We’re delighted to see that there’s been such strong support for keeping practical cooking in the National Curriculum.
Interim reports published today by the Department for Education show that the first phase of the Government’s National Curriculum Review has received hundreds of pieces of evidence backing the retention of practical cooking as part of every child’s education.
A summary of responses received in an initial call to evidence says that: “620….said that one of the key strengths of the current National Curriculum was the provision of practical cooking lessons for all pupils, particularly at Key Stage 3 (although, in fact, practical cooking is not currently a compulsory part of the National Curriculum).
“Respondents believed that it was important for children to learn basic cooking skills to give them the skills and knowledge they needed to take responsibility for their own diet and health, and that of their families in the future….
“758 respondents thought that it was important to keep food technology and cooking within Design & Technology to cover the fundamentals of diet, nutrition, and cooking skills to help ensure that children made healthy lifestyle choices.”
The Secretary of State has decided to take more time for consideration and discussion with stakeholders in this part of the review.
We’ll be continuing our work to make sure that the huge volume of evidence on the benefits of practical cooking and food education for children is getting the consideration it deserves.
