The Home Economics department makes a significant contribution towards our pupils Health and Wellbeing though curricular and extra-curricular experiences.

The main focus in Home Economics courses is to equip pupils with the practical skills in food preparation and cooking to enable them to prepare fresh healthy foods. In S1 topics covered include Health and Safety in the kitchen, Healthy Lifestyles and Food Choice. Pupils learn how to use the Eat well guide to make healthy food choices and adapt recipes in line with current dietary advice. In Hospitality courses from S2 to S6, students continue to improve and develop practical skills in food preparation and increase knowledge and understanding of nutrition, dietary related diseases, food safety and sustainability.

Visiting Speakers

The H.E department invite guest speakers each year from the Hospitality industry. This year, award winning chef, Chris Rouse, of the Black Dove restaurant visited the H.E. department to demonstrate a variety of healthy, quick to prepare dishes to S2 and S3 Hospitality pupils. During the demonstration they learned about the importance of seasonality and sustainability when creating a menu and about careers within the hospitality industry.

S6 Healthy Eating on a Budget

S6 Healthy Eating on a Budget is delivered through a PSHE and Home Economics partnership. This course aims to give pupils who may move away from home for further study or work the knowledge and skills to

prepare healthy meals for a minimal cost.

Each PSHE class is given a demonstration by a Home Economics teacher on how to prepare a variety of healthy dishes from simple fresh ingredients. Each pupil is given a recipe book and a breakdown of costs for all of the dishes prepared.

School Nutrition Action Group (SNAG)

The St. Ninian’s High School’s School Nutrition Action Group (SNAG) is a group made up of S1-S3 pupils who are keen to promote healthy eating and nutrition. They have three meetings a year with the canteen manager to discuss and help implement ways to promote healthy food choices in the school canteen.

S2 SNAG group pupils develop their food preparation and cooking skills through cookery workshops. Pupils learn how to make and adapt recipes in line with current dietary advice to produce healthy dishes, using basic store cupboard ingredients. Pupils have the opportunity to invite staff and friends to the workshops to pass on their skills and knowledge.

SNAG pupils also give presentations at school assemblies to raise awareness of current dietary advice.

Schools to Market Project

S2 hospitality pupils will be taking part in Wholefoods’ School to Market project this year.

As part of the project pupils will visit a farm to pick fresh produce to make chutney, which they will market and sell at the Wholefoods market day in September.

Pupils learn about the journey of food from farm to fork and increase their knowledge and understanding of food seasonality, sustainability, food storage, preservation, costing and marketing through hands on experience of making and selling chutney.