At Key Stage 3 Home Economics is one strand of Learning for Life and Work and is studied by all pupils in Form 1 and Form 2. The allocated time is one period a week for half the school year. During this time, they are introduced to each of the following areas:

• Healthy Eating
• Home and Family Life
• Independent Living
• Learning basic practical skills

Many pupils are pleasantly surprised at how good their food tastes, while many parents complain it doesn’t make it home.

Form 3 sees the development of the above areas with a lot more practical undertaken. A highlight for many pupils is the child development coursework when they get to design and produce their own book or toy for a young child.

The skills, knowledge and understanding developed through studying Home Economics are important in today’s society, where:

• obesity is an increasing problem;
• diet-related illness is prevalent; and
• many people rely on ready meals.

The CCEA GCSE Home Economics Food a& Nutrition specification encourages students to develop knowledge and understanding of the science behind food.

The structure of the course is an examination worth 50% and a piece of controlled assessment also worth 50%.

The specification includes topics such as food provenance, food processing and production, macronutrients and micronutrients, government nutritional guidelines, and food safety. Students develop practical skills in food preparation, cooking and presentation.

Component 1: Food & Nutrition
In this unit students learn about the nutritional content of foods and how to meet the specific nutritional and dietary needs of different groups of people. They also study how to be an effective consumer in relation to food choice, food safety and managing resources.

Component 2: Practical Food & Nutrition
Students will carry out a task that develops unique transferable skills. They research the given task title and various viewpoints on it. They chose and justify a practical activity using a range of criteria. They complete the practical in a single session and then evaluate all aspects of the task. The title for this task will be released by CCEA on the 1st September of the Form 5 year.

Over the two year course practical skills are developed in preparation for the Food & Nutrition controlled assessment.

The CCEA GCE Nutrition & Food Science specification focuses on good nutrition as an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Eating healthy food can help to reduce the risk of chronic illness and promote overall health.

The course is delivered in four modules:

• AS 1: Principles of Nutrition

• AS 2: Diet, Lifestyle & Health

These two modules are studied in the Lower Sixth year with examinations June.

The modules studied in Middle Sixth are:

• A2 1: Option B: Food Safety & Quality

• A2 2: Research Project, an internally assessed 4000 word research-based assignment.

In June of Middle Sixth, students have one examination. The coursework is completed during the Middle Sixth year; it is worth 30% of the Advanced Level grade. Students select their own area for research, they tend to find the coursework challenging, it is internally marked and externally moderated. Practical in Form 6 is sporadic due to the demands of the course.