Teaching food technology in the primary school curriculum

This paper will explore a number of key issues surrounding the teaching of food technology in primary schools ten years after the introduction of design and technology in the National Curriculum in England and Wales. The issues covered include the teaching of food before the introduction of the National Curriculum and the situation following its implementation. The paper will draw from findings of a small-scale research project into food technology in the primary schools of a local authority and the work of The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). Reference will be made to the results of a trial by PGCE and BA QTS primary students of a food technology unit from the Nuffield Primary Design and Technology Project. The paper finishes with a summary concluding that a range of resources are now in place to support the development of food technology in a large number of primary schools.