The Burgate School & Sixth Form Centre
The Burgate School & Sixth Form Centre
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Food Technology

Pupils in a Food Tech Lesson

The Burgate School and Sixth Form Centre acknowledges the responsibility to educate its pupils in the importance of eating well and producing nutritious dishes of high quality in a short period of time. The school's motto of 'Learning for Life' particularly applies here as all of the dishes made are designed to be good, honest and most importantly healthy, food - the sort of thing which families will enjoy every day of the week.

At Burgate, we are fortunate enough to have a designated Food Technology room, comprising of 7 fully equipped separate kitchen areas, with one of these being designed for wheelchair access. Pupils are given the opportunity to cook using both gas and electricity and taught about the importance of kitchen hygiene and cleanliness.

Lower School: Key Stage 3

Pupils at The Burgate School follow a programme at Key Stage 3 where they undertake 39 hours of practical cooking – some 24 hours over the current Government guidelines! The 39 dishes have been selected to develop cooking skills from the most basic through to the more technical recipes of Year 9. Emphasis is put on making the most of local, fresh produce and learning to be creative if the exact ingredients required are not available. The hope is that by the end of Year 9, pupils will have experienced many different styles of cooking and learned to experiment with (and enjoy!) foods that they may not have experienced before.

Upper School: GCSE

Food Technology is a popular GCSE option, offering pupils the opportunity to develop their skills from Key Stage 3 whilst deepening their understanding of the more technical aspects of the subject.

The course is split into two distinct parts:

Year 10

Pupils undertake several mini projects aimed at developing their skills and understanding, while learning how to plan and evaluate in line with the exam board requirements. Each project is marked using the exam board mark scheme which leads neatly into Year 11.

Year 11

Pupils design and make a product based on a series of experimental practicals which must satisfy a design brief. The coursework and practical elements of the GCSE constitute 60% of the final mark while a written exam provides the other 40%.