New kitchen for pupils at Oakwood School

The school has a brand new food technology room to cook up a storm in. The new facility, funded by the Friends of Oakwood, has been launched as part of an exciting ‘Creative Carousel’ of learning for seven to 11 year olds at the school, which includes a whole raft of activities, such as ceramics, drama and textiles alongside food technology. The new room is also being used for an extra-curricular club, Cookery Capers, which sees children’s families enjoying regular take-home creations of everything from soup to scones. Even the youngest pupils in Oakwood’s Little Oaks Nursery and Pre-Prep aged from two and a half to seven are enjoying the opportunity to create culinary magic.

Clare Bradbury, head teacher, said: “While Oakwood has a reputation for academic excellence and sporting opportunity, we also know how important it is to inspire children’s natural curiosity and life-learning skills in as wide a breadth of curriculum as possible.”

This year’s Independent Schools Inspectorate report saw Oakwood receive the highest gradings in all areas, stating that ‘the school was highly successful in fulfilling its aim of offering a broad, creative curriculum that challenges and engages.’

Mrs Bradbury said: “Each of our ‘Creative Carousel’ lessons takes place with very small groups of pupils, giving every child the opportunity to extend their individual creativity and learning. Food technology lessons support the development of children’s mathematical skills and technical knowledge as well as linking methodology and nutritional awareness to being active, playing well and working hard inside and outside of the traditional curriculum – with the bonus of making something delicious at the end!”

Plans for the new facility include more charity fundraisers alongside the annual Oakwood Bake-Off, involving parents in cookery demonstrations, and the possible launch of a community café in the future.