The Home Economics department works with pupils from Years 6-11.

The overall aim of the department is to:

• Encourage pupils to learn the basic skills of preparing and cooking food
• Encourage healthy eating
• Encourage an awareness of reading labels and shopping wisely

 Year 6 follow a programme of both practical cookery and craft skills. They learn how to use all parts of the oven making hot chocolate; scones; pizza; mini Christmas cakes and much more.  The craft includes embroidery for Christmas and Mothers Day and Glass painting for Fathers Day.

Years 7 & 8 follow a practical cookery course that allows them to learn new skills and improve on the skills already acquired.

Year 9 pupils follow the Entry Level Child Development certificate (AQA).  This helps them learn the skills of research; using their ICT skills and presenting work to be moderated by the exam board. It is a valuable certificate to have and also as a sounding board for GCSE Child Development.

Health education also plays a large part of the Home Economics programme throughout all the year groups; having knowledge about care of your body and how it functions is as important as knowing what to feed it.

Years 10 & 11 follow the AQA Child Development and /or Food and Nutrition.

Child Development:

Unit 1: Written Paper – 1 hour 30 minutes – 100 marks – 40%

Unit 2: Controlled assessment – approximately 27 hours in total – 90 marks across the two tasks – 60% of total mark, 40% on the child study and 20% on the research task

Research Task – approximately 7 hours of supervised time - 30 marks – 20%

Unit 3: Child Study – approximately 20 hours of supervised time – 60 marks – 40%

Food and Nutrition:

Unit 1: Written Paper – 1 hour 30 minutes – 100 marks – 40%

Unit 2:  Food and Nutrition in Practice:

Controlled assessment – 24-26 hours in total – 160 marks across two tasks – 60% of total marks, 45% Individual Investigation, 15% Research Task.

Individual Investigation –  approximately 18 hours of supervised time -120 marks – 45%

Research Task –  approximately 6-8 hours of supervised time - 40 marks – 15%

Progression: These courses will form the basis for progression to AS/A Level; GCE Health and Social Care; GNVQs and Cache Diploma in Childcare and Education.

For more details please visit the home Economics page in our emagazine.