Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the National Curriculum adequately covers a) practical skills related to basic food preparation and nutrition and b) education on the origins of food and agricultural production.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Food education is covered primarily within design and technology, and elements of food education can also be covered across biology, geography and relationships, sex and health education in the national curriculum. The curriculum requires that pupils learn about healthy eating, where food comes from, nutrition and sustainability. Schools also have flexibility within the broad framework of the national curriculum to tailor curriculum subjects to meet the needs of their pupils.

Additional resources are available from Oak National Academy, who have recently developed a new cooking and nutrition curriculum package. This has been designed by experts to give access to practical, engaging lessons covering food preparation, cooking techniques and healthy eating.

In the recent response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the department has set out that we will be ensuring that the programmes of study for cooking and nutrition, which will be renamed food and nutrition, are more specific and prepare pupils for life and potential future careers in the food sector.

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