The stereotypical home economics teacher is the most organised individual I know in a school. Throughout my career, we have been relied upon to plan, prepare, teach, and mark work while delivering the most amazing practical experiences for our students.
Yet, resourcing within this subject varies up and down the country. Returning to school post-lockdown has made us realise the differences we are all facing and trying to work with the deliver the same curriculum. Some are single-person departments, others have colleagues for support and work sharing; some have technicians, preparation areas, ample storage, regular food deliveries, state-of-the-art kitchen facilities and equipment, while others have little or none of these.
Not only does this impact of the everyday direct teaching of the subject and the amount of time teachers are involved in non-teaching activities, but now more than ever it has an impact on how we can - or, worryingly, perhaps cannot - deliver the subject while following Covid-19 guidelines.
Background: SQA to miss its deadline for publishing exam changes
SQA exams 2021: Heads’ group calls for cancellation and shortening of exams
SQA exams: Huge response to SQA consultation on 2021 exams
We ask Nicola Sturgeon: Are we headed for second exams fiasco?
Long read: Home ec and PE: the curriculum’s unsung heroes
During an oversubscribed Education Scotland summer webinar, many HE teachers raised their concerns over equity within the subject area, and this hasn’t changed. If anything, the gap is widening and some students are becoming more disadvantaged.
We are becoming more and more frustrated at the lack of subject guidance for home economics in Scotland. In England, the Food Teachers Centre and CLEAPSS (formerly the Consortium of Local Education Authorities for the Provision of Science Services) issued food-specific information and risk assessments before the summer holidays; in Scotland, SSERC (formerly the Scottish Schools Education Research Centre) issued guidelines for science and technology.
But home economics teachers are still waiting - and for how much longer? No one seems to be taking the lead, and blame is being cast around.
We need - not want - guidelines. Some councils have put a blanket ban on practical work, while individual schools and departments have also had to due to lack of time and resourcing. If we are to include June, there are a number of students who haven’t been able to do any practical work for eight weeks. And, if what we hear is correct, this could easily become 12 weeks.
These students will be expected to take the same exams next year as those who have cooked throughout the school year. The initial SQA proposals made no consideration of this and merely
cut out areas which, to be honest, would take minutes to teach and are not dependent on the skills developed through practical work.
Every day the home economics and food education Scotland Facebook group receives posts from worried teachers asking for help and support on these matters. We should not be in this position.
For teachers who like to be thoroughly planned and organised this is a major cause of anxiety, as we feel we are letting our students down. In the meantime, we wait - and wait.
The writer is a home economics teacher in Scotland
