Food & Textile Technology

Welcome to the Food and Textile Technology Department

The F&TT department aims to equip you with the knowledge and skills to be independent and make informed choices. Our hope is that you will discover a life-long passion for practical cookery and working with textiles.  Nurture is central to our teaching approach and we will support and encourage you to be yourself and be confident to try your best. 

In S1 and S2 you come to F&TT for 2 rotations per year. You may then choose to take Practical Cookery or Fashion and Textile Technology into S3 and S4 – some of you take both subjects. In S5 and S6 you can opt to study Higher Health and Food Technology, Higher Fashion and Textile Technology, N5 Practical Cookery or N5 Practical Cake Craft. 

In F&TT there are lots of opportunities to build skills for life and for work such as helping with the school catering events, cooking in the community and young chef competitions. We firmly believe that being able to cook for yourself and perform basic textile repairs are essential life skills and these skills will become increasingly important in the future as our natural resources come under threat.

Mrs McKelvie is our principle teacher and she is joined by Mrs Rogers, Mrs Bayne, Miss Reid and Miss Reid. Our final department member is Mrs Carr who prefers to be known as Leslie and Leslie keeps us all going with her incredible organisational skills and her legendary sense of humour.

You can find us on the first floor – our door is always open so please come along and say hello.

“F&TT teaches me skills I can use in later life to support a family”

 “F&TT is my happy place to be”

Curricular Choice / Course Information

The Food and Textile Technology Department at Williamwood High School supports pupils within a warm, nurturing and welcoming environment.

Food and Textile technology is now a diverse and varied suite of subjects which prepares all learners to go on to make positive lifestyle choices and prepare the foundations for some pupils to go on to careers in health, food production, and hospitality, catering, teaching and many more.

S1 Practical Cookery: Ready Steady Cook

S1 Practical Cookery: Ready Steady Cook

In S1 we start off with Ready Steady Cook where we introduce you to the kitchen and start to develop your knowledge of kitchen safety and hygiene, your practical cookery skills and your knowledge and understanding of different ingredients.  We also look at food sustainability with a focus on reducing food miles and food waste and the benefits of eating local, seasonal and Fairtrade food.  We then look at the factors influencing what we eat and how our nutritional needs change as we go through life.

Rotation: The S1 food rotation is approximately 8 weeks and you will cook once a week and enjoy making dishes such as pasta and baking delicious scones.

Assessment: Your knife skills, organisational skills, weighing and measuring skills and controlling the hob/oven skills will develop as you work your way through the different recipes, with your finished dish being the result of your hard work.  Along with your teacher you could agree on a Gold/Silver/Bronze rating for your dish and watch your cooking skills develop from lesson to lesson. The posters in the classroom will show what you need to achieve each of the ratings.

There will also be a written assessment at the end of the rotation to gauge your understanding of the topics covered in class.

S1 Fashion and Textiles Technology: Ready Steady Sew

S1 Fashion and Textiles Technology: Ready Steady Sew

For some of you threading a needle might be a bit of a mystery while for others customising your clothes is something that you are doing already – in Ready Steady Sew we will take you through safety in the sewing room, pinning, cutting, hand sewing and machine sewing and the decorative technique of appliqué.  At the end we will have a pile of cushions with an array of designs from Emojis to Minecraft and maybe even the odd Partick Thistle football strip.

Rotation: the S1 textile rotation is approximately 8 weeks and will be a combination of developing practical skills and designing and making a textile item.

Assessment: Along with your teacher you will discuss the development of your textile skills.  You will also peer-assess certain tasks with another pupil and at the end you and your teacher will agree on a Gold/Silver/Bronze rating for your cushion – the posters in the classroom will show what you need to achieve each of the ratings.

There will also be a written assessment at the end of the rotation to gauge your understanding of the topics covered in class.

S2 Practical Cookery: Health and Nutrition

S2 Practical Cookery: Health and Nutrition

In Health and Nutrition we revisit the Eatwell Guide which you might remember from Primary School.  We also introduce you to the science of nutrition and look at macro and micronutrients – what they do and what sorts of food are a source of these nutrients – with a focus on the nutritional needs of teenagers.  The thinking is that healthy teenagers make healthy adults so hopefully, with this information, you can make informed decisions about what you eat.  To reinforce what you are learning about nutrition and to build on the practical cookery skills you developed in S1, you will make a series of delicious recipes, from chilli nachos to oat cookies,  which might convince you that nutritious food doesn’t need to be boring or tasteless.

Rotation: the S2 food rotation is approximately 8 weeks and you will cook once a week.

Assessment: You will continue to develop your knife skills, organisational skills, weighing and measuring skills and controlling the hob/oven skills as you work your way through the different recipes, with your finished dish being the result of your hard work.  Along with your teacher you will agree on a Gold/Silver/Bronze rating from your dish and watch your cooking skills develop from lesson to lesson. The posters in the classroom will show what you need to do to achieve each of the ratings.

There will also be a written assessment at the end of the rotation to gauge your understanding of the topics covered in class.

S2 Fashion and Textiles Technology: Bag Project

S2 Fashion and Textiles Technology: Bag Project

In the S2 Bag Project you revisit your cutting, hand sewing and sewing machine skills from S1. You will follow a design brief and consider sustainable textiles, the needs of a teenage target market as well as current fashion and textile trends.  With this information you will come up with a design solution for either a tote bag or a drawstring kit bag which you will then go on to make. You will evaluate your finished bag by asking your classmates what they think of your solution.

Rotation: the S2 textile rotation is approximately 8 weeks 

Assessment: You will continue to develop your cutting, hand sewing and sewing machine skills with your finished bag being the result of your hard work. The different stages of the design process that you follow are similar to the assignment that you complete if you opt to take Fashion and Textile Technology into S3 and S4.  

Along with your teacher you will agree on a Gold/Silver/Bronze rating for your bag.  The posters in the classroom will show what you need to do to achieve each of the ratings.

There will also be a homework project for you to complete where you advise a fashion business on how they could adopt more sustainable practices in making and selling their products.

S3 Practical Cookery

S3 Practical Cookery

In S3 Practical Cookery we take your practical cookery skills to the next level and over the course of the school year you will become a very competent cook.  We start off with a unit in pastry – which many professional chefs consider to be very difficult.  We then move on to improving your knife skills and vegetable cuts and you will learn about ingredients and cookery processes along the way.  And while the question we are most asked when you come into class is “Are we cooking?” At least 1 lesson per week will be a theory lesson where you will learn how to construct a time plan for managing 2 or 3 recipes at once, about food sustainability, current dietary advice and how to cost a recipe.

Topics Covered

  • Using food preparation techniques and cookery processes in the preparation of dishes
  • Understanding and demonstrating knowledge of the importance of food safety and hygiene and its application in the practical context  
  • Selecting, weighing, measuring and using appropriate ingredients to prepare and garnish or decorate dishes  
  • Understanding and demonstrating knowledge of the characteristics of a range of ingredients, and their function in a practical context
  • Understanding and demonstrating knowledge of the importance of sourcing sustainable ingredients
  • Understanding and demonstrating knowledge of current dietary advice relating to the use of ingredients  
  • Following recipes in the preparation of dishes and carrying out an evaluation of the product  
  • Planning, costing, organisational and time management skills in a cookery context 
  • producing, portioning and presenting dishes appropriately

Assessment: You will have regular peer and teacher assessment of your practical cookery.  Towards the end of S3 you will sit a two course practical exam, construct a time plan and sit a written paper on the topics covered in class.

S3 Fashion and Textile Technology

S3 Fashion and Textile Technology

If you enjoyed textiles in S1 and S2 you may consider taking fashion and textiles into S3 and S4.  In S3 you will continue to develop your sewing and construction skills by making a series of fashion and textile items.  You will also continue to develop your knowledge of fibres and fabric and look at what influences both the designer when designing a new range of clothing or textile items and the consumer – the person buying the item.   

Topics Covered

  • Developing an understanding of textile characteristics, properties and technologies  
  • Applying a range of textile construction techniques  
  • Understanding factors that affect fashion/textile choices  
  • Explaining fashion/textile trends  
  • Planning and making detailed fashion/textile items to an appropriate standard of quality
  • Demonstrating appropriate selection, set up, adjusting and use of tools and equipment, safely and correctly 
  • Evaluating fashion/textile items  detailed investigation and presentation skills

Assessment: You will have regular peer and teacher assessment of your practical items.  Towards the end of S3 you will complete an assignment which is a piece of research following a design brief, construct a fashion/textile item and sit a written paper on the topics covered in class.

S4 N5 Practical Cookery

S4 N5 Practical Cookery

In N5 Practical Cookery in S4 you will continue to develop your practical cookery skills in preparation for making a three-course meal in 2.5 hours for your prelim and final exam.  You will also continue to build your food knowledge to prepare you for the N5 written question paper.  

This is a challenging but rewarding course and the more cooking you can do at home the more you can develop your organisational and time management skills – cooking a roast dinner for your family on a Sunday afternoon for instance, would be the perfect way to practise your skills and demonstrate to your family how good a cook you have become,  as one complaint we have from your folks is that the food you make in school never makes it home for them to sample.

Topics Covered

  • Using food preparation techniques and cookery processes in the preparation of dishes.
  • Understanding and demonstrating knowledge of the importance of food safety and hygiene and its application in the practical context.
  • Selecting, weighing, measuring and using appropriate ingredients to prepare and garnish or decorate dishes.
  • Understanding and demonstrating knowledge of the characteristics of a range of ingredients, and their function in a practical context.
  • Understanding and demonstrating knowledge of the importance of sourcing sustainable ingredients.
  • Understanding and demonstrating knowledge of current dietary advice relating to the use of ingredients.
  • Following recipes in the preparation of dishes and carrying out an evaluation of the product.
  • Planning, costing, organisational and time management skills in a cookery context.
  • producing, portioning and presenting dishes appropriately.

Assessment:
Practical Cookery involves over 5 hours of assessment : a 2.5 hour practical exam which is a three course meal based on three recipes issued by the SQA in the January before your exam, an assignment to be completed in class in 1 hour 45 minutes which involves making a time plan of how you are going to manage the 3 exam recipes, an equipment list of the equipment needed and the service details of how you are going to present and garnish/decorate your finished dishes; as well as a 1 hour written question paper which you sit in the usual May/June exam time table.

Progression:
Pupils can go on to study NC Professional Cookery Level 6 at college.

Possible Careers:

Careers in hospitality operations and management, professional cookery with management, food product development and manufacturing, events management.

S4 N5 Fashion and Textile Technology

S4 N5 Fashion and Textile Technology

In S4 you continue to build on your practical skills in constructing fashion and textile items as well as your knowledge of the properties and characteristics of fibres and the approaches taken by designers in making fashion and textile items. There are three assessments to complete in S4 which count towards your final grade. The SQA issues a design brief in late September and from this you complete an assignment over several lessons where you investigate the brief, come up with a design solution and then evaluate your final solution. Your assignment is sent away and marked externally. You will also make a practical item in class that demonstrates 8 different construction or decorative techniques and this will be assessed by your class teacher.  The final assessment is the question paper which you will sit as part of the exam time table in May and June.  

 

Topics Covered

  • Detailed knowledge of textile properties and characteristics. 
  • Detailed textile construction techniques. 
  • Detailed understanding of factors that influence fashion/textile choices.
  • Detailed understanding of fashion/textile trends. 
  • The ability to plan and make detailed fashion/textile items.
  • The ability to select, set up, adjust and use relevant tools and equipment safely and correctly.
  • Detailed investigation, evaluation and presentation skills.

Assessment: As stated above, you will make a textile item demonstrating 8 techniques and you will complete an assignment based on a design brief.  Both components are completed in class and are worth 70% of your final mark.  You will also sit a written question paper in May/June which will make up the remaining 30% of your overall mark.

Progression: Higher Fashion and Textile Technology

S5/S6 N5 Practical Cake Craft

S5/S6 N5 Practical Cake Craft

In Practical Cake Craft you will produce a range of different cakes to a commercially acceptable standard.  As well as developing your practical skills, your knowledge will be developed in the selection and ratio of ingredients, baking temperatures, preparing tins, tests for readiness and cooling techniques. You will be assessed via a practical activity, written assignment and written exam.  You will also complete a pupil portfolio/log of all activities undertaken.

Topics Covered

  • Acquire knowledge and understanding of methods of cake production.
  • Develop knowledge and understanding of functional properties of ingredients used in cake production.
  • Develop technical skills in cake baking and develop technical and creative skills in cake finishing.
  • Follow safe and hygienic working practices.
  • Develop their knowledge and understanding of cake design and follow trends in cake production. 
  • Acquire and use organisational skills in the context of managing time and resources.

Assessment:
Component 1: question paper 25 %
Component 2: Assignment 22%
Component 3: practical activity 53%

Entrance requirements:
Experience of N5 Practical Cookery preferred. N5 Art & Design is also beneficial, but not essential.

Progression:
N5 is the highest level of Practical Cake Craft offered by SQA.
Pupils can go on to study NC Bakery Level 6 at college.

Possible Careers:
Pupils gain skills to work in the Hospitality sector including baking,  cake designer, customer service roles, food product development, food retail, food manufacturing roles.  

S5/S6 N5 Practical Cookery

S5/S6 N5 Practical Cookery

Currently, a higher practical cookery course is not available to pupils in secondary schools.  However it is possible to take N5 Practical Cookery in S5 or S6.  Perhaps you cook at home and want to develop your skills and techniques or maybe you are thinking ahead to leaving home and want to ensure that you can cook for yourself.  You would be condensing a 2 year practical course into 1 year so it can seem quite challenging at first but by Christmas you will have found your feet and the double-periods really help to bring on your cooking skills.

You will be working towards making a three-course meal in 2.5 hours for your prelim and final exam. You will also build your food knowledge to prepare you for the N5 written question paper. Practical Cookery involves over 5 hours of assessment – a 2.5 hour practical exam, an assignment to be completed in 1 hours 45 minutes and a 1 hour written paper. This is a challenging but rewarding course and the more cooking you can do at home the more you can develop your organisational and time management skills – cooking a roast dinner for your family on a Sunday afternoon for instance, would be the perfect way to practise your skills and demonstrate to your family how good a cook you have become.

Topics Covered

  • Using food preparation techniques and cookery processes in the preparation of dishes.
  • Understanding and demonstrating knowledge of the importance of food safety and hygiene and its application in the practical context.
  • Selecting, weighing, measuring and using appropriate ingredients to prepare and garnish or decorate dishes. 
  • Understanding and demonstrating knowledge of the characteristics of a range of ingredients, and their function in a practical context.
  • Understanding and demonstrating knowledge of the importance of sourcing sustainable ingredients.
  • Understanding and demonstrating knowledge of current dietary advice relating to the use of ingredients.  
  • Following recipes in the preparation of dishes and carrying out an evaluation of the product. 
  • Planning, costing, organisational and time management skills in a cookery context.
  • Producing, portioning and presenting dishes appropriately.

Assessment:
Practical Cookery involves over 5 hours of assessment – a 2.5 hour practical exam which is a three course meal based on three recipes issued by the SQA in the January before your exam. An assignment to be completed in class in 1 hour 45 minutes which involves making a time plan of how you are going to manage the 3 exam recipes, an equipment list of the equipment needed and the service details of how you are going to present and garnish/decorate your finished dishes, as well as a 1 hour written question paper which you sit in the usual May/June exam time table.

Component 1: question paper 25 %
Component 2: assignment 13%
Component 3: practical activity 62%

Progression:
S5 Pupils can go on to study NC Professional Cookery Level 6 at college in S6.

Possible Careers:
Careers in hospitality operations and management, professional cookery with management, food product development and manufacturing, events management.

Higher Fashion and Textile Technology

Higher Fashion and Textile Technology

You can progress from N5 Fashion and Textiles to Higher Fashion and Textiles.  In Higher Fashion you will continue to develop your technical construction and design skills and your knowledge and understanding of fibres and fabrics along with the factors that influence the design decisions made in industry

If you are creative and have a good eye for detail and a strong work ethic, it is possible to complete Higher Fashion without having a N5 in Fashion and Textiles.  Please come and speak to us in the F&TT base if you would like more information.

Topics Covered

  • Investigation and problem-solving skills in developing design ideas and item development proposals.
  • Developing ideas, planning, making and evaluating fashion/textile items.
  • Applying knowledge and understanding in the selection and use of appropriate textiles that are fit for purpose.
  • Analysing how properties and/or characteristics of textiles and construction techniques are applied to produce items for specified purposes. 
  • Explaining issues which influence decisions made by industry and choices made by consumers.
  • Communicating and justifying design ideas and item development proposals.
  • Evaluating the suitability of fashion/textile items for specified purposes.
  • Selecting and applying a range of appropriate textile construction techniques to make fashion/textile items.

Assessment: you will make a textile item demonstrating 8 techniques and you will complete an assignment based on a design brief.  The practical item is worth 30% of your final mark and the assignment is worth 35%. Both components are completed in class.  You will also sit a written question paper in the May/June exam diet which will make up the remaining 35% of your overall mark.

Entrance requirements: N5 Fashion and Textiles desirable or N5/Higher Art and Design.  May consider other applicants if creative and have strong work ethic – please come and speak to F&TT to discuss further.

Progression: Higher is the highest level currently offered by SQA.

Possible Careers: many careers are available in the textile industry from fashion designer to textile designer, garment technologist, pattern cutter, fashion branding, fashion marketing, retail management, fashion buyer, stylist, visual merchandiser, fashion writer, fashion PR and many more…

Higher Health and Food Technology

Higher Health and Food Technology

Currently a higher award in practical cookery is not offered to pupils in secondary schools.  However, it is possible to study Higher Health and Food Technology which addresses contemporary issues affecting food and nutrition, including ethical and moral considerations, sustainability of sources, food production and development, and consumer choices. 

It should be noted that this is not a practical cookery course – you will develop and cook one dish based on a design brief – this is the extent of the cookery element and the remainder of the course is theory based.

You will also analyse the relationships between health, food and nutrition in order to plan and create food products to a range of specific dietary and lifestyle needs.

Health and Food Technology Higher is particularly suitable for those pupils who are interested in studying diet and nutrition. The course teaches pupils food for health and product development in relation to the Food Industry. Higher Health and Food Technology helps pupils to develop important skills such as creative thinking, problem solving, planning and organising.

The skills that you develop in Health and Food Technology are useful in many different career areas, such as food and drink manufacturing, food science and technology and dietetics and nutrition.

You will also learn about how food products are developed and sensory tested to meet specified dietary needs.  

Some universities and colleges recognise Higher HFT as a science qualification to meet the entry requirements into a related subject.

Topics Covered

  • Analyse the relationships between health, nutrition and food.
  • Develop and apply understanding and skills related to the functional properties of food.
  • Investigate contemporary issues affecting food and consumer choice.
  • Use research, management and technological skills to plan, make and evaluate food products to a range of dietary and lifestyle needs.
  • Prepare food using safe and hygienic practices to meet specific needs.

Assessment:
50% written assignment – completed in class and externally assessed and 50% written exam – externally assessed

Progression:
Advanced Higher not offered at Williamwood.

Possible Careers:
Careers in Education: HFT Teacher, PE Teacher, Science Teacher, Primary Teacher.

  • Careers in the Health Sector: Dentist, Doctor, Ophthalmologist, Physiotherapist, as these are all linked to diet, nutrition and health
  • Food Product Development
  • Environmental Health Officer
  • Public Health Advisor
  • Nursing and Midwifery
  • Food Technologist
  • Food Scientist
  • Personal trainer.

NPA Bakery Level 4

NPA Bakery Level 4

NPA Bakery level 4 is presented alongside N5 Practical Cake Craft.

NPA in Bakery has been designed to provide candidates with the skills required for success in future employment within the bakery industry or for progression to further academic qualifications. This award is aimed at candidates who are interested in pursuing a career in the bakery and catering industries but do not necessarily have any prior experience.

Topics Covered

  • Craft Baking: An Introduction
  • Bread Making: An Introduction
  • Cake Decorating: An introduction
  • Pastry

Assessment:
Pupils are assessed on producing a range of cake types, breads, pastries, demonstrate the use of a range of coatings and using simple decorative techniques.

Progression:
N5 Practical Cake Craft or pupils can go on to study NC Bakery Level 6 at college.

Success and Achievement

MasterChef Competition
Our annual MasterChef competition is one of the highlights of the year for the F&TT Department. The competition is open to S1 and S2 pupils. Places are limited so pupils who are interested will be asked to submit a 2 course meal – either a starter and a main course or a main course and a dessert. We will select the participants from the menus submitted. 

On the day, you will have 1.5 hours to make your two courses. You will need to bring all the ingredients into school on the morning of the competition.  

There will be a judging panel made up of professional chefs and other special guests who will taste your dishes and decide the top 3 winners with a prize-giving at the end of the competition. You will be judged on the taste and presentation of your dish.

The MasterChef competition takes place each November, so get thinking about your two dishes if you would like to take part.

MasterChef 2023:
Our thanks go to all of the participants of Junior Masterchef who made a huge effort and worked extremely hard to make Junior Masterchef 2023 the success that is was. All of the judges and teachers were very proud of our pupils and delighted at the exceptionally high standards.

30 s1 and S2 pupils participated in total.

Our winners were
3rd place – Heidi and Chloe (S2)
2nd place – Chloe and Carina (S1)
1st place – Hannah (S1). 

Photos in MasterChef 2023 folder.

STEAM Fashion Event
Along with the Art, Design and Photography Department, F&TT presented a fashion show at this year’s STEAM event.  S3, S4 and S5&6 Fashion and Textile Technology pupils focused on the 3 themes of the 1980s, Barbiecore and Gothic Chic,  to design, adapt or style outfits.  Our models from across the school community looked incredible walking down the runway, accompanied by the incredible wearable sculptures made by Art and Design pupils.

REHIS
Congratulations to our S3 and S6 Practical Cookery classes who passed their recent REHIS exam. REHIS certification is an industry recognised qualification for food hygiene and safety and can be advantagpous to young people seeking part-time work in a food-related position.

Eco Committee Green Flag Status
The Eco Committee achieved Green Flag status and are working towards reaccreditation in the next few months.

Eco Committee School Garden
The Eco Committee has been working with the Food for Thought fund from Education Scotland and senior pupils were working with nursery school pupils to grow food all year round.

The Eco Committee was awarded funding for tree packs from the Woodland Trust which have been planted in the Eco Garden

Rachel Leigh CosPlay Award
Our very telented S6 pupil Rachel Leigh was awarded the

S1 Baking Club
Fancy making some sweet treats after school and maybe make some new friends in the process? Then Baking Club is the place to be on a Wednesday after school.

Baking Club is very popular so we run two rotations to give everyone the chance to come along. 

Please see the Baking Club Google Classroom page for more information or pop up and see us in the F&TT base.

Skills for Life, Learning and work

The Food, Drinks and Textile industries in Scotland are thriving and present a wide range of opportunities for our young people. A number of our pupils have gone on to build successful careers in Food and Textiles.

In the Food and Textile Technology department we are keen to develop the young workforce. We have developed strong links with local colleges and universities and regularly attend graduate fashion shows, front of house workshops and interactive open days with our pupils. Our Fashion and Textiles pupils also attend Future Textiles workshops at Dumfries House.

Industry Experience

We have recently facilitated work experience placements with a range of industry partners including Glasgow City College, Scottish Opera, Finsbury Foods and the Dandelion Café.

We regularly attend the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh which showcases developments in the food industry from suppliers and retailers all over the country.

All of our S3 and S6 Practical Cookery pupils have the opportunity to obtain their Elementary Food Hygiene certificate, which is a requirement for all those employed in the food industry.

If you have a particular interest in work experience or pursuing a career in Food and Drink, Hospitality or Fashion and Textile Technology, please come and speak to us in the F&TT base and we will help you any way we can.

Front of House Team

The F&TT Front of House Team work hard to provide a high quality hospitality service at various school events throughout the year.