Food Teachers Centre
June-July 2022 Newsletter |
Simply Scallops reaches 5,000 students in areas of highest FSM
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“Simply Scallops” is a new initiative enabling 5000 students in 50 schools across the country to cook and taste freshly cooked dishes made with British scallops. Most of the students participating, have never eaten scallops before. They will be busy practising how to prepare and cook sustainable fresh seafood, and they will be learning how scallops live in sand and gravel on the ocean bed, as well as in mud, and are dredged from the seabed using purpose-built boats, to ensure a responsible, sustainable harvest.
Scallops are an excellent food, as they are low in sodium and saturated fats and are more than 80% protein. Students will try new dishes such as tempura scallops, pan-seared scallops with butter and black pepper, preparing them poached in a bechamel sauce, or oven baked with herbs.
Scottish Scallops have been provided free of charge to schools by MacDuff from Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire. John Ashmore, Marketing Director said: “We are delighted to support the programme by supplying our scallops for thousands of school children to try. It is so important for children to have access to foods they may not otherwise try and be the next generation of seafood enthusiasts.
So, if you have not joined yet,we will be relaunching our 2022-23 programme in the new school year or you can check our fish hero programme here.
 
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CLOSING THE GAP
Fantastic feedback
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How are you managing poverty in your school and lessons?
As a result of the Government’s recent White Paper ‘Levelling Up’, the Food Teachers Centre has been providing information and events to support food teachers with the Government’s ambition to place a focus on food education.
It was amazing to have nearly 300 teachers at our 'Closing the Gap - Levelling Up Food Education' event. But in case you missed it, you can catch up on all 14 recordings of presentations, useful handouts and links as part of our INSET PACK.
This is what the teachers said (just a few of the many!)
- Thank you so much for organising such an informative and inspiring conference, Wonderful!
- It's made me so excited and fired up about all the future and food education. This group of teachers will be the pioneers of change!!
- Thank you everyone - a very informative morning with so many ideas to take back to the classroom.
- Brilliant morning - lots to revisit in the weeks to come. Thank you to all the speakers and organisers.
- Thank you both so much , I am really glad I was able to buy the course!
- Simply excellent, thank you for all your organisation and to the speakers. It’s been so useful.
- Thank you everyone for the time that you have spent today, feeling like my head is full of ideas .. need to process all the fantastic information that has been available !! Have a great summer everyone, recharge and come back feeling inspired.
- So many tips, links and informative presentations this morning, quality of speakers better than ever. Well done to all concerned at Food Teachers Centre.
- Thank you everyone, this has been useful and I feel inspired, motivated and informed to present a case to governors and SLT. I am going to complete the action plan against the action plan for Ofsted (3Is) in my subject folder and review the whole curriculum/SOW/ plans. This was all under review due to changes in our school times, we now have longer lessons! Yay. I feel that I understand a lot more about child poverty and how it relates to me in my lessons/subjects
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Closing the GAP
- your own INSET PACK available now! |
You can still create your own INSET session – it’s not too late, and ONLY £50.
- contains everything that you need to provide a school based subject specific in-service training.
- You chose when you will do the training. It lasts lasting approx. 4.5 hours. Great for a half day session.
This workshop brings together the latest national changes and challenges for food education all in one place, as well as providing practical solutions and ideas to use directly in teaching.
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What are the benefits of the INSET PACK
- Get updates about the national picture and what this means to you and your school
- Take away strategies and tips to implement directly back at school - from tackling attainment and deprivation to delivering modern food lessons for all
- Watch a range of inspirational speakers
- Join like-minded food teachers who want to (and do!) make a difference
- Focus on your professional development - a certificate of attendance is provided as evidence
- Attend from the comfort of your classroom/home
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What 6 recipes should our students all know by the time they leave school?
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It was great to have 120 teachers discussing what our students should learn, with the support from Jamie Oliver Food Education and BNF Frances Meek in June. It was really interesting AND its NOT TOO LATE to add your views.......
Some thoughts we gathered:
- it is important to have more than 6 recipes
- we should focus on skills not recipes, for flexibility, diversity
- progression KS2-3-4 is important
- resources to help us teach are warmly welcomed
- the government white paper has a much bigger agenda than the 6 recipes cited in the press.
Our next challenge is getting our voice heard more loudly!
Get involved - Join our MP campaign
We all get frustrated that politicians are out of touch and are not aware of food education issues.
But we have come up with a plan and campaign to address this (or try!). Working with a celebrity chef who has the ear of government, we are setting out to showcase your great work, and food teaching issues so that your MP can be knowledgeable, informed and speak up in the House. BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP.
Thanks for your support, we will keep you posted
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Teaching KS3 for the first time?
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For all the teachers who are new to teaching exam courses who have posted asking for help, YOU are in the RIGHT PLACE. But get started by signing up for a Mentor and going to the GUIDES section. We have " New to teaching......KS3....GCSE...H&C ...L3”. All free. We also have paid for on line courses on our website, run by very experienced teachers.
Foundations in Food- Face to Face Course
- Suddenly found that you are teaching Food?
- Feel daunted and would like some support and training ready for the autumn term?
- Come and join us for a face to face, practical session.
This course has been designed to support non specialist teachers who are planning to teach food at KS3. It will give teachers the opportunity to look at the pedagogy of teaching food and cover the practical requirements which will help practical sessions run smoothly. Focusing on Basic Nutrition, Health and Safety, setting up demonstrations and tips on how to set up the practical classroom.
The practical aspect of the day will consist of a hands-on approach, covering key practical skills required at KS3 and provide ready to use resources to take away. This course is designed to meet current national standards set out: Available Here
More locations to follow, including NW, Birmingham, Leicester and SW
This course can also be delivered at your school (One to one or small group) * ask us to quote fee
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Survey of food teaching vacancies
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Survey of food teaching vacancies
Do you have food teacher posts unfilled, or filled by non specialist teachers – can you let us know in our annual survey here.
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What did you think of this year’s exam papers?
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We have been reading your responses to the papers this year and how well the advance topics worked for your students as an adjustment to support 2022. It is worth remembering that papers are set a long time in advance, so they were not adapted for C19. Luckily, OFQUAL agreed a safety net and adjustment of marks this year to protect students. Fingers crossed, this will help your students across the country.
YOU will have your chance to give feedback on the advance topics given this year once the results are out. OFQUAL have announced:
"Please be aware that we also intend to survey teachers, tutors, and home-educators again shortly after exam results are released in August 2022 to gather views on how these adaptations worked overall."
So gather your thoughts ready. |
Tunnock’s TeaCake Challenge – 2022
Winners announced
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Once again for the fourth year, we had lots of fabulous entries for the Tunnock's TeaCake Challenge 2022 “The Natural World”. Students were asked to: present a stunning dish using creativity and a variety of skills, embracing diversity, sustainability and healthy eating.
A big thank you to all the schools that took part and the members who helped with judging the entries.
WELL DONE to:
OVERALL WINNER Nonsuch High school (J. Hicks)
Over 14yrs: 1st prize Presdales (N. Garcia), 2nd prize Marshalls Park Academy (K. Webb)
Under 14 yrs: 1st prize Queen's College (J. Mann), 2nd prize Norbury High School for Girls (K. Campbell)
Most novel: 1st prize Harborne Academy (K.Brade), 2nd prize Firth Park Academy (K. Hyde)
Working from home: Oakgrove secondary (T. Huntley)
Plus: Judges recommendation:
1st prize Berkhamsted Girls School (N. Wingrove),
2nd prize Harborne Academy (K. Brade)
Teacake Challenge 2023 ??????
Tunnock's were thrilled with the response and the entries and have agreed that we can run another Challenge next year. This year however we will be opening the challenge earlier in the Autumn Term, so that those schools that work with carousels, will be able to ensure that all students get the opportunity to take part.
If you have any thoughts about a possible theme, please contact Suzanne Gray with your ideas.
In 2022-23 we will be laucnhing some helpful teaching resources to make the challenge even more accesible and fast to complete for teacbers and their students, focusing on essential skills of food presentation.
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Community Accelerator News
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Deborah Prigg at Westfield Academy has some students who are doing their Duke of Edinburghs programme volunteering
Emelia and Amy are in year 10 and doing their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award at school. They have been volunteering as 'Kitchen Angels' as part of their D of E challenge at our 'Cooking 4 Fun' club after school. The year 7s really valued their input and help whilst cooking, they loved having the older students assisting them and it made it easier for them to access a quick check! The D of E students got so much out of their roles, changing from a student to an instructor meant they had to step up into leadership and team working roles. We are hoping to expand the offer next academic year to the new D of E recruits!
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Charli Wilkins at Warblington School describes how they have included the Women’s Institute in their Kitchen Angels team of volunteers:
We had a reading programme at the time and local WI volunteers came in to read with our students in the younger years. One day when we our technician was not in (and I was having a meltdown in the staffroom) one of the ladies offered to support in practicals when needed.
The difference with this situation to a normal SEN support was that I gave her the recipe and (in true WI tradition) she already knew what to do – truly a kitchen angel! Even better, when a student struggled with a technique, our helper was on hand with tips and skills to improve the quality of the cookery.
Our students frequently come in with recipes from older family members or grandparents and they will have notes added or tips to follow on them – this was very similar and the students responded to our volunteers in a calm and patient way and always, always listened to their expertise. (I have been known to scrap my recipe in favour of ‘one from Nan’ brought in by a student!)
We began with one volunteer and ended up having five ladies that came in to support on a regular basis- we genuinely could not have got the volume of students through their assessments without them. The wealth of knowledge and experience and calm unflappable manner of older or retired volunteers in my experience has only ever contributed to student outcomes and eased the stress on the teacher – I wholeheartedly, thoroughly recommend!! |
Next Generation programme
As our first group of participants finish Phase 1 of the programme, we celebrated how far they have come in their learning about:
- Speaking up for food education
- Using data as evidence to support their work
- Skills to share their experience with the food teaching community
HUGE Congratulations to
- Adrienne Gristwood
- Fay-Sherree Fisher
- Liane Summers
- Lindsey Roberts
- Natalie Tebbatt
- Sarah Badzire
- Victoria Thomas
- Mary Sylvia Campbell
Next steps for Next Generation
Due to an extension of the Facebook support in 2022-23, look out for Phase 2 if you would like to join our programme for future leaders.
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Looking for training - for KS3, GCSE, H&C, Food Safety in classrooms, Food Science?
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We have a wide range of on-line courses, from exam course support, to KS3 360, Food Safety, Food Science and Technician Toolkit.
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