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Lesson planning
17 September 2025Transform food education for your pupils
Sam Booth
Design and technology lead
Food is so much more than fuel: it’s culture, creativity, community and care. At Oak we believe every pupil deserves the opportunity to discover these connections and develop essential life skills.
Our brand-new cooking and nutrition curriculum (for key stages 1-2, and key stage 3) and free, adaptable lesson resources have been launched to support this. Developed in partnership with subject experts the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), the curriculum uses their flagship education programme, ‘Food a Fact of Life,’ as a foundation.
A curriculum designed by experts, for real classrooms
Oak’s design and technology, and cooking and nutrition curricula have been presented separately to help teachers find cooking and nutrition content quickly and easily, while also signposting its importance as a body of knowledge. Each subject area has been carefully sequenced to be taught independently or together.
The cooking and nutrition curriculum is built to inspire confidence and curiosity in food education. Developed alongside leading nutrition experts, the resources reflect the latest thinking on healthy, sustainable diets and the socio-economic realities pupils face today.
Clear, progressive learning journey
The 108 carefully sequenced lessons form a clear, progressive journey, linking health, hygiene, sustainability and food culture into a cohesive, meaningful learning experience. Units in key stage 1 and key stage 2 – such as The Eatwell Guide: healthy living and Our rich global food cuisine – have been designed to give you the confidence to teach cooking and nutrition, no matter your level of expertise.
In key stage 3, units include, independent and confident cooking, more sustainable diets and global food challenges.
You can dive straight in with comprehensive, ready-to-use materials: curriculum plans, slide decks, quizzes, worksheets, recipes, blogs and additional teacher guidance. Every element is fully adaptable, allowing you to select and tailor what works best for your pupils and school environment.
Building skills and inspiring healthy choices
At the heart of this curriculum is hands-on, practical cooking. Pupils will explore over 60 diverse recipes, each designed with government guidelines, seasonality, cost and accessibility in mind. Whether it’s expanding their food horizons, experimenting with world cuisines or recognising the environmental impact of their choices, pupils learn to see food as nourishment, culture and joy. For example, in year 7 pupils can learn about growing, rearing and catching our food and make yakisoba noodles, and in year 8 pupils learn about macronutrients, fibre and water.
The content also engages students with the wider socio-economic role of food, encouraging critical thinking about real-world issues from food security to cultural traditions, and helping them connect classroom learning with their lived experiences.
Bite-sized demonstration videos
Cooking lessons feature short, chunked demonstration videos that model essential food skills step by step. These bite-sized clips support teacher explanations and make complex techniques easier to follow. They help pupils build confidence in replicating skills independently, such as mastering cutting techniques, measuring ingredients, and using equipment safely. For example, in the year 5 lesson about making a poke bowl, there are demos on peeling, the bridge hold and the claw grip. The videos are embedded throughout the lessons reinforcing understanding and strengthening practical confidence in the kitchen.
Flexible, inclusive and adaptable
Recognising the realities of different school settings, this curriculum is intentionally flexible. Ingredients, activities and timings can be easily adjusted to fit a range of budgets, dietary needs, pupil skill levels and equipment availability.
Support for teachers from BNF
To help teachers feel confident and supported, our expert partners at BNF are offering 10 CPD sessions tailored to the curriculum. These sessions will help you quickly understand the materials, plan effectively and teach your pupils knowledge and skills that will last a lifetime.
Oak’s cooking and nutrition curriculum is more than just a set of lessons; it’s a foundation to transform how pupils think about food. By celebrating culture, promoting healthy choices and equipping pupils with practical skills, it creates a meaningful and joyful food education experience for every classroom.
Explore and download Oak's free lessons today:
