To tell dd she is not to take Food Tech for GCSE

[Chopstheduck]

dd is quite keen to, options coming up. I don't want her to, because I feel the standard of teaching for it is appalling. The recipes are dire, the methods are terrible.

I can cook, dd can cook very well too, but she is picking up bad habits now from school. I feel she would be better off picking another subject and continuing to cook at home. DD is keen because she enjoys cooking and she is getting top marks in the subject at school. Mainly because we have been adapting the recipes at home.

I know we could continue to adapt, but she doesn't have much control over the method, and it is gutting to have good food wrecked by over or under cooking at school. They cooked burgers last week, and half the children had stomach upsets because they baked them in the oven and not for long enough.

I will be chatting to the teacher before the options evening, at parents evening and will raise my concerns. (tactfully ) but AIBU to have an opinion over what is ultimately my dd's GCSE choices?

I don't know why it's viewed as a soft subject either. I teach A level, it's all about Biology, Maths and Chemistry at that level. I want a student doing A level to have at least a B in Maths and Science. Any lower and they struggle with the theory. They are the most important subjects at A level, more important than. DT GCSE.

I will say yet again that DT is a STEM subject. Even my GcCSE classes think it's hard

Littlechubster makes a very good point. If your child cannot work independently without someone sitting on them forcing them to work it is not a subject they should be doing. And you are absolutely right in my experience in that a) it is a very hard subject to do; lots of work involved and self motivation needed, and b) senior management always dump the difficult kids in tech because they (mistakenly) think it is vocational and therefore must be easy.

As a side note, I really hate this idea of soft subjects and hard subjects.

Agree totally missy re soft and hard subjects. It is wholly down to aptitude, how certain subjects are taught etc. I did a mix of hard and soft subjects at A Level and the 'soft' subjects were far more difficult and far more rewarding skills-wise!

chops if it's taught badly at DD's school then I do empathise - it was taught terribly at my school and it's such a waste of a really rigorous and useful subject. My school was a high-performing comp and not interested in non-academic subjects other than to dump struggling students there I feel Food Tech is in the same category as RE - so much potential for it to be interesting and useful but is hardly ever either and is treated as a doss lesson. Pupils deserve far better IMO.

I actually wish I had taken food tech and not resistant materials. I enjoyed the subject and got an A but now I am pursuing a career where a qualification involving recipe development (however minor) would be useful.

That said my parents would never have forgiven me for the cost. I must warn you though that there is a cost attached to all DT subjects. I spent loads on wood, fixings etc

Are you sure it's actually 'food tech'. The WJEC board does Hospitality and Catering GCSE - which is euphemistically known as 'Food Tech' but it's a lot more useful and practical.

GCSEs are very different to KS3 work

yanbu to have an opinion on her options BUT yabu to tell her she isnt allowed to do it, yes the course might not be up to your standards but would it really hurt to let her take a subject she actually might enjoy at school see what else she wants to take and see if you can gently fit it in as a last option, dd did hospitality she loved it the recipies are a but but imo school should not be all about the academic a few periods a week in the kitchen classroom does no harm,

DarlingGrace

The WJEC board does Hospitality and Catering GCSE - which is euphemistically known as 'Food Tech' but it's a lot more useful and practical.

It still involves planning, preparing, serving and cleaning up, evaluating an event for at least 12 (I think) people.

dd just did her mock exam she got an A passed there is prep and planning and time management in all of the exam as well as cooking 3 courses from scratch not a bit of bread and tomato puree in sight

My DS's school does both Food Tech and Catering GCSE. I'll have to check on the exam board.

It was explained to me that Food Tech involved more design, DC had to design their own recipes, like 43percent said earlier, maybe creatively modifying recipes. It also involved rather more theory than Catering, which was described as more skills based. Both cover nutrition and health and safety but the Food Tech syllabus was more of a classic Design and Technology subject.

YAB a bit U. I work in education (though I'm not a teacher) and all too often I see the effects of kids being forced to take subjects that they don't enjoy by their parents, often for various well meaning reasons. It invariably ends in low marks and resentment, TBH.

If she wants to do food tech, let her. It doesn't stop her from cooking at home, and so long as she has a decent range of other academic subjects then it won't make the slightest jot of difference.

That said, the department does sound truly dire. I'd be making some enquiries as to precisely what grades the students got last year in food tech and what the syllabus will be, as well as talking to your DD about how she would feel about DT (if it's a knife edge decision, fine).

Ultimately though, I wouldn't overrule her. I know it would be done with the best of intentions, but I've just seen too many cases where it doesn't end well.