Written question asked by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative) on Friday, 28 October 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 1 November 2011. It was answered by Nick Gibb (Conservative) on Tuesday, 8 November 2011 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Health Education: Nutrition

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the provision in schools of education on food.

Answer: Food education (also known as ““food technology””), is currently part of the design and technology curriculum. It is compulsory for all pupils in maintained primary schools, at key stages 1 and 2. Although it is not currently a compulsory part of the secondary curriculum, most secondary schools in England are teaching practical cooking to 11 to 14-year-olds, including food education, at key stage 3, as it is one of two topics within the design and technology curriculum that must be taught. The National Curriculum Review which is currently under way will advise the Government as to which subjects should remain in the national curriculum and at what key stages they should feature. Our proposals for the content of the new national curriculum will be published early in 2012.

Secondary information