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Make Cooking and Food Education a Mandatory Part of the UK School Curriculum

Submitted on Wednesday 25th February 2026

Rejected on Tuesday 24th March 2026

Current status: Rejected

Rejection code: already-happening (see below for details)

Petition Action

Make Cooking and Food Education a Mandatory Part of the UK School Curriculum

Petition Details

We call on the Department for Education to make practical cooking and food education a compulsory part of the national curriculum for all primary and secondary school pupils.

Additional Information

Cooking is a fundamental life skill. Many young people leave school without knowing how to prepare simple, healthy, affordable meals. This has serious consequences for public health and long-term wellbeing.
The UK faces rising levels of obesity, diet-related illness, and food insecurity. According to the National Health Service, poor diet is a major contributor to preventable diseases. Teaching children how to cook from scratch empowers them to make healthier choices for life.


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This petition was rejected

The Government e-Petitions Team gave the following reason:

The National Curriculum for Design and Technology (D&T) requires maintained schools to teach pupils about food, nutrition, how to cook and healthy eating. Cooking and nutrition is a discrete strand of the D&T curriculum and cooking is compulsory in maintained schools for key stages 1 to 3 (ages 5-14). The curriculum aims to teach children how to cook, with an emphasis on savoury dishes, and how to apply the principles of healthy eating and nutrition.

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