Alex Waugh
Director general, Nabim
From September 2011, food technology will become a compulsory part of the curriculum for 11- to 14-year-olds. Flour millers have already begun a programme to promote the inclusion of flour-based cooking activities in the classroom and we are working with others to implement the Teach Food Technology programme, which aims to develop the expertise and knowledge of teachers who are not food specialists. Members of the NAMB and others are running baking demonstrations in schools as part of the Teach Food Technology sessions, to give teachers basic baking skills and tips.
The revamped Grain Chain website www.grainchain.com now provides even more resources for teachers, with lesson plans, videos for interactive whiteboard sessions and a blog to enable teachers to keep up to date with the latest news and teaching ideas. Teachers can search by age group or subject and sign up to the newsletter to receive additional information. They can also order resources, such as posters and booklets, for use in the classroom.
Recently at the Grain Chain we teamed up with Licence to Cook to run a competition for teachers of schoolchildren aged 11-14 across the UK. Teachers were invited to produce inspiring lesson plans based around cooking with flour. The winning entry, plus entries from the five finalists will soon be made available on the Grain Chain website.
This early engagement will better prepare both teachers and schools for the impending change in the curriculum. And it does no harm that teachers and schoolchildren learn to appreciate good baking!
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