One school that has bucked the trend of decline in home economics is St Margaret’s Academy, in Livingston. Last year, nearly 60 pupils from the school were entered for a Higher qualification in the subject – more than any other school in Scotland.
Sally Cameron, health and technology teacher at St Margaret’s, said home economics had been given a radical overhaul with a change of name, a new focus to lessons and the introduction of taster sessions in surrounding primary schools.
She said: “We don’t call ourselves home economics. We changed because we felt it was an outdated term and did not reflect the work that is going on in schools.
“In the first three years we teach topics such as the relationship between food and health and how food can prevent or cause dietary diseases.
“We are educating the pupils on how to be clever consumers so they are aware of the labelling on food, packaging and advertising and we also look at other factors such as whether foods are free range or organic.”
Pupils also learn to cook, with popular lessons focusing on creating healthy versions of their favourite foods such as low-fat pizzas, fruit kebabs or chicken nuggets that are baked rather than fried.
Getting families on board is also a key part of the strategy, with parents and grandparents invited to attend school to see for themselves how the subject has changed.
Mrs Cameron said: “We want to enthuse parents when their children are still young so we invite families to learning evenings where we tell them the subject is no longer just about cooking and sewing.
“It is an academic subject that can get pupils into university, college and the world of work as well as giving them valuable skills for life.”
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