“Food is a varied and exciting subject, which prepares pupils for independent living and the world of work.  Anyone who visits our food lessons will confirm that we have a vibrant and enthusiastic environment and provide an irresistible, challenging and engaging curriculum.’’ – Moreton’s Food Department.

Most of our learning is carried out through a combination of theoretical and practical work.  We passionately believe students should be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating so that they leave school with skills that they can use throughout their lives. Knowledge of a nutritious balanced diet is key to living a healthy lifestyle and physical and emotional wellbeing so this is taught from the outset in KS3.

Nurturing a passion for cooking and learning how to cook is an essential life skill that enables our students to feed themselves and others affordably and nutritiously, now and in later life.  We plan our curriculum to be challenging and knowledge rich which expands students’ cultural capital so that they can appreciate key issues such as moral beliefs, ethical choices and diversity within a multicultural society. We engage students by exploring a range of cuisines, ingredients, cooking techniques and traditions so that they learn a varied repertoire of recipes in order to be more part of a diverse society.   

At KS4 students study WJEC Level 2 Hospitality & Catering. It is an extremely popular option subject and every year our KS4 intake grows in size.  We believe that this is due to the practical nature of our subject which students find particularly engaging, coupled with the department’s drive and dedication to provide high challenge and new experiences.

Academic Success

The Food Department is dedicated to achieving excellent results by raising aspirations and attainment. It is a high achieving faculty; for example in 2021-2022 we achieved results significantly above national average with a 100% pass rate, 95% achieved a Level 2 Pass or above (equivalent to grades 4-9), 68% achieved a Level 2 Merit or above (equivalent to grades 5-9) and 26% achieved a Distinction or Distinction * (equivalent to grades 7-9). We are extremely proud of our students’ achievements and the role our department plays in setting the foundations for their further education and careers.

Classrooms

We have a well-equipped department that responds to the ever-changing demands of the subject. The staff that specialise in KS4 Hospitality & Catering have a real passion for the subject and are constantly updating their use of equipment, tools and processes as their professional practice feeds into their everyday teaching.

Enrichment

Students are encouraged to attend enrichment activities within the department and we are committed to ensuring that there is a broad range of additional opportunities on offer. Some of the recent opportunities available include inter-school house competitions, a visit from the Healthy Chinese Food Ambassadors, visits to University College Birmingham and virtual careers seminars focused on apprenticeships with the Hospitality sector. This academic year we have also run our school heats for the Future Chef competition and are looking forward to the local finals in the Autumn term. In Spring term the Hospitality team from the Royal Navy will also join us for practical workshops and careers advice. In order to improve the health and wellbeing of students we also participate annually in the national Healthy Eating Week run by the British Nutrition Foundation. We actively encourage our students to think carefully about a career in Hospitality and Catering, as it is one of the world’s largest employers, and so hold close links with local colleges and universities.

There are also opportunities to take part in enrichment activities afterschool on the following days:

Wednesday

Year 11 Intervention with Mrs Villau and Mr Ruthven

Friday

KS3 Cooking Club with Mrs Villau and Mrs Crawford

Food Curriculum Overview