“Learning life skills today to use in the world tomorrow”
The Home Economics department in Ashfield Girls’ High School, offers a wide range of courses to suit all interests and abilities.
All girls in Years 8 – 10 study Home Economics and have one class per week. More than 200 girls in Years 11 – 14 study one of the many courses on offer in the department.
Home Economics education ultimately aims to prepare young people for independent living. In Home Economics classes pupils acquire knowledge, understanding and practical skills in areas such as diet and food choice, family relationships, parenting, financial and consumer awareness.
Key stage 3 Home Economics aims to equip pupils with the knowledge, skills and values that will help them to make appropriate lifestyle choices. The curriculum comprises of three concepts: Healthy Eating, Home and Family Life; and Independent Living.
Year 8
In Year 8 they develop basic practical cooking skills and enjoy learning about:
Year 9
In Year 9 they build up more advanced practical skills culminating in an individual cooking exam. They extend their knowledge and learn about:
Year 10
Year 10 gives the girls an opportunity to learn more about the vast array of future career paths linked to Home Economics and also study units:
CCEA GCSE Food and Nutrition
Our GCSE Home Economics: Food and Nutrition specification encourages students to develop knowledge and understanding of the science behind food. Topics include food provenance, food processing and production, macronutrients and micronutrients, government nutritional guidelines and food safety. Students develop practical skills in food preparation, cooking and presentation and they also gain knowledge, understanding and skills in areas such as: health issues associated with dietary and lifestyle choices, the factors affecting how we buy food, what we buy and what we waste, planning meals for people with specific nutritional and dietary needs.
CCEA GCSE Child Development
This course encourages students to develop knowledge, understanding and skills, including practical skills, in these key areas:
• Pregnancy, childbirth and caring for a newborn baby.
• The responsibilities involved in parenting and other family roles.
• The social, physical, intellectual, communication and emotional development of small children, including their dietary, health and educational needs.
CCEA Occupational Studies: Child Care
This qualification is rooted in practical and occupational contexts and has been uniquely structured so that students will have the opportunity to learn for work, through work and about work with real outcomes that will give them skills for life and their future careers in child care related jobs. Students develop an understanding of the physical care needs of babies. Students identify the basic care needs of babies and develop their knowledge and practical skills to meet these needs. Learning is through role-play, discussion and practical activities.
Occupational Patisserie and Contemporary Cuisine
The Patisserie unit provides students with some of the basic cooking principles required by pastry chefs in the catering industry. Students learn how to work safely and hygienically, applying legislative requirements. They will be able to work on their own initiative and use their creative skills, when deciding how to present pastry products. The Contemporary Cuisine unit also provides students with the basic cooking skills required by chefs in the catering industry and they have the opportunity to create starters, main courses and desserts.
BTEC Level 3 Extended Certificate in Health and Social Care
This course provides the underpinning knowledge of the National Occupational Standards in Health and Social Care. It prepares learners for employment in these sectors or for higher education. There are four units studied over the two-year course:
• Working in Health and Social Care
• Psychological Perspectives
• Human Lifespan Development
• Meeting Individual Care and Support Needs.
The Home Economics Department enjoys visits from a range of external organisations from KS3 to KS5 supporting the topics being covered and enhancing the students understanding of key concepts.
