The whole school community is excited about launching the first Junior Chef Academy in Wales in conjunction with our catering partner Chartwells.

The level of interest from our students has been significant and the atmosphere in the room for the first session was truly inspiring. It was wonderful to see the commitment to learning by our amazing students, under the guidance of an experienced and talented team of chefs and industry experts. On behalf of our students, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to Compass Group and Chartwells and especially Chef Carl for running such an amazing programme.

Compass Group were so enthusiastic about telling the pupils all about who they are and the service they provide, surprising them with lots of big venue destinations such as huge rugby and football events, and giving the pupils a great insight into being a chef and working in the hospitality industry.

After the introduction of the teaching team, it was time to begin the practical workshop. It was fantastic to watch the pupils engage with Chef Carl, watching intently whilst he sharpened a knife at a very specific angle then chopped a simple cucumber at the speed of light! He told stories of working with some very well-known celebrity chefs around the world which sounded rather exciting.

Whilst we hope the course will inspire some of the group to pursue a career as a chef or in the catering/hospitality industry, the many skills learnt over the duration of this 10-week course will undoubtedly be invaluable to all those participating, not just now but into adult life, irrespective of whether they pursue a culinary career.