A school's parent-teacher association has funded kitchen facilities to help pupils learn cooking skills.

Chetwynde School's PTA has donated £3,000 for the fit-out of the new facility in the school’s design and technology building.

The first pupils to use the equipment are those taking part in the school’s link-up with Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food initiative.

The 10-week programme, dubbed '10 Lessons to Save Your Life,' teaches young people how to cook from scratch with practical advice on skills such as chopping and frying, as well as nutritional information.

Chetwynde teacher Hayley Halliwell, who is the phase three lead at the school, said: "The new facilities are fantastic and ensure we can not only deliver the Jamie Oliver programme for Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils but it has also been used by other departments across the school to bring lessons to life."

Pupils made injera (flatbreads) as part of their wider understanding of the main character in the book they are studying called Boy 87 by Ele Fountain (Image: South Cumbria Multi-Academy Trust) Pam Green, chair of the Chetwynde PTA, said the team was delighted to see the kitchen in action.

She said: "We are delighted to support the school and fund the kitchen facilities that will be widely used and help pupils to cook healthy meals, mastering easy recipes that will benefit them throughout their lives."

The Ministry of Food project starts this term and includes personalised videos with Jamie Oliver’s teenage son Buddy, recipe sheets and lesson plans as well as information on sustainability and where food comes from.

Headteacher Steve Jefferson said: "We are very grateful to our wonderful PTA and everyone who has donated to make this exciting project happen, including our site team that installed the kitchen and members of staff who drove the idea forward for the benefit of all our pupils."

Chetwynde is part of South Cumbria Multi-Academy Trust and a finalist for secondary school of the year in the Cumbria Education Awards Golden Apples.

Other departments have also made use of the new facilities, with science pupils creating a yeast reaction and the English department making flatbreads, or Injera, which is the staple diet of the main character in the story Boy 87 that they are studying.