Home Economics Department Handbook
Lochgelly High School
Aims of the Department
The Home Economics Department at Lochgelly High School aims to
provide a learning experience of the highest standard for all pupils.
To achieve this aim, the department strives to –
 create a positive and safe learning environment for all pupils
 foster positive behaviour and attitudes among pupils
 offer a range of Home Economics courses which will motivate and
challenge and which will allow pupils to progress
 Provide the opportunity for all pupils to realize their full potential
in whichever course of study they undertake
 Encourage pupils to take responsibility for their learning
 Keep up to date with new developments and initiatives in this
subject
 Identify opportunities to develop education/community links within
the curriculum
 Reflect on and review policies and practice in order to implement
change where this is desirable or is necessary
Session 2009 – 2010
Department Staff
Irene McLellan
Principal Teacher
Caroline Weir
Teacher (part-time 4 days)
Elizabeth Grindlay
Teacher FTE
Teaching Responsibilities
I. McLellan
3)
S1/2 Common course; S3/4 Special Education (Access
S3/4 Skills for Work
S4 Hospitality Int 1;
S5/6 Hospitality Int 2
C. Weir
S1/2 Common course; S1 Special education;
S3 Lifestyle & Consumer Technology Int 1
S4 Hospitality
E. Grindlay
S1/2 Common course; S1/BSG Special Education;
S3 Hospitality Int 1
S4 Lifestyle & Consumer Technology Int 1
S5/6 Lifestyle & Consumer Technology
As well as teaching their allocated classes/timetable staff will be
expected to take on other responsibilities within the department.
These tasks will be mutually agreed and will depend on the needs
within the department. Each member of the team will also be
allocated specific tasks in connection with the Departmental
Improvement Plan.
Duties & Responsibilities of Principal Teacher
The PT is the leader of the department who plans and prioritises the
work of the department in line with school policy and practice and who
contributes to the development of whole school policies.
It is the responsibility of the PT to manage the department and to
ensure the effective delivery of the Home Economics curriculum in
Lochgelly High School through the monitoring, control and evaluation
of courses, methodologies and resources.
The Principal Teacher’s ‘line manager’ is DHT (I. Aurus)
General Staff Duties
As teachers we are expected to display a high level of professionalism
in all aspects of our work. We seek at all times to maintain and
improve high standards, raise levels of attainment and achievement
and to celebrate success.
With this in mind, our responsibilities require us –
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to arrive punctually at school and class
to prepare lessons and courses effectively
to teach assigned classes employing appropriate teaching
strategies
to undertake the development of the school curriculum
to assess regularly the work of the pupils and to record and report
on pupil performance
to present pupils for and to participate in the conduct of national
assessments
to undertake regular CPD opportunities and to keep up to date with
developments and initiatives in the subject area
to engage in professional self-evaluation and to participate in the
Staff CPD and Review process
to contribute to the professional development of colleagues,
including probationary and student teachers
to participate in the administration and organisation of the school
to maintain good order and discipline among pupils and to look after
their health and safety
to advise and guide pupils, as appropriate, on issues related to their
education
In addition staff are encouraged to –
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make a contribution to the formulation of school policies
participate as fully as possible in the general life of the school
through involvement in extra-curricular and study support
activities
Specific Duties of Teaching Staff
Learning & Teaching
Staff within the Home Economics Department must be fully aware of and
conversant with the knowledge and understanding, practical and
organizational skills to be aquired and developed in the courses they
teach.
In order to teach effectively staff must be sure of their own knowledge,
understanding and skills by keeping up to date in all aspects of the
subject.
Where a member of staff identifies a need for support then every effort
will be made to provide appropriate support.
Teaching strategies must be planned to promote pupil learning, the
emphasis being on developing and maximising pupil’s learning attainment.
Staff must be ready to respond to pupils who have different levels of
competence within the class by the selection of materials and resources
appropriate to their needs. Opportunities exist for H.Ec staff to work
with colleagues in the Learning Support Dept. in the preparation of
resources and the delivery of these materials in the classroom.
Information concerning pupil support needs is held in a folio in the staff
base, the information is also held on the school server and updated at the
beginning of each school session.
Department meetings will be used, on an on-going basis, to discuss and
reflect on course content, teaching methodologies and assessment
requirements.
Record Keeping
All teachers in the department are expected to maintain the following
records:
1 Attendance register for every class
2 Homework, assessment and unit results/marks
3 Record of work
Assessment records and unit results must be stored in the appropriate
file in the staff base to allow pupil tracking to take place by the P.T.
Staff must, at all times, keep their records up-to-date as they must be
available at regular intervals by the P.T. as part of the ingoing quality
assurance procedures within the H. Ec. Dept.
Copies of referrals/replies, reports and any information requested about
a pupil should be placed into the appropriate folder in the staff base.
Teachers should be aware that all information regarding pupils may be
made available to that person or to his/her parents.
Department deadlines must be adhered to, if a problem is anticipated this
should be discussed with the PT as a matter of urgency.
Assessment and Reporting
The Home Economics Department endorses the definition of assessment
offered by Fife Council that it is a process of gathering information
about pupils in order to:
 gauge their attainment
 help them to learn more effectively by identifying strengths
and/or weaknesses and development needs along with personal
motivation
 monitor their progress and recognize achievement
 involve pupils in reviewing their own work and progress
 make the curriculum more appropriate to individual needs
 assist them to make informed choices
Members of staff will use formative assessment as a regular part of day
to day learning and teaching. Summative assessment will be carried out at
regular intervals during coursework as appropriate. Summative
assessment will be supported by agreed marking schemes and proformas.
SQA assessment procedures are in place for all NQ courses.
They are regularly updated, as necessary.
Reporting is used to provide constructive feedback to both pupils and
parents. Information gained from assessment will be used to advise pupils
on how they can improve their learning.
Information gained will be used by staff in school to gain a fuller ‘picture’
of pupil progress and to inform pupil tracking/progress/achievement
information as required
Feedback to Pupils will identify:
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success
what has been learned
next steps
strategies for how this might be achieved
The school’s reporting system attempts to communicate clearly and in a
positive way about pupil performance. A standard format for reports has
been agreed across the curriculum with the following headings:
EFFORT;
BEHAVIOUR;
ATTAINMENT LEVEL;
COMMENTS
While such a format imposes a degree of uniformity for all departments
there is also scope for variation according to the nature of the subject.
When an attitude or achievement problem is indicated on a report, an
explanation in the Comments box is mandatory. It is important, however,
that teachers do not use the Comments space exclusively for discussion
of problems, rather, it should be regarded as presenting opportunity to
say something constructive and useful about each child’s progress.
Detailed instructions regarding completion dates and related information
is issued by Year Head (DHT) at appropriate times through out the school
year.
Staff Development – CPD
Teachers are encouraged to participate in any opportunity available to
them to further their own professional development through attendance
at INSET, national courses, meeting and other events. Sharing
information, as a result of attending a course, is encouraged. Where
possible, the P.T. will keep staff up-to-date on development opportunities
and, when appropriate, make arrangements within the department to
assist staff to undertake specific requests. Individuals wishing to
participate in opportunities which have a financial cost, or require time
out of school, must complete the appropriate application form and
proforma. The completed application should then be given to the CPD
coordinator in school to obtain permission to attend. It is the
responsibility of individual members of staff to keep their CPD record
up-to-date. CPD is part of a teacher’s contractual duties.
Department Improvement Plan
The department plan will be discussed each year with all teaching staff
and targets agreed. The targets will take account of  Whole school improvement plan
 SQA/NQ results/review meeting
 Targets not achieved from previous session
 Areas of improvement/development identified by staff
 Requests from SMT
 Staff workload
Monitoring/Supervision and Quality Assurance
The open-plan layout of the H. Ec. Department allows the P.T. to
supervise much of the activity in the area. However, in line with school
policy, on occasions, more formal observation of a lesson will be used to
ensure quality standards are being met and to identify where a teacher
may be in need of some assistance. Observation will take place during the
winter and summer terms. Department meeting will also be used, through
discussion, to identify concerns and acknowledge success/achievement.
Standardisation is achieved by the use of lesson/unit planners, internal
and external prescriptive marking schemes. The P.T will sample and check
departmental marking on a regular basis. Cross marking will be carried
out to ensure consistency across the department. Feedback on sampling
will be given to each member of staff concerned.
P.T. will use a checklist, at D.M. to record progress through tasks
allocated to individuals in Department Improvement Plan. This will be
displayed on Staff base noticeboard.
Health and Safety
It is the aim of all members of the Home Economics department to
provide a safe working environment for pupils. These aims are consistent
with and so reinforce the Health & Safety policies of the school.
Individual teachers are responsible for Health and Safety matters within
their normal teaching areas. When planning lessons the teacher must be
aware of any potential risks and ensure that the class is informed, as
appropriate. All pupils must be trained in the safe use of potentially
dangerous equipment and regularly reminded of the risks. While this is a
specific topic in the early weeks in the S1 curriculum it is an ongoing
concern throughout the Home Economics curriculum.
Positive behaviour is an expectation in the department. Any incident,
regarding safety, which gives cause for concern will be dealt with
immediately by removing the pupil/s from the practical area.
It is important, at the end of the teaching day, that a thorough check is
made of the practical teaching areas, by individual teachers, to ensure
that all gas/electricity supplies are switched off and all equipment is
stored safely.
Damaged or ineffective safety systems should be reported as soon as
possible to the PT.
There is an annual safety check carried out on all electrical equipment, in
the Home Economics department, by the school technicians.
Discipline Policy
The Home Economics department operates a fair, friendly but firm policy
which complements Lochgelly High School’s positive behaviour initiative.
Pupils working in the Home Economics department are expected to:
 remain outside the classroom until instructed by a member of staff
to do otherwise
 remove outdoor jackets, bags etc and store in a safe place
 respect resources and equipment used in the department at all
times
 Graffiti on folders and workbooks is unacceptable and pupils will be
expected to replace damaged items
 Unsafe behaviour in the practical area will not be tolerated
 When the teacher is giving instructions/information pupils are
expected to listen and not interrupt – the same applies if a pupil is
contributing to the discussion/lesson
 Pupils will put their hand up if they wish to contribute to the lesson
and wait till the teacher invites them to speak
 All work areas will be cleaned/tidied and resources correctly
stored at end of a lesson
 Pupils will remain at work area/desks until the teacher dismisses
the class at the end of the lesson
 There is an expectation that pupils and staff will be well mannered
and courteous
It is each teacher’s responsibility to explain the department and school
discipline policy at the start of term and whenever necessary throughout
the school year.
In line with school policy it is the class teacher’s responsibility to deal
with matters of indiscipline in the first instance. Difficulties with
indiscipline should be drawn to the attention of the PT, if support and
back up are required immediately, or at a later more convenient time if
problem is less urgent. Where there is a serious need for assistance it
may be necessary to trigger ‘on call’. This situation should always be
followed by a referral, concerning the pupil involved, to the member of
SMT who responded.
Quality Assurance Policy
The SOEID document ‘How Good Is Our School’ states that “by working
together we can make a significant improvement to the quality of
education” to this end quality control procedures have been set up as
follows –
General strategies for pupil coursework/folders and homework
 Use of agreed marking schemes and grading cut off scores
 Discussion of progress at department meetings
 Crossmarking
 Sampling by PT and other members of dept.
Specific procedures
NABS
These will be marked by individual teachers using the prescriptive
marking schemes issued by SQA. Where more than one teacher is
involved with the same course cross marking should take place. Each
pupils script should be clearly marked as Pass or Fail. Scripts should
display clear indication of teacher’s marks and be signed and dated.
Completed scripts should be passed to PT for sampling.
Nabs will be checked for consistency in marking to ensure correct
addition of marks and to ensure marking is neither too severe or lenient.
Feedback will be given to each member of staff involved.
Prelim papers/End of year assessments
Agreed prescriptive marking schemes must be adhered to. Sampling by
PT will take place before marks are recorded.
Teacher observation
Informal observation will take place on a daily basis due to the open plan
design of the department. Formal teacher observation will take place at
least one during the winter and summer terms. This will be arranged with
the agreement of individuals. Feedback will be given after each
observation.
During session 2006/07 there will be a probationer teacher in the
department who must have a minimum of nine formal observations
between September and May.
Tracking and Target setting
Copies of records should be kept in year group assessment folder for the
perusal of the PT in order that individual progress of pupils can be
monitored.
Department Facilities & Resources
The Home Economics Department consists of
1 open plan practical food preparation area fitted with 20 work stations.
1 practical food preparation area fitted with 10 work stations
Each work station is equipped for 2 pupils.
1 practical craft area/classroom which accommodates 20 pupils
1 staff base. There are 3 work areas and storage for
sensitive/confidential materials. There is also a computer/printer which
is dedicated to staff use.
Each practical area has a large storage cupboard for equipment and
resources. One of the storage cupboards is also used for food storage.
Pupil materials/resources are to be found in labelled boxes in the craft
classroom (S1/2) and labelled drawers of filing cabinets in staff
base(S3/6).
Pupil workbooks/folders are stored in ‘class’ boxes in dedicated
cupboards
Curriculum
Summary of courses
S1/2 Common Course
This course is design to give pupils the opportunity to develop their
knowledge and skills through practical experiences related to
everyday life. This will happen through the development of their
creative, sensory and manipulative skills in the planning, preparation
and production of food and fabric items. They will also learn to select
the most suitable materials, equipment and procedures for given tasks
and use these in a safe and hygienic way. Pupils will also have the
opportunity to develop interpersonal skills through shared experiences
and activities and to manage and organize their time and use of
resources.
DSE 1/2 Practical skills course
This course is designed to give pupils the opportunity to develop basic
food preparation skills. It is also concerned with developing an
awareness of basic hygiene and safety issues.
S3/4
At present there are two NQ courses on offer
Hospitality – Practical Cookery (Int 1)
This is a practical skills course consisting of 4 mandatory units
 Food Preparation Techniques: an introduction
 Cookery Processes: an introduction
 Food Hygiene for the Hospitality Industry
 Hospitality: Organisation of Practical Skills
Home Economics – Lifestyle & Consumer Technology (Int 1)
This course is concerned with the care and physical needs of the preschool child. The acquisition of knowledge and understanding is
developed, in the main, through practical activities. There are 5 units
in this course
 Food Preparation for Healthy Eating
 The Pre-school Child: Food, Clothing and Play
 LCT: Organisation of Practical Skills
 Preparation of Parenthood
 Health & Safety for Babies & Young Children
DSE 3/4 - Home Economics: Hospitality – Practical Skills (Acc 3)
This course will further develop pupils’ practical and manipulative skills
as well as their knowledge of safety and hygiene issues in relation to
food preparation. On completion of this course pupils will achieve
freestanding NQ units.
 Food Preparation Techniques: An introduction (Access 3)
 Cookery Processes: An Introduction (Access 3)
S5/6 –
Hospitality – Practical Cookery (Int 2)
This course has 3 mandatory units based on the development of
practical skills. Part of the course structure also allows for the
development of investigative/research skills in the production of an
extended report.
 Food Preparation for Healthy Eating (Int 2)
 Foods of the World (Int 2)
 Practical Cookery Skills for the Hospitality Industry (Int 2)
Higher/Int2 Lifestyle & Consumer Technology
This course has 2 mandatory units which are internally assessed
(NABS) There is a Technological Project (independent research) which
is carried out partly in school but mainly in the pupil’s own time. It is
externally assessed, there is also a final written exam.
The course provides opportunities for the acquisition of specialist
knowledge and understanding of the factors which influence some of
the choices and decisions made by individuals, families and society.
Opportunities to develop cross curricular skills are also part of course
content – analysis, evaluation, time management, problem solving etc
The 2 units are
Resource Management (2credits)
Consumer Studies (1 credit)
The topics for the Technological project are issued annually by SQA
Homework Policy
Homework is an integral part of effective learning and teaching. Pupils
within the Home Economics department will be issued homework for a
variety of reasons:
 set homework tasks to complement work already done in class and
to check on pupil understanding (formative assessment)
 as revision for an assessment
 reading over a new topic to expand upon classroom work
 finishing off an exercise to complement work started in class
(‘Finishing off’ should be done by all levels of ability and should not be
used as extra time for ‘slower’ pupils).
From the beginning, pupils should be introduced to the idea that
homework is an expected part of their course
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Homework must be relevant to the unit studied and at an
appropriate level to their development
Homework should be promoted as a beneficial aspect of the pupils’
work and something which will add to their knowledge of/develop
confidence and expertise in the subject
Homework must be well planned with appropriate marking schemes
Homework may be a written or practical task
Homework should be entered into pupil planners
It is expected that homework will be completed on time, if a pupil
has a problem with this, the teacher should be told before the due
date not on the day the work is to be handed in
After any period of absence, it is the responsibility of the pupil to
find out what he/she has missed
Any work missed while absent must be done at home within a
reasonable time period to avoid falling behind
Homework must be marked and recorded by the classroom teacher
Failure to complete homework on 2 consecutive occasions (without
sound reason) should be reported to PT who will then inform
Guidance/DHT for action
S1/2 Common Course
Homework will be set regularly throughout the junior years. The
frequency will be dependant on the topic being studied. Some topics have
a set homework booklet which supports / consolidates the class lesson.
Other topics require individual research/developing practical skills.
Sample cross-marking will be done at least once a term
S3/4 Hospitality-Practical Skills Int 1
This is a practical food preparation course that requires the minimum of
written work. Pupils will be encouraged to practise tasks at home to
develop their skills, confidence and expertise. Written homework tasks
will be issued, where appropriate, to support classroom work and end of
unit assessments.
S3/4 Lifestyle and Consumer Technology Int 1
This course is based on the care and physical needs of the pre-school
child.
Homework will be set to support classroom activities and for revision
before assessments. The format of the homework will be dependant on
the task set.
S5/6 Hospitality – Practical Skills Int 2
The balance of this course is concerned with the development of practical
skills and the development of organisation and management skills.
However, one unit of the course involves an extended research
assignment. In order to meet time deadlines for this aspect of the
course pupils will be made aware that some of their work will need to be
carried out at home. Homework will also be set, where appropriate, to
support classroom tasks and before end of unit assessments.
Higher/Int2 Lifestyle and Consumer Technology
The demands of this course mean that much of the work will need to be
done at home in order to consolidate classroom lessons. The
Technological Project will be guided by the classroom teacher but pupils
are responsible for carrying out this work in their own time and is passed
to the SQA for external marking. This forms part of the final exam.