Support for the non-examined assessments (NEA1) 2024/25

Are you currently planning support for your pupils around the NEA1 tasks for 2024/25? If so, don’t forget that we have plenty of resources on Food – a fact of life to help!

There is an area dedicated to Food science for pupils aged 14-16 years where you will find resources around:

• Functional properties of food
  • Fats, carbohydrates and proteins
  • Raising agents and colloidal systems
  • Heat transfer and its effects on food
  • Food functions fact sheets

There are also a number of fact sheets and activities around the functions of ingredients, e.g. an investigation around ingredients to make and thicken soup, along with an activity to test and compare commercial soups.

• Experiments and investigations
  • Food science experiments, e.g., protein coagulation, gluten formation and emulsions
  • Investigations, e.g., enzymic browning, shortening, caramelisation, and biological and chemical raising agents
  • Experiment sheets, e.g., how foods can be tested for certain nutrients

Cheesemaking is a great way to demonstrate food science principles and the functions of ingredients used. There are a number of Food – a fact of life resources that can support cheesemaking in the classroom:

• Cheesemaking presentation, worksheet and fact sheet, focusing on using acid (lemon juice) to make a soft cheese
• A video about the cheesemaking process, a Cheesemaking demonstration video and mozzarella recipe, printed mozzarella recipe, and a webinar recording
• A recipe for Twarog, which is an Eastern European soft cheese made using milk and either Kefir, natural yogurt or buttermilk. The Twarog could then be used to make Gzik.

For further resources and support around the science of food, why not visit our Science through the context of food area, where you will find lots of new resources to teach science principles through the food that young people buy, cook and eat, including understanding emulsions, and raising agents. There are also experiments to demonstrate foams through making frothy milk (teachers' guide and pupil worksheet), and butter making to showcase an emulsion. There are also teaching materials to support the science curriculum, so please do share with your science colleagues!

• Sensory science
  • The senses and how they affect food choice
  • Sensory evaluation tests – Excel spreadsheets
  • Sensory evaluation tests – Word versions

There are also a couple of posters to encourage pupils to use good sensory vocabulary:

• Sensory vocabulary
• Using your senses

If you are looking for resources around particular ingredients, how they are processed and their functions in food, for example eggs, dairy, sugar or wheat, you will find them in the Food commodities areas:

• 11-14 years
• 14-16 years

There are also additional resources in the ingredients area for 11-14 years that your pupils might find useful. For example, the functional and chemical properties of ingredients to make baked goods, such as bread and scones. Why not challenge your pupils to consider the ingredients, equipment and method needed to make scones using the Scone challenge?

We also have a resource to support pupils developing and using appropriate technical language. The Key terms and definitions document is a comprehensive and interactive glossary, which is ideal for pupils when learning and practising vocabulary around food and nutrition and also for checking retrieval during revision activities.

Finally, if you would like to enhance your own knowledge around food science, why not complete one of our online courses? These are usually £45 each but we have a small number of free access codes available. To find out more, go to:

• Food spoilage, hygiene and safety
• Functional properties of food
• Sensory science

Michaela Ryan, a secondary food and nutrition teacher at Wellington School, undertook the Sensory science online course. When asked if she would recommend the course to colleagues Michaela said, “Yes, because it is very easy to follow, can be completed at times to suit you and contains useful information which is presented in a clear, easy to understand way. It was a bonus that it was free too. My school doesn’t always have funding available for CPD courses so being able to do free courses is a huge incentive.”

Good luck to you and your pupils. Remember where we are if you need any further support: education@nutrition.org.uk