DEPARTMENT FOR
CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES News Release (2008/0015) issued by
The Government News Network on 22 January 2008
Every young person
will do compulsory practical cooking lessons for the first time
ever, Children, Schools and Families Secretary of State Ed Balls
announced today.
From 2011, every 11 to 14-year-old will be given, hands-on
cooking lessons in how to make cheap, healthy dishes from simple,
fresh ingredients. Cooking has never been compulsory in secondary
schools before.
Over 85 per cent of schools already have the facilities in place
and offer food technology classes - lessons will be compulsory and
will cover basic cooking skills for all pupils in these schools
from this September and in every school from 2011.
The measures are a key part of the Government's strategy to
cut obesity, to be launched by Health Secretary Alan Johnson and
Ed Balls tomorrow (23 January).
Mr Balls said the Government will target an extra £2.5 million a
year when lessons become compulsory to cover or subsidise the cost
of cooking ingredients for pupils on free school meals, to ensure
that no child is disadvantaged.
And he said all secondary schools would build, modernise or share
good food technology facilities so every child can learn in
up-to-date kitchens ready for 2011.
He also said he was asking the public to suggest healthy versions
of classic dishes young people can cook - from Shepherd's Pie
or curries to tomato and bolognese sauces to baked apples and
fruit crumbles.
Mr Balls said:
"Leaving school able to cook healthy dishes from scratch is
an essential everyday skill all young people should have.
We're not talking about schools training top chefs - but it
is right that children learn the basics they need to go on and
start cooking at home with their parents and later on their own.
"The vast majority of schools already offer food technology
and we've ensured that every child that wants lessons will
get them - but we're now taking this further by focussing on
basic cooking skills and with investment and support for schools.
"It must be a thing of the past that young people -
especially boys - can leave secondary school never having had a
basic cooking lesson.
"Simple cooking is a fundamental skill that every young
person should master - it is at the heart of tackling obesity and
will enable future generations to understand food, diet and
nutrition; and put together healthy meals for their entire lives.
"That is why we are also asking people to e-mail in to
getcooking.consultation@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk with suggestions for
simply healthy recipes which young people could learn."
The key elements are:
* Food technology will be a compulsory Key Stage 3 curriculum
entitlement for every 11-14 year old from September 2011 - with a
term of food technology lessons, involving practical cooking
lessons and classes on diet, nutrition, hygiene and healthy food
shopping. The new secondary curriculum, announced last year and
introduced this September, deliberately focuses on practical
cooking skills and knowledge and less on food manufacturing
processes, packaging and marketing.
* The 85% of secondary schools, which currently offer food
technology and have their own teaching facilities, will be
expected to have compulsory classes for all children from this September.
* From September 2008, ministers have already announced all young
people in the remaining schools not offering food technology, have
a "licence to cook" if they want to, in after-school
cooking clubs or neighbouring schools. Today's announcement
extends this to all children.
* Around 800 new food technology teachers and teaching assistants
will be trained through Initial Teacher Training over the next
three years and another 150 teachers will enter the profession
through employment-based routes. By the end of this March, 100
cookery teachers will have been recruited and trained to help
schools which currently do not teach food technology.
* Today's announcement builds on the existing 'Food in
Schools' programme, which was set up in 2001 so expert
secondary food teachers can train primary colleagues to teach
cooking and related areas such as healthy eating and food safety -
with more than 4000 primary teachers trained by this March 2008
and 260 trained secondary teachers by the same date. The programme
supports primary schools to work towards the healthy eating strand
of Healthy Schools.
* The Government will target £2.5m a year to cover or subsidise
the cost of cooking ingredients for pupils on free school meals to
ensure that no child is disadvantaged.
* All secondary schools will build or modernise good food
technology equipment and facilities on their own site or to share
at neighbouring schools or colleges.
* The public are being asked to suggest which classic British and
international main courses and puddings young people should be
taught by emailing getcooking.consultation@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk. This
will be published as a guide for schools.
* Cooking will remain compulsory in primary schools - as part of
Sir Jim Rose's comprehensive review of the primary curriculum
announced earlier this month.
* We expect Academies to offer cookery courses as they all have
or will have high quality cooking facilities. There are already
many examples of good practice such as the Oasis academies and
Trinity Academy.
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