Design Technology
Key Stage 3
The DT curriculum at JFS is designed to be progressive. In Years 7 and 8, DT is taught by specialist staff in separate units as part of a carousel system with students gaining experience across three different focus areas: Product Design, Food Preparation & Nutrition, and Fashion & Textiles.
These units include both focused practical tasks (FPTs) and design and make activities (DMAs). Progression through KS3 is ensured by the increasing complexity of these tasks and the skills required to achieve high-quality outcomes year upon year. Standardised booklets are utilised to ensure that all students have equal access to the curriculum with clearly defined tasks and AfL strategies to provide ongoing formative assessment.
In Year 9, students have the opportunity to specialise, where they will undertake a foundation course in one of the three focus areas for the entire year. This more in-depth year enables students to be fully prepared for their GCSE or BTEC studies in KS4 by focusing on the specific sets of skills and knowledge and understanding of key topics.
Key Stage 4
The GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition is an exciting and creative course which focuses on practical cooking skills to ensure students develop a thorough understanding of nutrition, food provenance, and the working characteristics of food materials. At its heart, this qualification focuses on nurturing students' practical cookery skills to give them a strong understanding of nutrition.
Food preparation skills are integrated into five core topics:
• Food, nutrition, and health
• Food science
• Food safety
• Food choice
• Food provenance
BTEC Product Design (equivalent to one GCSE)
This course is for learners who want to develop sector-specific applied knowledge and skills through vocational contexts by investigating, exploring, and creating Product Design work as part of their Key Stage 4 learning. The qualification enables learners to develop skills across a range of art and design & technology practices using a combination of practical exploration, experimentation, and realistic vocational contexts.
Key Stage 5
At JFS, we offer the WJEC Level 3 Diploma in Food Science and Nutrition, which is equivalent to one A Level.
This course covers four units and is taught across two years:
Unit 1 - Meeting Nutritional Needs of Specific Groups
Unit 2 - Ensuring Food is Safe to Eat
Unit 3 - Experimenting to Solve Food Production Problems
Unit 4 - Current Issues in Food Science and Nutrition
An understanding of food science and nutrition is relevant to many industries and job roles. Care providers and nutritionists in hospitals use this knowledge, as do sports coaches and fitness instructors. Hotels and restaurants, food manufacturers, and government agencies also use this understanding to develop menus, food products, and policies that support healthy eating initiatives.