There's something fishy going on
As a nation we eat more 'ready meals' than the rest of Europe combined, according to a recent report on healthy eating. The higher level skills in cookery are, for many millenials a forgotten skill. Since changes to the National Curriculum, practical cookery is a compulsory subject in mainstream schools.
A group of Year 11 GCSE pupils at Mary Hare prepared for their mock exam this week, refining the art of filleting and pin boning a fish in order to make Thai fish cakes. The class, predominantly boys, was in full flow with conversation back and forth about what they were doing and how they were doing it, despite all pupils in the class being deaf. With an ever increasing emphasis on health eating, research has shown that children who learn to cook at an early age, are more likely to try new foods and to eat their 'five a day'. In addition, it provides pupils with an important life skill which will stand them in good stead for University and independent living.
The NDCS (National Deaf Children's Society highlights the importance of giving a young deaf person lots of opportunities for conversation so they can develop their language, including talking about things related to numbers. Cooking provides the opportunity to do just this when following a recipe and weighing out ingredients.
With research showing that 43% of deaf children arriving at Secondary School have fallen behind in reading, writing and maths, (NDCS), the importance of providing a wide curriculum and learning opportunities is paramount.