Design and Technology curriculum (FOI)

Request

I would like to understand more about the delivery of the Design and Technology curriculum in key stages 1 and 2 specifically in relation to cooking and nutrition. (Please see extract from the Jersey Curriculum found on gov.je).

 Jersey Curriculum - Design and Technology (pdf)

A

Are schools expected to deliver the subject of cooking and nutrition as a compulsory subject and if so, how is this assessed / monitored?

B

For each primary school, please confirm whether a dedicated cooking facility / space is available within the school building that provides access to an oven, cooking equipment and sufficient space to teach cooking and nutrition. A simple yes or no answer will suffice.

C

For each school, please specify how frequently cooking is taught to each year group (reception to year six). This can be stated as weekly, monthly, half termly or termly.

D

Please indicate who delivers the cooking and nutrition curriculum in each school, class teacher, parent volunteers, teaching assistants, charities (please identify which charity) or other. It is not necessary to break this down by year group.

Response

A 

Cooking and Nutrition is part of the Jersey Curriculum and as such, it is the statutory right of pupils in schools to access this. The curriculum (as per the extract uploaded), covers Key Stage 1 (5-7 years of age), Key Stage 2 (7 – 11years of age), and Key Stage 3 (11-14 years of age). 

The statutory curriculum in Key Stages 1 and 2 forms part of the end of key stage expectations. This means that Cooking and Nutrition does not have to be taught in every year group. Pupils are expected to be taught the detail laid out in the curriculum by the end of each key stage.

Each individual school organises their curriculum, they also assess and monitor the Design and Technology curriculum in accordance with their school assessment policies.

Wider monitoring of the subject forms part of the Jersey Schools Review Framework which establishes the quality and effectiveness of the curriculum delivery in each school. Cooking and Nutrition will form part of this and is taken into account as part of a much broader picture of the whole curriculum provision in a school. 

B

Dedicated cooking facilities, such as those in a secondary school, are not required in primary schools to teach the Key Stage 1 and 2 Cooking and Nutrition curriculum. The elements can be taught with minimal facilities through the careful choice of recipes. Teachers organise their lessons according to the environment they have available, this may be a purpose-built space, or classroom spaces, where small groups then transfer to the staffroom to cook food elements. 

School cooking facilities are not held in a central recorded form. Under the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 departments are not required to undertake manipulation or create new data sets to provide a response. Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies.

C

There is currently no set statutory time requirement on the delivery of the Design Technology curriculum or the Cooking and Nutrition element of this, just that the requirements of the curriculum are met.

Schools have the responsibility of determining their curriculum, the time allocations and frequency of lessons are set by each school. 

The frequency of cooking lessons is not collected or held in a central recorded form. Under the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 departments are not required to undertake manipulation or create new data sets to provide a response. Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies. 

D

The delivery of the cooking and nutrition curriculum is organised by each school. This information is not collected or held in a central recorded form. Under the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 departments are not required to undertake manipulation or create new data sets to provide a response. Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies. 

Article applied

Article 3 - Meaning of "information held by a public authority"

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a) it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b) it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.