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Food Technology 7–10 Syllabus (2025) – information for school leaders

Learn about the Food Technology 7–10 Syllabus (2025) – what has changed and where to get further support.

The Food Technology 7–10 Syllabus (2025) replaces the Food Technology 7–10 Syllabus (2019). Planning and preparation will commence from 2025, with implementation from 2028.

The syllabus recognises the critical importance of developing students’ knowledge, skills, and understanding of contemporary food systems, nutritional health, and sustainable food production. It supports practical and innovative learning, enabling students to make informed food choices in a complex, global environment.

What you need to know

  • The Food Technology 7–10 Syllabus (2025) is a NESA developed course. It will be taught in NSW high schools from 2028.
  • The Food Technology 7–10 Syllabus (2025) is a live document available via NESA’s digital platform. NESA will continue to add teaching advice and support materials throughout the implementation process.
  • Practical experiences must make up the majority of the course and should be designed to be accessible to all students.
  • 2026–2027
    • Teachers engage with the syllabus and plan and prepare implementation.
  • 2028
    • Implementation commences in schools to Year 9.
    • Food Technology 7–10 (2019) is discontinued in schools, except Year 10 are ‘taught out’ in 2028.
  • 2029
    • Implemented for all students, Food Technology 7–10 (2019) is no longer taught.
  • The Food Technology 7–10 Syllabus includes 4 elective courses:
    • Food Technology 7–10 200-hour elective
    • Food Technology 7–10 100-hour elective
    • Food Technology Life Skills 7–10 200-hour elective
    • Food Technology Life Skills 7–10 100-hour elective.
  • NSW syllabuses accommodate teaching approaches that support student diversity.  
  • The NSW Department of Education will be providing support materials to schools to assist and guide the implementation process on the Planning, programming and assessing TAS 7–10 webpage.

The Food Technology 7–10 Syllabus (2025) includes:

  • 5 focus areas that can be delivered flexibly replace the 8 focus areas in the superseded syllabus
  • content for Stage 4 that is identical to Stage 5. Stage 4 outcomes can be adjusted as appropriate to the needs of students in Years 7 and 8
  • organisation of outcomes and content illustrating the important role of practical experiences, food design and production processes in the development of technological knowledge, understanding and skills
  • Life Skills outcomes have been aligned to the Stage 4 and 5 outcomes to support integrated delivery.
The 5 focus areas are listed in boxes in the centre of the diagram. They are Food design and preparation practices Australian food practices and cuisine Food selection for nutrition and health Food industry processing and operations and Food security and sustainability. A box labelled Applying technology is on the left of the focus areas. A box labelled Practical experiences is on the right of the focus areas. These 2 boxes are linked by a line in a figure eight loop that intersects the focus areas. All content is encircled by a single line labelled Develop knowledge understanding and skills using food technologies. The 5 focus areas are listed in boxes in the centre of the diagram. They are Food design and preparation practices Australian food practices and cuisine Food selection for nutrition and health Food industry processing and operations and Food security and sustainability. A box labelled Applying technology is on the left of the focus areas. A box labelled Practical experiences is on the right of the focus areas. These 2 boxes are linked by a line in a figure eight loop that intersects the focus areas. All content is encircled by a single line labelled Develop knowledge understanding and skills using food technologies.
Image: Figure 1: The organisation of Food Technology 7–10

The organisation of the Food Technology 7–10 image is from the Food Technology 7–10 Syllabus (2025) © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2024.

Prior to implementing the Food Technology 7–10 (2025) Syllabus, leaders will need to consider the following:

  • Supporting teachers’ understanding of the changes to the syllabus structure and familiarisation with the digital curriculum platform to ensure the syllabus is taught as intended.
  • Building teacher understanding about emerging food technology trends, contemporary nutrition knowledge, and sustainability issues.
  • Collaboration with staff and learning support teams to ensure appropriate curriculum planning.
  • Logistical complexities, including:
    • coordination of rooms, technologies, and resources
    • prioritising practical activities as evidence of learning
    • updating the name of the subject in published documentation, subject selection information, and assessment schedules.
  • Resource and budget implications, including:
    • release days for professional learning
    • acquiring appropriate resources
    • provision of consumables and diverse ingredients to support practical lessons aligned to syllabus demands
    • developing new programs to replace the discontinued modules
    • prioritising practical and project-based learning.
  • All decisions about curriculum options for a student with disability must be made using the Collaborative curriculum planning process.
  • Suitability of a Life Skills pattern of study for students.

The syllabus for Food Technology 7–10 (2025) is based on evidence summarised in the bibliography published by NESA. The evidence base highlights:

  • practical learning combined with theoretical knowledge enhances student engagement and skill development
  • understanding food systems from production to consumption supports informed, ethical decision-making
  • integrated consideration of health, sustainability, and technology reflects the needs of contemporary society and the food industry
  • teaching approaches that cater for diverse learners improve accessibility and relevance of food education.

  • How well do current Food Technology teaching practices align with the new syllabus’ emphasis on sustainability and digital technologies?
  • What professional learning needs do Food Technology teachers have to successfully implement the new syllabus?
  • Are school facilities and resources adequate to support the required practical activities in this syllabus?
  • How has the school engaged with departmental resources and support for curriculum implementation, for example, curriculum networks, curriculum resources, professional learning, and DEL network initiatives?

Further support

Syllabus information for school leaders

An overview of the pedagogical changes and whole school considerations to support school leaders’ understanding of what has changed for each new syllabus.

Leading curriculum K–12

Advice and resources supporting leaders to facilitate effective curriculum implementation in schools.

Category:

  • Food technology 7-10

Business Unit:

  • Curriculum
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