A brand-new platform and package of educational resources aimed at teachers and health professionals in Wales have been launched today (Monday, September 6).
To coincide with the start of the academic year, Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) has developed a handy hub of resources to illustrate the ‘Welsh Way’ of producing red meat. Its aim is to provide support for teachers of all Key Stages to present topics ranging from farm life, food production and the origin of red meat, to its green credentials and health benefits.
The bilingual resources, including ready-made PowerPoint presentations and worksheets, classroom-friendly recipes, videos, posters and booklets can be downloaded here.
HCC’s consumer executive Elwen Roberts has worked with educational experts and experienced teachers to ensure that the content conforms with the current requirements of the curriculum, from the Foundation Phase to Key Stage 4.
She said: “It’s so important that young people understand where their food comes from and how it’s produced. Local sourcing and sustainable production are high on the agenda these days, and Welsh red meat ticks both boxes.
In fact, Wales is one of the most sustainable places on earth to produce red meat. The global figures based on mass production and high emissions are so often miss-quoted, the picture they paint is completely different to the reality of red meat production here in Wales.
“Teachers who are looking to present these key themes to their pupils are encouraged to visit our new website for ideas and inspiration as they prepare their lessons. It complements the new Key Stage 4 booklet, ‘A Comprehensive Guide to Red Meat’, produced earlier this year by HCC and sent to all secondary schools across Wales.”
What do teachers say about the new educational resources?
The resources seem to have already gone down well with teachers.
Food teacher Lloyd Henry at Ysgol Gyfun Gŵyr, Swansea, was involved in the production of the booklet and has already started using the new website with his pupils.
He said: “The pupils have definitely found the website very useful. It’s colourful and easy to use. They very much liked the PowerPoint presentations on farming, the different cuts of meat and how to cook them, and found the information beneficial for their coursework. They’ve gained a vast amount of information about the industry itself and also about farming in general.”
Experienced primary school teacher Mared Llwyd now works as a Welsh support teacher for Ceredigion Education Authority.
She said: “From looking at the resources on HCC’s educational website, I am certain that there are interesting, attractive and extremely valuable activities and resources that can be used in the classroom to promote learning and teaching and to meet the requirements of the new curriculum in Wales.
“When considering the areas of learning and experience, there are tasks and activities that certainly have great potential to educate in the area of Language, Literacy and Communication.”
Allison Candy, food and nutrition subject officer at the education board WJEC said: “The new resources are fabulous – really learner-friendly, colourful and include sound content.
For GCSE pupils, the information provided will be useful for their written examinations and the links to experimental work is definitely something teachers will welcome. The recipes included look very appealing, easy to follow and outline skill levels which is useful.”
Health professionals are also encouraged to use the website as it contains resources and information to support learning about diet and health. This includes friendly guides to the nutrients found in red meat and healthy recipes for patients to try.
Elwen Roberts added: “We will be constantly adding more content to the website over time and it will be kept up to date with all the current guidelines and requirements in health and education. We hope that teachers and health professionals enjoy using the new resources and find them useful and interesting.”
