Cooking and Nutrition

At Arunside, we recognise the joy and love that children can find when learning how to cook. We understand the importance of teaching the basic principles of nutrition whilst allowing all of our children to develop their interest and skills in cooking. We ensure that our children are able to make informed and healthy choices when researching, designing, making and evaluating a range of dishes.

Our children will be able to prepare and cook healthy and well-balanced dishes which would be suitable for different occasions. Children will understand where their food comes from and how they can use seasonality to ensure they understand how to affordably feed themselves now and in later life.

Using our purpose-built kitchen, children work through a range of sweet and savoury cooking projects. Teachers follow the Kapow Primary D&T units which are based on ‘Projects on a Page’ documents supplied by The Design and Technology Association to support their planning. We ensure that children progressively build their repertoire of cooking skills with each new project. Each child gains hands on-experience when working safely in the kitchen and is able to use different techniques when preparing and cooking. Children will be provided with a range of utensils and equipment, which will allow them to utilise their knowledge and skills from other curriculum areas including maths and science. Extra-curricular cooking groups are also offered as an enrichment opportunity for keen chefs.

Children leave Arunside with a love of cooking and fond memories of preparing a range of dishes. They understand how making healthy choices will benefit them and can allow them to prepare a range of nutritious dishes. Children are able to choose the equipment and techniques which will allow them to safely and effectively cook their well-balanced menu choices. Children are ready for their next step into the world with a secure knowledge of nutrition and cooking techniques, allowing them to utilise seasonality to feed themselves and others affordable and nutritious meals.