Our cooking facilities were designed with the core culinary needs of our pupils in mind. The need to promote independent and creative cooks was at the forefront of the design process, with space, accessibility, safety and productivity being the main features required to support effective cooking and learning. The pupils seem to be at home the room’s professional yet friendly atmosphere.
Our Food Technologists use the purpose-built demonstration station enabling pupils to get a close view of the skills and techniques. Clear glass viewing panels in the ovens enable pupils to observe the science behind cooking as the magic unfolds directly before their eyes!
The room caters for up to 16 pupils, with a dedicated disabled area built in to support wheelchair access. Each workspace comprises of four electric hobs, an electric fan oven, a sink unit, storage cupboards, a worktop for two pupils to share and an evaluation area situated at the end of the workbench.
We use an interactive smartboard for the recipes we are making that day. If pupils are looking for inspiration, this can often be found in the room’s vast selection of cookbooks from across the generations. Mini iPads are on hand too, to enhance creativity in today’s digital age.
Our annual Great Westbourne Bake Off, an extra-curricular competition, has been running for over four years and continues to prove a real hit with the pupils. The Food Technology facilities really lend themselves to hosting the grand final. After school cooking activities include the Pre-Prep cooking club and Boarders Cooking. Holiday courses take place throughout the year and are open to children from Reception age upwards.