Food Preparation and Nutrition
Which schools in England make Food Preparation and Nutrition a big part of the curriculum, and where results are strongest. Entries and grades from the 2025 performance tables.
Food Preparation and Nutrition GCSE was taken in 1,948 schools in England in 2025, with 54,044 entries — about 8% of the Year 11 cohort.
Nationally 21% of entries achieved grade 7 or above. The tables below show the schools where the largest share of pupils take the subject, and where grades are highest (schools with at least 20 entries).
At Selly Park Girls' School (Birmingham) 58% of the year group took Food Preparation and Nutrition.
GCSE: schools with the highest share of grades 7–9
Schools with at least 20 entries. England: 21% of entries graded 7–9. High grades often reflect who is admitted (selective and independent schools) as much as teaching.
| # | School | Local authority | Entries | Cohort | Share | Grades 7–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wallington High School for Girls | Sutton | 37 | 210 | 18% | 100% |
| 2 | Withington Girls' School | Manchester | 20 | 83 | 24% | 100% |
| 3 | Alleyn's School | Southwark | 39 | 155 | 25% | 97% |
| 4 | Heckmondwike Grammar School | Kirklees | 26 | 206 | 13% | 96% |
| 5 | Cheltenham Ladies' College | Gloucestershire | 20 | 142 | 14% | 95% |
| 6 | Southend High School for Girls | Southend-on-Sea | 37 | 176 | 21% | 95% |
| 7 | Woodford County High School | Redbridge | 30 | 181 | 17% | 93% |
| 8 | Weald of Kent Grammar School | Kent | 82 | 290 | 28% | 93% |
| 9 | King's High School | Warwickshire | 27 | 118 | 23% | 93% |
| 10 | Nonsuch High School for Girls | Sutton | 40 | 233 | 17% | 93% |
| 11 | Solihull School | Solihull | 51 | 148 | 34% | 92% |
| 12 | Tormead School | Surrey | 25 | 96 | 26% | 92% |
| 13 | Loreto Grammar School | Trafford | 23 | 157 | 15% | 91% |
| 14 | Berkhamsted School | Hertfordshire | 68 | 203 | 33% | 90% |
| 15 | Lancaster Royal Grammar School | Lancashire | 25 | 170 | 15% | 88% |
| 16 | Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls | Birmingham | 30 | 179 | 17% | 87% |
| 17 | Wirral Grammar School for Girls | Wirral | 30 | 180 | 17% | 87% |
| 18 | Chesham Grammar School | Buckinghamshire | 66 | 180 | 37% | 86% |
| 19 | Sherborne School for Girls | Dorset | 22 | 78 | 28% | 86% |
| 20 | Urmston Grammar Academy | Trafford | 49 | 152 | 32% | 86% |
| 21 | Kimbolton School | Cambridgeshire | 34 | 106 | 32% | 85% |
| 22 | St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School | Slough | 20 | 158 | 13% | 85% |
| 23 | Westcliff High School for Girls | Southend-on-Sea | 26 | 184 | 14% | 85% |
| 24 | Ribston Hall High School | Gloucestershire | 26 | 148 | 18% | 85% |
| 25 | Aylesbury High School | Buckinghamshire | 32 | 181 | 18% | 84% |
| 26 | Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith | Westmorland and Furness | 57 | 160 | 36% | 84% |
| 27 | Newcastle High School for Girls GDST | Newcastle upon Tyne | 25 | 69 | 36% | 84% |
| 28 | Invicta Grammar School | Kent | 30 | 250 | 12% | 83% |
| 29 | Wolverhampton Girls' High School | Wolverhampton | 71 | 180 | 39% | 83% |
| 30 | Kendrick School | Reading | 29 | 128 | 23% | 83% |
| 31 | Stroud High School | Gloucestershire | 28 | 160 | 18% | 82% |
| 32 | Royal Masonic School for Girls | Hertfordshire | 33 | 126 | 26% | 82% |
| 33 | Highworth Grammar School | Kent | 22 | 214 | 10% | 82% |
| 34 | Lancaster Girls' Grammar School | Lancashire | 22 | 141 | 16% | 82% |
| 35 | Marling School | Gloucestershire | 21 | 159 | 13% | 81% |
| 36 | Bournemouth School for Girls | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 46 | 177 | 26% | 80% |
| 37 | Royal Latin School | Buckinghamshire | 20 | 174 | 11% | 80% |
| 38 | Clitheroe Royal Grammar School | Lancashire | 38 | 149 | 26% | 79% |
| 39 | Beaconsfield High School | Buckinghamshire | 56 | 179 | 31% | 79% |
| 40 | King Henry VIII School | Coventry | 23 | 67 | 34% | 78% |
What pupils learn in Food Preparation and Nutrition, stage by stage
England has no national year-by-year syllabus: exam boards and schools set the order within each stage. These are the statutory blocks from the Department for Education, so a parent can see what a child meets in Years 7–9, what every GCSE candidate must cover, and what waits in the sixth form.
What GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition teaches · Years 10–11
37 learning outcomes from the Department for Education’s statutory subject content, grouped by topic. Each outcome belongs to one of twelve fields of knowledge used across startfrom.today: Natural Sciences (14), Health & Safety (9), Engineering & Manufacturing (7), Social & Cultural Skills (6) and others. Exam boards add detail on top of these; the outcomes themselves are the same whichever board a school uses.
Nutrition6
- plan a balanced diet for different life stages including specific dietary needs — balanced diet, dietary need, life stage
- calculate the energy and nutrient values of recipes, meals and diets — energy value, nutrient calculation
- explain the functions and sources of macronutrients and micronutrients — deficiency, macronutrient, micronutrient
- explain how basal metabolic rate and activity level affect energy needs — basal metabolic rate, physical activity level
- explain major diet-related health risks such as obesity and diabetes — cardiovascular health, diet-related disease, obesity
- explain the function of water and the importance of hydration in the diet — hydration, water function
Food provenance5
- describe how foods are grown, reared or caught and processed — food production, processing
- explain how processing affects the sensory and nutritional properties of ingredients — nutritional property, processing effect
- explain the impact of food production and food security on the environment and communities — environmental impact, food security
- evaluate technological developments in food production and fortification — fortification, modified food
- describe the distinctive features of British and international culinary traditions — cuisine, culinary tradition
Food choice6
- explain how sensory perception and taste receptors guide food choice — sensory perception, taste receptor
- set up and run a tasting panel to evaluate the sensory qualities of food — sensory quality, tasting panel
- explain the factors that influence food choice including cost, availability and occasion — availability, cost, food choice
- explain how religion, culture and ethical belief influence food choice — culture, ethical belief, religion
- make informed food choices for a varied, balanced and affordable diet — balanced diet, portion size
- explain how food labelling and marketing influence food choice — food labelling, marketing
Cooking and food preparation4
- explain how heat is transferred to food through conduction, convection and radiation — conduction, convection, radiation
- select cooking methods to conserve or modify nutritive value and palatability — cooking method, nutritive value
- explain the working, functional and chemical properties of ingredients when cooked — coagulation, emulsification, gelatinisation
- explain how preparation and cooking affect the sensory and nutritional properties of food — nutritional property, sensory property
Food safety5
- explain food safety principles for storing, preparing and cooking food — food safety, storage
- explain the growth conditions for enzyme action, mould growth and yeast production — enzyme action, mould growth, yeast production
- identify signs of food spoilage including enzymic action, mould and bacteria — bacteria, food spoilage
- explain the factors that affect bacterial growth in food — bacterial growth, moisture, temperature
- explain the causes and prevention of bacterial cross-contamination — cross-contamination, prevention
Preparation and cooking techniques6
- demonstrate knife skills and preparation techniques for meat, fish, fruit and vegetables — food preparation, knife skill
- select and adjust cooking processes using hob, oven and grill methods — cooking method, heat source
- weigh, measure and prepare ingredients and equipment accurately — equipment preparation, measurement
- make sauces, doughs and raised mixtures using raising agents — dough, raising agent, sauce
- test food for readiness and finish dishes for presentation — presentation, readiness test
- adjust seasoning, texture and appearance to improve the sensory qualities of a dish — food styling, seasoning, texture
Planning and evaluating recipes5
- consider lifestyle and consumer choice when developing recipes — consumer choice, lifestyle
- review and adapt recipes to improve ingredients, process and portion size — portion size, recipe review
- manage the time and cost of recipes — cost management, time management
- evaluate and adjust recipes using sensory testing during preparation and cooking — recipe adjustment, sensory testing
- justify and present chosen recipes and cooking methods to others — justification, presentation
Source: DfE GCSE food preparation and nutrition subject content (2015), Open Government Licence v3.0. Outcomes are split into single actions and rewritten only where the original bundled several; wording otherwise follows the DfE text. Methodology.