She said: ‘We work really hard to make our subjects attractive and go the extra mile by offering competitions, trips and having visitors in to demonstrate that our subjects are so versatile and lead to many different career options. The world is full of technology, design, creativity and food innovation and these are the jobs of the future.

‘There’s always room for innovation so I am keen to collaborate with other departments, such as maths and science. This could involve team teaching or visiting lessons in the other departments as there are many overlaps. For example, convection is taught in both science and food technology, but if it is taught in different ways it could become confusing or students may not make links between the two. Collaboration is about sharing best practice and making sure a concept is embedded in both subject areas.’

Before becoming a teacher Natasha trained as a professional chef and she was passionate about food from a young age: ‘I studied culinary arts management at university and got a placement in a Michelin starred restaurant in New York. When I came back the university offered me a teaching role and, although the children were really challenging, it ignited my passion. Although I loved the buzz of the kitchen the rewards of teaching are far greater.

‘I am lucky that I have got a really strong team who are specialists and have all worked in industry. We have got amazing experience, not only in the classroom, but also in the real world. It makes a huge difference and we have a collaborative approach to our work and planning because, the more we share, the better our teaching is.

‘I am an ideas person and that is really important in education. You have got to keep moving forwards and coming up with better ways of doing things. Our students are now very proficient so we need to be innovating and developing our subjects to increase the level of challenge, the courses we offer and to make sure students are excited and positive about where our subjects can take them.’