Food Teaching in Upper Secondary English Schools: Progression Into Food-Related Undergraduate Courses in Higher Education

Abstract

The chapter looks at food teaching in English schools with specific reference to progression from the upper secondary school phase to undergraduate food-related courses in higher education and the loss of an Advanced (A)-Level Food Technology course (for pupils aged 16–18 years). Food education, known as cookery, domestic science, housecraft, home economics and food technology, is reviewed from the mid-nineteenth century to the introduction of the National Curriculum (DES. 1990). Technology in the National curriculum. London, UK: HMSO. A revision of the programmes of study in the English National Curriculum for Design and Technology (D&T) for pupils aged 5–14 years, (Department for Education (DfE), 2013). Design and technology. Programmes of study for key stages (pp. 1–3). London, UK: Department for Education and a reform of examinations for pupils aged 14–18 years (DfEa. 2014). Reforming GCSE and a level subject content consultation. London, UK: Department for Education all led to the loss of an A level food-related course.

A review of university undergraduate food-related courses (Rutland & Owen-Jackson, Technology Education: Learning for Life. Griffith University, Sydney, Australia, 2014) is followed by an investigation of A level courses taken by students before entry to food-related university undergraduate courses (Rutland, A Level Subjects Taken Before Entry to Food-Related Degree Courses. Unpublished research. Reading University: Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, 2014). A small-scale research project (Rutland, The Academic Study of Food in the English Curriculum for Pupils Aged 16–18 Years: Its Demise and Future Prospects. In PATT 37 – Conference 2019: Developing a Knowledge Economy Through Technology and Engineering Education (pp. 373–380). University of Malta, Malta, 2019), based on the content of a new A Level food examination that could act as a pathway towards university courses and a range of employment in nutrition, dietetics, nursing, health-related professions, teaching and the food industry, is explored.

The findings indicate an overall agreement for the composition and nutrition of food, the preservation of food to prolong self-life and the impact of new technologies. However, there was less support for the handling and preparation of food materials, the impact of the food industry and applied science and technology. It indicates an urgent need to clarify the content and assessment procedures based on the views of university course and admission tutors, the Design and Technology Association, the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), the National STEM Learning Centre, examination boards and the DfE.