Agriculture: Curriculum

Cooking and nutrition are mandatory in the design and technology curriculum for key stages 1 to 3. At GCSE, pupils can choose to study a food preparation and nutrition course. The subject content requires pupils to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how foods are grown, reared or caught, and the primary and secondary stages of processing and production.

In the citizenship curriculum, the non-statutory programmes of study at key stages 1 and 2 include content about what improves and harms local, natural and built environments and how people look after them. Pupils also consider social and moral dilemmas that they come across in everyday life, such as environmental issues.

Oak National Academy’s (Oak) freely available curriculum resources explore agricultural education in a number of subject areas, including science, history and geography. New Oak science lessons for key stages 1 to 4, which will cover how humans can live sustainably to protect earth for a better future, are also being developed. These will refer to agricultural practices and their impact on the environment.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review seeks to deliver a curriculum that readies young people for life and work, building the knowledge, skills and attributes young people need to thrive.