, and starches thicken. They learn how different ingredients and techniques affect texture, flavour, and appearance. This theoretical knowledge is applied in practical lessons, helping students develop more complex dishes and make informed decisions in the kitchen.

Examples of dishes cooked	Practical skills
Profiteroles, quiche, cottage pie, tagliatelle & meatballs, Viennese biscuits, flaky pastry.	Pastry skills (choux, shortcrust, and flaky), decorating and presentation, combining multiple techniques in one dish, advance practical skills, developing independence in the kitchen, using equipment (equipment from Year 7 & Year 8 as well as a food processor).

Extended homework task – Students create a time plan based on international cuisine. 

Exam board

AQA Food Preparation & Nutrition

Description

GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition is an exciting and creative course which focusses on practical cooking skills to ensure students develop a thorough understanding of nutrition, food provenance and the working characteristics of food materials. At its heart, this qualification focusses on nurturing students' practical cookery skills to give them a strong understanding of nutrition.

Content

Food Preparation and Nutrition ensures that students have the knowledge, understanding and skills required to cook and apply the principles of food science, nutrition and healthy eating. Students must be able to make the connections between theory and practice to apply their understanding of food and nutrition to practical preparation. 

Students develop knowledge and skills within the following topic areas:

1.  Food, nutrition and health
2. Food science
3. Food safety
4. Food choice
5. Food provenance

Please see the Curriculum Maps for more detail of the knowledge and skills developed over the KS4 Curriculum.

Exam board

Level 3 Alternative Academic Qualification in Food Science and Nutrition (First Teaching September 2026)

Description

Level 3 Alternative Academic Qualification in Food Science and Nutrition has been designed primarily to support learners progressing to university. An understanding of food science and nutrition is relevant to many industries and job roles. Students are awarded a certificate in year 12 and an extended certificate in year 13.

Content

The WJEC Level 3 Alternative Academic Qualification in Food Science and Nutrition (Extended Certificate) is designed for students who are passionate about food science, nutrition and health, and who are considering pursuing careers such as dietetics, food science, nutrition consultancy, public health or food product development. If you're interested in understanding the science behind food production, dietary health and how nutrition impacts well-being, this qualification is a great fit. It blends academic knowledge with practical application, helping you develop valuable real-world skills while building a solid academic foundation.

This qualification will enable you to demonstrate an understanding of the science of food safety, nutrition and nutritional needs in a wide range of contexts, and through on–going practical sessions, to gain practical skills to produce quality food items to meet the needs of individuals. It has been designed to offer exciting, interesting experiences through applied learning.

It also provides in-depth knowledge on key topics like food safety, the role of nutrients in the body and how to create innovative food products. By focusing on applied learning, it equips you with the research, analytical, and practical skills needed for university and beyond.

If you're interested in tackling real-world challenges, such as fighting obesity, improving food sustainability or addressing food security, this qualification will give you a strong foundation for a future in public health initiatives, food policy development or the research and development sectors within the food industry. The curriculum encourages creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving—skills that are essential in competitive and evolving industries.

Units

You will complete four units: three mandatory and one optional, over the two years. 

Unit 1: Nutritional Needs Across the Life Stages

This unit will provide you with an in-depth understanding of the properties and functions of nutrients, the impact of food production on nutritional value and how dietary requirements vary across different life stages. These topics are directly relevant to human nutrition and food science degrees.

Topic headings within the unit:

• Understand properties of nutrients
• Understand the relationship between nutrients and the human body
• Be able to plan nutritional requirements

You will be assessed through a written examination.

Unit 2: Developing Practical Food Production Skills

You will apply theoretical knowledge in a hands-on environment, learning advanced food preparation techniques while considering nutritional value and dietary needs. These skills mirror practical elements found in undergraduate laboratory-based / practical food science modules.

Topic headings within the unit are:

• Factors affecting food choice
• Planning, preparation and cooking techniques
• Evaluating dishes for specific target groups

You will be assessed on your ability to plan, prepare, cook and present a meal through recipe development and testing. You will be provided with a target audience, and your dishes must meet the needs of the target audience and showcase a range of skills and techniques.

Unit 3: Principles of Food Hygiene and Food Safety

You will gain essential knowledge in food safety, microbiology and regulatory requirements. This unit is particularly relevant if you intend to pursue a career involving food technology, quality control and food safety management as it introduces fundamental concepts related to foodborne illnesses, hazard analysis and industry standards. These topics are widely covered in food science and public health degrees.

Topic headings within the unit:

• Understand how microorganisms affect food safety
• Understand how food can cause ill health
• Understand how food safety is managed in different situations

You will be assessed through a written examination.

Unit 4: Experimenting to Solve Food Production Problems (optional)

You will develop research and investigative skills, mirroring scientific methodologies used in university-level courses. You will learn how to formulate hypotheses, design and conduct experiments and analyse results.

Topic headings within the unit:

• Understand the scientific properties of food
• Solving food production problems
• Scientifically investigate changes to food

For your assessment, you will be required to plan and investigate solutions to a given scenario.

Unit 5: Current Issues in Food Science and Nutrition (optional)

This unit encourages critical thinking and research into contemporary food science challenges, preparing students for research-focused university programmes.

Topic headings within the unit:

• Carry out research into a contemporary issue in food science and nutrition
• The use of research in food science and nutrition
• Evaluate own research into current issues in relation to food science and nutrition

For your assessment, you will undertake research into a contemporary issue in food science and nutrition.

Industry talks and visits including restaurants, fishmongers, local producers and careers talks are organised throughout the year.