Supporting young children’s PSED through cookery

Dr Lucy Parker, Deputy Headteacher, Ludwick Nursery School, UK This case study focuses on the implementation of cookery as a core part of our Early Years curriculum and how it has developed into a learning experience that has had a significant impact on children’s personal, social and emotional development (PSED). Ludwick is a large, maintained nursery school with up to 200 children on roll. The school has a high number of children with SEND (20 per cent) and, in relation to other schools in the locality, a high number of children who are eligible for EYPP (31 per cent), as well as catering for 32 children who are eligible for two-year-old funding in our preschool. The school caters for a diverse community with approximately 14 different languages spoken. Ludwick follows a curriculum based on Froebelian principles. Friedrich Froebel (1782–1852) was the founder of the kindergarten and a pioneer of early education. His approach and principles continue to influence mainstream E