Why We Study It:
The intention for all areas of catering and nutrition courses at KS3 are to teach important life skills of cooking and looking after yourself. A large element of theory lessons will focus on eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise to prevent obesity and assisting the brain and body to function at their optimum. Practical lessons will take up more of the curriculum time allocated so students can practice cooking and transfer these skills to home and into their future lives. In the classroom we aim to be fully inclusive, getting all students to have the opportunities to cook, supplying extra ingredients where necessary and sharing the differences of the foods we bring from each of our homes. We cover as many of the topical issues surrounding food, diet and the environment that we can. Students can then make informed choices of which foods to buy. There are further opportunities for students to cook outside of the rotation in competitions, clubs and lunchtimes. Students are encouraged to show off their home cooked dishes by sending in or printing off photos. Other opportunities to gain catering experiences are through trips, meeting local chefs and trailing different foods they’ve never experienced before.
At KS4 we have chosen a course which best suits the needs of our students. The WJEC Level 1/2 award in Hospitality and Catering really fits our locality in Cornwall and especially the Lizard. Around 80% of our pupils have part time jobs on The Lizard in hospitality and catering. According to the Labour market information for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, the need for workers with catering and customer service skills is very high. Quote from Careers South West “If we are going to be talking to young people about realistic work options and future skills shortages then catering needs to be one of them, Chef was number 3 in the top ten list of advertised jobs in Cornwall in 2019. Customer Service was the number 1 requested skill by employers in 2019. Cooking, budgeting and cleaning also made the list. Number of people in Cornwall working in the Accommodation & Food sector–34,000”
Many of our H&C leavers go on to study hospitality and catering at further education and take up direct employment and apprenticeships. Many students return to The Lizard after studies and from University to live permanently and take up employment in the hospitality and catering industry. We try to work with local Cornish produce from the lizard, local farmers, fishmongers and butchers to teach about sustainability and the environment right on our doorstep. The course not only helps our students learn vital life skills in cooking and nutrition and how to look after themselves but is a great career option in our local community.