Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in England currently teach cooking; and how many of those are (a) academies and (b) free schools.

The Department does not hold data on how many schools teach cooking.

However, one of the stated aims of the National Curriculum programme of study for Design and Technology is for pupils to ‘understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook’.

Design & Technology is a compulsory subject for all pupils in Key Stages 1 to 3 attending maintained schools. Academies and free schools do not have to follow the National Curriculum, but may still offer design and technology or teach cookery as part of their own curriculum.

In 2016, 33,448 pupils entered the Design & Technology: Food Technology GCSE[1], with entries in 1,470 schools[2]. Of these, 841 are academies and 2 are free schools.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2015-to-2016 (Subject time series table)

[2] Based on Key stage 4 qualification and subject data, available at: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/download-data