Food Technology Department

Introduction

Food Technology is one of the Design and Technology suite of subjects, administered by AQA examinations Board.It is examined at GCSE level and is open to both boys and girls with an interest in the Food Industry and the development of Food Products which could be sold in the market place.

Key Stage 3

Students study the subject once a week (60 minutes) for two sessions of nine weeks’ duration.

Year 7 First Session

• Students have an introduction to Food Technology
• Learn the importance of hygiene and safety
• Familiarise themselves with gas and electric cookers.

The students cook products to emphasise these points e.g. fruit salad, risotto, scones and pizza

Year 7 Second session

• Students complete a design and make task.
• Design and make a new salad which encourages people to eat more fruits and vegetables.

A National Curriculum level will be awarded for their Designing and Making skills.

Year 8 First Session

• Further practical skills introduced through focused tasks such as the comparison of cheese sauces on the market. Practical lessons based around different types of sauces.
• Using IT to demonstrate the industrial application of star profile graphs and accessing nutritional information.

Year 8 Second Session

Students complete a design and make task, developing a new muffin, batch produced, completed with packaging.

A National Curriculum level is awarded for their Design and Making skills.

Year 9 First Session

Students now have 9 weeks to produce a design and make task closely related to industrial practices.

East Meets West

Students will develop a new savoury multicultural cook/chill main meal product suitable for sale in Supermarkets. Emphasis is on research, food practical skills, development of the product and hazard analysis. The remaining 4 weeks are used to extend the students knowledge and skills of the bread making process and how to develop basic bread dough into ‘new’ and interesting products.

Year 9 Second Session

Students return for a further 5 weeks later on in the year and will learn the techniques of bread making and how to develop a basic dough. During this time they carry out a ‘Be a Baker’ assignment where they combine the skills of pastry and cake making to produce a ‘new’ cake. The emphasis is on a quality product and an understanding of the functions of the ingredients used.

The level awarded for the design and practical work is combined with levels from the other Design and Technology subjects to achieve the non-statutory SAT (Standard Assessment Test) KS3 overall level for each student.

GCSE

Year 10

Students cover all the Key Stage 4 Programmes of Study in preparation for the introduction of the major GCSE Coursework Task which is introduced before the end of the Summer Term.

The Scheme of Work includes focused tasks that will help students to:

• Understand the working characteristics of Food to design and make a ‘new’ food product.
• Show the relevant use of ICT of costing, nutritional values, flow charts.
• Consider the wider moral social cultural and environmental implications.
• Understand and apply the industrial practices used within the Food Industry.
• An awareness of Health and Safety through HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point)

To help achieve these objectives the students will improve their culinary skills through:

• short design and make tasks covering pastry, biscuit making, desserts, bread making, main course cook/chill products, using fish, meat and vegetarian alternatives.
• Simulated exercises of industrial practices e.g. batch production of scones.
• Investigations into functional foods e.g. cholesterol lowering spreads, modified starches, encapsulated technology e.g. jelly beans and meat analogus e.g. Quorn
• Disassembly and product analysis of foods already available on the supermarket shelves.

Towards the end of the Summer Term students will be introduced to the major coursework task. This task carries 60% of the examination mark with the written paper 40%. Students are given up to 3 possible tasks to choose from.

Year 11

Students work on their Coursework Task from September to half term in the Spring Term with an interruption for the Mock Examinations.

Students are given a choice of up to three design tasks to work on covering desserts, cook/chill products or specialised diets. The folders should show good sound research leading towards their Design Criteria.

Possible dishes are considered and made before choosing one that they will develop into the final product.

An understanding of the industrial implications is essential and the relevant use of ICT.

The final products some of which are shown below are expected to be of a high standard matching their specification and aimed at the appropriate target market.
These are a few of the many quality products that have been made:

Young Chef Competition

In the past the school has entered the Thatcham and District Rotary Young Chef Competition for students aged 11–13 in local schools. The competition took place in the new kitchen at Newbury College.

The Downs School has won this competition several times.

Contestants from local secondary schools who enter have to plan and make a two course meal costing no more than a certain amount within a set time.

The winners are presented with a shield for the school and a personal prize.