Y11 final Technical skills practical today p4 into lunch. No time for me to have lunch. Luckily one student made the most amazing sticky toffee pudding and custard and let me eat his plated up sample. Would have paid £10 it was soooo good!

Our Big Question in Form today: How can school help you achieve your career goals? “We need more than 1 hr/ week of DT/ Food. We could learn so much more”. Yup, I’m with you there

4 x1hr lessons, 90 students making empanadas in 2 days. Exhausting but worth it hearing one girl say “I made these all by myself. The pastry, the filling, everything”

2nd week of empanadas. Y9 girl came asking to collect her “pasties”. “Can you remember what we called them, em….” Her reply “Mbappes” 🤣🤣

Portioning a chicken is such a great lesson for students realising what they can achieve if they step (or are pushed!) outside their comfort zone. Doesn’t matter they aren’t perfect, y10s leave feeling proud (and a bit amazed)

Rewarding end of term with y10 creating their own recipes using chicken they portioned. Faultless work ethic throughout the class, all prepared to work through lunch to be able to upskill

'In any classroom someone is always in charge: if it is not the teacher, it will be the loudest student. In the worst classrooms, the class bullies are in charge...the most vulnerable students feel unsafe. It is heartbreaking. Silence as a default transforms the culture'.

Mixed emotions handing my letter of resignation today as I move schools for a promotion, but proud that my continuing effort for our students was recognised and promoted on school’s socials

Y10 seemed really keen to collect their food at lunchtime rather than after school today… I feel rather sorry for the families that missed out on their profiteroles

Y8 practical assessments this week - 6 veg pasta sauce. When I started many students balked at using vegetables, now they pick them up (onion, garlic, leek, courgette, carrot, mushroom, aubergine and tomatoes) and just cook 👩‍🍳 “It smells really good”.

Showed my second y10 class some fruit tarts that the other y10 class made. Tomorrow is their chance to show us what they can do in an hour. Love a bit of healthy competition between classes 🏆

Saving the best for last - the final Y9 street foods class were fabulous. It’s been time consuming organising ingredients for 190 students cooking their own choices but worth it - Korean, French, Argentinian and Mexican food were some cuisines we visited this week

Quote of the day “I knew my revision was excellent and would pay off” from a y7. Y11, are you listening?

I leave my school in 1 week. The best thing has been the comments from staff and students alike who tell you how they like what I have done, how they think I am “sound”. You don’t hear this normally.