The government plans to make cookery lessons compulsory in secondary schools in an effort to educate children about food and stem the obesity epidemic.
Students aged 11 to 14 will have to learn to cook for one hour a week for a school term.
Health campaigners say it’s a move that should have been introduced years ago although some teachers are concerned about the practicalities of providing hundreds more instructors and equipment.
But is it enough? Do you think teaching children of that age about cookery will make any significant contribution to the fight against junk food?
What measures would you like to see to stop kids piling on the pounds through eating unhealthy food?
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11 comments so far
Just another excuse by a government devoid of ideas and without the bottle to make parents (again mainly welfare recipients)responsible for their childrens future.
- Posted by Nick RileyPretty soon El Gordo will base himself abroad permanently rather than face having to make any decisions himself on Domestic Policy in this country.
I think it’s a great idea. I look after children whose parents cannot and will not cook. Parents should be fined for obsese children like they do in some school for taking time out during school time.
- Posted by Harri CowlesWhy not teach them to cook? I have an 11 year old and a 16 year old and they love to help me cook. I tell them, they will need to know how to cook one day when they are on their own, so it’s best to learn now. Many working parents, however, do not cook, so if the school steps in, I say kudos.
I imagine a lot of childhood obesity is caused by parents letting their kids eat junk food, so let’s try teaching them how to cook tasty, healthy food, and see if there is some improvement.
- Posted by Dee TAbout time they shouldteach them to cook proper English food meat and two veg. Although I suppose there will be reams o health and safety to go along with it.
- Posted by Rodney DownerWhen I was at school we had cookery classes - and this was only about 10 years ago. Then they suddenly stopped.
It is a great idea to restart them - I just hope it stays this time.
- Posted by Timthis is meant to stop obesity but the problem is with the parents rather than the kids or are the government hoping the kids will make the dinner for when there parents come home????
- Posted by pfsdobbsI must be so old, I remember Domestic Science classes at school. Yes, cookery classes, one of the more useful things I was taught (at both Grammar and Public School). We were taught how to make soup, bread, pastry, not roasts because that was expensive and difficult to take home or to the house. We learnt about basic food groups(the erroneous triangle)and how to time both dishes and menus. Really useful, I’ve never regretted the classes. In fact my son signed up for some cookery classes (or whatever they called them) and after having heard my descriptions of how much fun it was (I forgot to mention the hygene and scrubbing down the work surfaces) he was disappointed to discover that contemporary classes are watching the teacher produce something from a safe distance. Hands on? Not even the washing up.
- Posted by janeI can’t tell you how much I learned from school. Bechamel, crumble, pastry making, the lot. Everything a snotty teenager won’t hear from mother, we learnt at school. If it hadn’t been for that, I wouldn’t understand a cookery book today, not even the sainted Delia.
It’s not just bring back the cookery classes (for both genders) but why did they go away?
Don’t they already do that? Cooking was a compulsory subject in years 7 and 8 when I went to high school (late-1980s, early 1990s). Surely they can’t have removed it?
- Posted by KrisI had cookery classes with Mrs Butcher (we called her Mrs Cooky!) and loved it.
I have vivid, fond memories of making a Christmas cake/shepherds pie, etc., etc.
Appreciating food and cookery are both equally important.
However, we have been very poorly served by a succession of governments with a witless sense of what is really important.
Cookery, home economics, music and physical training are absolutely essential for any self-respecting young adult.
Equip a child for life and you make a child self-sustaining.
Simple truth!
- Posted by Keith M WarwickI have learned cooking from my father-in-law
he told me: your life can never be up to your wife (:
btw, he can cook better than most of the school teachers, so I am very happy with this solution
- Posted by gyuszi bacsiSchool is about preparing children for life - not just purely academic subjects. All children should be taught basic nutrition, food hygiene and cookery as we were in the 80’s. When my children were at school, cookery lessons had already changed. They had to bring in individual ingredients - such as eggs, milk and a weighed amount of flour instead of taking in some money. It really fell apart when that started as kids forgot things and were limited by what was convenient to carry in school bags. How ridiculous!
- Posted by GillianBC