Barbara Rathmill, Senior Volunteer Associate, Food Teachers Centre, Barbara.Rathmill@foodteacherscentre.co.uk
Everyone who works with food has a special responsibility for safeguarding the health and well-being of their learners. Due diligence is important as we live in a claim culture and food poisoning or injury can lead to a claim.
If a teacher does not take reasonable care in a food lesson or does not follow employer guidelines applicable to such activities, and as a result a pupil or another becomes ill or injured, the employer would be liable, but would require the employee to produce evidence for litigation. This evidence can come in the form of a Food Safety certificate.
When thinking about providing health and safety training for your secondary student D&T teachers (not just those who identify and food specialists) it must be remembered that food (and therefore food safety) is an integral part of D&T at Key Stage 3 (11-14 years) and examined at Key Stage 4 (14-16 years) through the GCSE Food Preparation & Nutrition, and other examinations, in England. Although a curriculum changes over the years, food safety does not.
Student D&T teachers need to be able to think about and answer these questions:
- Are you aware of all the hazards when teaching food lessons?
- Do you know what a high-risk food is?
- Are you aware of the most common food poisoning bacteria?
- Are you allergen aware – new regulation come out this year?
- What needs a risk assessment and a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)?
I could list more questions, but I think these give you a good idea as to why student D&T teachers planning to teach food lessons must have food safety training.
Food Safety in Classrooms
The National Education Union (NEU) says about food safety training:
“It is essential that staff delivering food technology lessons have received appropriate training in health and safety issues. Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires that employees receive appropriate health and safety instruction and training. Teachers who have qualified in the subject will have received some such instruction as part of their initial teacher training. Non-specialists, however, should be provided with specific health and safety training for food technology teaching – whether in a primary or secondary context.“
https://neu.org.uk/advice/standards-food-safety-schools
But the Level 2 Award in Food Safety is intended for the Catering or Manufacturing Industry and not a classroom. For this reason, Food Safety in Classrooms Food Safety in Classrooms was developed by the Food Teachers Centre, as a 1-day training package. The training is online with a flexible approach and mentor support giving teacher 12 months to complete.
Food hygiene is an important aspect of the control of communicable diseases, and as such affects everyone in the school community. are more and more teachers being
It’s also a suitable course for anyone who is required to teach food when it isn’t their specialism or technicians and support staff delivering the subject as unqualified teachers; many of these are unaware of the safety issues.
The Food Safety in Classrooms course, developed by the Food Teachers Centre, also helps student teachers be better food teachers with:
- creative and innovative ideas and action
- practical solutions
- learning and sharing
The course helps your student teachers in so many ways, including:
- They receive the Level 2 Food Safety Certificate;
- Accreditation for the national recognised framework for food teaching standards SECTION 9.1 to 9.6 (Implementing good hygiene and safety) in Food teaching in secondary schools: A framework of knowledge and skills – published in 2015 by Public Health England, British Nutrition Foundation and Department for Education);
- Meeting the Ofsted requirements for Inspecting Safeguarding in Early Years, Education and Skills Settings and the NEU Standards for Food Safety in Schools.
