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Food, Hospitality & Catering

Food, Hospitality & Catering


What is our curriculum and intention?

The Hospitality & Catering curriculum is an inclusive curriculum where all students are challenged, supported and taught to the top. Students develop the skills to become creative and independent problem-solvers. Our students experience, and engage in, a wide range of creative and technical processes which are carefully sequenced to build skill over time. We aim to challenge misconceptions around the subject and subsequent careers and to provide an environment where all students are challenged and supported to achieve their very best. Students are supported in their development of literacy skills by providing opportunities for developing reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Overall, we aim to prepare students for life outside of school and beyond education, equipping them with the tools necessary for them to reach their full potential, regardless of ability.

 

What is our learning journey?

Our Curriculum is a five year ‘Learning Journey’ which aims to build practical skills and technical knowledge.

At Key Stage 3 in Food, our topics allow students to experience cooking for pleasure, and essential culinary skills such as food safety; kitchen hygiene; ingredient preparation; measuring; and following recipes. They also begin to understand the importance of nutrition, taste, and presentation in cooking.

The years are sequenced to ensure that, as students' progress through KS3, they are continuously and consistently developing key skills and knowledge, providing them with a strong basis for further study at KS4 and beyond. Within each year, units of work are sequenced to further support the development of skills and knowledge. There are clear links between units of work within year groups and across the key stage to cement prior learning and prepare for future learning. These aide the development of schemas (generative learning) which improves and assists retention. This can also be seen through the assessments which increase in complexity, developing skills and knowledge simultaneously.

At Key Stage 4 in Hospitality & Catering and Hospitality & Catering, we follow the Eduqas specifications. Units have been sequenced to reinforce prior learning from KS3 but also to ensure that more complex skills and technical knowledge are taught later in the course when skills and knowledge have been substantially developed. Year 10 begin to learn about the Hospitality & Catering industries and the vast opportunities available to them; they will learn about the specific roles within the industries and the responsibilities that those roles entail. Students follow a programme of study which develops independent, and further advanced, practical knowledge and skills, alongside technical and theoretical knowledge which is required to produce more secure outcomes. This allows students to increase skills and knowledge to produce more secure outcomes.

Each unit of work in KS3 and KS4 have key vocabulary (tier 2) and subject specific terminology (tier 3) attached to them. These are embedded in lessons and through student responses.

 

Hospitality & Catering Learning Journey

Why this? Why now? Why have we sequenced our curriculum this way?

At KS3, we follow a programme that carefully builds on prior knowledge and skills. KS3 is not designed to merely be a prequel to GCSE, rather it builds on the foundations established at KS2 to develop learners in all aspects of their Hospitality & Catering education. Strengthening the foundations and building, and revisiting, skills over time aims to embed key knowledge to success.

At KS4, skills and knowledge continue to be developed to allow for greater independent thinking and allow students to design and make products, both in Hospitality & Catering which demonstrate skill and challenge.

 

What will you typically see in our Hospitality & Catering lessons?

Long-term learning: Students to be made aware of the significance of this unit of work and specific lessons in relation to prior and future learning. Students are prompted to make links between prior key knowledge and skills in this scheme and those they have already studied.

Checking for understanding and mark making (ACMO): Comprehension questions; think, pair, share; cold call; questioning; class discussion; mini whiteboards with a 3, 2, 1 reveal. All pupils are subject to rigorous checking of their learning and supported to close any gaps they have in knowledge and skills by teachers’ effective formative assessment of their progress.

Live modelling and guided practice: I Do (a metacognitive approach), We Do (under the visualiser, on the board or practical demonstration), You Do (independent work with scaffolding); exploration, assessment and deconstruction of effective and ineffective model answers.

Explicit teaching of vocabulary: I say, you say; exploring the root and etymology of specific words; using key vocabulary within sentences; using key vocabulary in different formations and contexts; deliberate teaching of tier 2 and 3 vocabularies.

Teaching to the top: All lessons included in the schemes are designed to stretch and challenge students with appropriate adaptation to secure the best outcomes.

Retrieval practice and recall: Low-stakes quizzes; mini whiteboards with a 3, 2, 1 reveal; Do Now tasks.

How do we assess progress in our subject?

At Key Stage 3, formative assessment is an ongoing process and enabled through effective use of ACMO (mark making). Additionally, students are assessed on design skills, practical skills and knowledge and more formal elements such as written specifications and evaluative skills.

At Key Stage 4, formative assessment is vital is supporting students to make progress within the lesson. ACMO (mark making) is used to inform teachers of students understanding, informing of areas of success and reteach opportunities. In addition, students are assessed at the end of each unit of work following the assessment criteria for GCSE; students are then encouraged to develop their knowledge and skills, responding to teacher feedback. As the Key Stage develops, students work through a series of technical knowledge topics, developing their ability to approach exam questions successfully through scaffolding question analysis. In the Autumn term of Year 11, students will commence the NEA (Non-Examined Assessment). The practical skills and technical knowledge that have been harnessed throughout their learning journey will enable them to investigate a given context and apply their knowledge to create a successful meal plan which meets the needs and wants of the client.

How do we extend and enrich our curriculum?

We encourage students across all key stages to cultivate curiosity and a spirit of experimentation, especially when it comes to exploring new foods. Many of our students enjoy practicing their culinary creations at home, adding their unique twists, and sharing their family's feedback on their dishes, which enriches their learning experience.

For Key Stage 4 students, homework is thoughtfully designed to deepen their knowledge and skills. Assignments are primarily set through Seneca Learning, providing an engaging platform for revision and study. Additionally, students are encouraged to use a variety of resources, including past exam papers and revision guides, to reinforce their understanding and prepare for exams.

How does our subject relate to further education and careers?

Hospitality & Catering can lead on to Level 3 Hospitality & Catering, and a vast array of careers such as

  • Baker
  • Butcher
  • Catering Manager
  • Chef, Food Scientist
  • Restaurant Manager
  • Street Food Trader
  • Wedding Planners

and more!

If you would like more information about the Hospitality & Catering curriculum, please contact the Head of Department, Miss L Morris via email: lisa.morris@daca.uk.com.