Overview
Cooking is a central part of learning across all four of our curriculum pathways. Wherever pupils are in school, cooking is a consistent feature of their experience, with the focus tailored to meet their individual needs.
The intentions may differ across pathways. In the Blue pathway, cooking may centre on sensory exploration, engagement, and early communication. In the Green pathway, it also supports the development of essential life skills, independence, and confidence. In the Purple pathway, pupils build on these foundations, applying knowledge from across the curriculum in meaningful contexts. In the Yellow pathway, cooking can prepare pupils for adulthood, supporting independence, employability skills, and healthy lifestyle choices.
While the emphasis varies, cooking is equally valued in every pathway. It provides all learners with opportunities to explore food, develop practical skills, work with others, and experience success in a real and purposeful way.
The Blue Pathway
Blue Pathway pupils access cooking through a multi-sensory approach in both discrete lessons and cross curricular activities. Learners have a cooking lesson once a week where they work on skills needed within the kitchen. This will include mixing, spreading, chopping and pouring. Pupils use switches to activate appliances to assist in the making of a dish.
Blue Pathway students access different parts of the wider curriculum through cooking and food. This engages them through the use of different senses and actions. They may be exploring and tasting foods from around the world or learning about careers through baking.
The Green Pathway
Green Pathway students learn about cooking through both discrete lessons and cross curricular activities. Cooking is taught as a lesson once a week, working on kitchen skills needed in everyday life. Pupils develop independence by measuring ingredients, mixing, spreading, cutting, pouring and using equipment and appliances safely.
Pupils also develop skills around reading and following a recipe, locating their ingredients and learning about the importance of healthy eating. Learners enjoy cooking through other subjects such as Duchess of Ely cooking on camp stoves, maths by weighing out ingredients, capacity and fractions, play-based skills with team games using food.
The Yellow Pathway
Annual Plan
Impact
Cooking is a vital part of our curriculum, offering powerful learning opportunities for pupils across all our pathways, from those with profound and multiple learning difficulties to those with severe and moderate learning difficulties.
Through cooking, our learners develop essential life skills that will support their independence both now and in the future. Measuring, pouring, stirring, and following recipes help them build mathematical understanding, while observing how ingredients change during cooking brings science to life. Cooking connects to history and geography too, as pupils explore cultural traditions and food from around the world.
Cooking also promotes health, fitness, and wellbeing. For many of our learners, it is an opportunity to explore new tastes and textures, often helping them to expand very limited diets. It encourages a willingness to try new things, to celebrate success, and to develop positive attitudes to food.
Importantly, cooking is a social experience. Working in the kitchen builds teamwork and communication skills. Learners share tasks, take turns, and learn to enjoy success with their peers. For some, it is a chance to shine in an area where they feel passionate and capable, boosting confidence and self-esteem.
Cooking is also a powerful tool for engagement. Some pupils who may find it challenging to take part in more traditional forms of learning are highly motivated by cooking. The sensory experiences of touch, smell, taste, and sound provide accessible entry points that capture attention, spark curiosity, and sustain focus. This creates meaningful opportunities for learning where engagement can sometimes be difficult to achieve.
The impact reaches beyond the classroom. Cooking equips our learners with practical skills for daily life, fosters curiosity and resilience, and provides a meaningful context to apply learning across the curriculum. It is not just about making meals—it is about opening doors to independence, wellbeing, and joy.