Aims

Home Economics, as a subject, covers a wide range of topics that prepare students for real-life responsibilities. The primary aims of Home Economics include:

1. Developing Life Skills

• Practical Knowledge: Equip students with essential skills like preparing, cooking and serving food, in a safe and hygienic manner, using a variety of kitchen equipment. This in turn will foster pride and a sense of achievement.

• Personal Responsibility: Promote self-reliance by teaching students how to take care of themselves and their surroundings, by working independently and as part of a team, whilst ensuring mutual respect.

• Time Management: Help students plan, prioritize, and manage tasks efficiently.

2. Promoting Healthy Living

• Nutrition and Wellbeing: Teach students about balanced diets, nutrition, food preparation, and food safety, to reinforce the link between diet and health.

3. Enhancing Financial Literacy/ Encouraging Sustainable Living

• Consumer Education and Resource management:  Foster an understanding of how to use resources like time, money, and materials efficiently.

4. Building Strong Family and Social Relationships

• Family Dynamics: Help students understand family roles, communication, and conflict resolution in a safe and nurturing environment.

Key Stage 3 Subject Content

Home Economics is studied by all students in Years 8 to 10 at Key Stage 3 and is taught under the following key concepts:

1. Healthy Eating – Exploring Healthy Eating provides opportunities to develop understanding required in the choice, planning, storage, preparation, cooking and serving of food.

2. Home and Family Life – provides opportunities to understand the importance of the family as a caring unit.

3. Independent Living – Provides opportunities to understand the importance of becoming discerning consumers and effective managers of resources

Pupils develop skills and experiences through weekly practical and theory lessons which allow for active participation, critical thinking and decision making.  Practical lessons allow for pupils to create an outcome leading to an immediate sense of achievement.  By preparing dishes and clearing up afterwards, pupils gain valuable life skills that will help them become more confident and responsible. Pupils are assessed in both their written and practical work.

Key Stage 4

In Key Stage 4 pupils can continue to study one or a combination of subjects, taught within the department namely:

• GCSE Health and Social​

• Occupational Studies Catering

• Occupational Studies Child Care

GCSE Health and Social Care

The GCSE Health and Social Care specification encourages students to understand aspects of personal development and the health, social care and early years’ sectors by investigating and evaluating a range of services and organisations. Students investigate human development and factors that affect health and well-being, including relationships and major life changes. They also explore the values of care and how practitioners apply them.

They examine issues that affect the nature and quality of human life, including an appreciation of diversity and culture. They also develop a critical and analytical approach to decision making and problem solving.

A two year course with exam board CCEA, comprising of two units.

Unit 1: Personal Development, Health and Well-Being

• Unit 1 is an External written examination, 1 hour 30 mins, 100 marks
  Students answer three questions that require short responses and extended writing.
  It has 50% weighting of overall grade.

Unit 2: Working in the Health, Social Care and Early Years Sectors

• Controlled assessment, 100 marks (50%). Students complete a controlled assessment task which is externally marked.

KS4 Occupational Studies Level 2

This is a vocational course consisting of two units, which are portfolio based and undertaken over two years.

Level 2 Occupational Studies in Contemporary Cuisine and Patisserie and Baking (Design and Creativity)

Distinction is equivalent to a C at GCSE. 100% portfolio. 

This qualification is a good basis for preparing pupils for the hospitality industry. Over two years they will work on two units, Contemporary Cuisine and Patisserie and Baking. They will make a range of starters, main course and dessert dishes as part of contemporary cuisine. For the Patisserie and Baking unit they will learn to work with different types of breads, pastry, use different methods of cake making.

This is a completely hands on qualification. Students will cook, photos will be taken of what they produce and a portfolio is built up. This portfolio will be examined by an external moderator at the end of the course.

Level 2 Occupational Studies in The Physical Care of Babies and The Play Environment. (Business and Services)

This qualification is a good basis for preparing pupils for careers in Childcare or social work. This unit is suitable for learners who wish to develop an understanding of the physical care needs of babies. Learners will identify the basic care needs of babies and develop their knowledge and practical skills to meet these needs whilst demonstrating bathing, changing and feeding a baby.

 It focuses on the importance of play and children’s development. This unit includes:  children’s physical, linguistic, intellectual, emotional and social development as well as the importance of play and children’s learning and development. The learner will produce a suitable story, poem or rhyme which will be read to a group as well as making a board game.

Careers in Home Economics

• Trading Standards Officer

• Consumer Education Advisor

• Food Photography

• Advertising/ Public Relations/ Journalism

• Human Resource Management

• Health Promotion

• Environmental Health Officer

• Nutritionist/Dietician

• Sports Nutritionist

• Nursing/ Occupational Therapist/Speech and language Therapist/ Social Worker

• Product Development and Marketing

• Quality Management and Control

• Environmental Health officer

• Hotel and Retail Management

• Teaching/Research