Food Technology at Sheridan School is designed to empower every learner to develop practical skills, deepen their creativity, and understand the origins and cultural significance of food. Our curriculum emphasises the importance of a balanced diet that supports pupils throughout adulthood. It is rooted in diverse, multicultural food traditions and carefully adapted to meet the needs of SEND learners. By the end of KS4, pupils are expected to have a broad knowledge of global cuisines, along with a solid understanding of essential culinary skills and techniques.

From KS2 to KS4, pupils engage with a wide range of recipes, ensuring all children can explore, adapt, and invent dishes that encourage curiosity and healthy eating habits. The curriculum is intentionally sequenced to build confidence and competence—whether reading and following recipes, understanding measurement and nutrition, or developing skills that could support future pathways in the culinary arts.

Food Tech supports English skills through:

• Reading recipes and understanding instructional texts

• Writing evaluations, reflections, and method descriptions

• Using subject‑specific vocabulary (e.g., dice, sauté, hygiene, accuracy)

• Following sequential instructions

Students strengthen comprehension when they must read a recipe correctly to get successful results.

✅ Maths (Numeracy)

Cooking requires a lot of practical maths:

• Weighing and measuring ingredients

• Converting units (grams ↔ kilograms, ml ↔ litres)

• Timing cooking processes

• Scaling recipes up or down

• Fractions (e.g., half a pepper, ¼ teaspoon, dividing portions)

Maths becomes meaningful because students see real‑life use of numbers.

✅ Science

Food Tech links strongly with science, especially:

• Chemical reactions (baking, caramelising, thickening)

• Heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation)

• Microbiology (food poisoning, bacteria, safe temperatures)

• Nutrition and digestion

• States of matter (melting, evaporating)

Students learn why food behaves the way it does.

✅ PSHE / Health & Wellbeing

Food Technology teaches healthy lifestyle habits:

• Understanding balanced diets

• Making healthy food choices

• Learning independence and life skills

• Teamwork and responsibility

• Cultural awareness through food

It supports personal development and prepares students for adulthood.

✅ Geography

Food Tech links to geography through:

• Where food comes from (food miles, imports/exports)

• Climate and crop growth

• Global cuisines and cultural diversity

• Sustainability (seasonal foods, farming, environmental impact)

Students learn why we grow certain foods in certain places.

✅ History

Cooking highlights changes over time:

• Historical diets (Victorians, WWII rationing)

• Traditional dishes and their origins

• How technology changed cooking (from open fires to induction hobs)

Students understand how food has evolved.

✅ Design & Technology

This is the most direct connection:

• Designing recipes (plan → test → improve)

• Using tools safely

• Evaluating outcomes

• Problem‑solving

Food Tech builds practical, hands‑on design skills.

✅ Art & Design

Food presentation links to:

• Colour, shape, pattern, texture

• Creative plating

• Visual aesthetics

Students learn that “we eat with our eyes.”