Fifth on Fourth Bistro – The King’s CE Academy

Employers consistently emphasise that addressing current skills shortages requires individuals equipped with transferable employability skills, rather than merely academic qualifications.

According to the Government’s Employer Perspectives Survey, less than half of employers (46%) consider academic qualifications significant or critical when hiring, whereas almost two-thirds (65%) prioritise relevant work experience.

As entries to GCSEs in technical and creative subjects decline nationwide, The King’s defies this, offering students access to a diverse array of creative and cultural experiences. Exposure to hands-on, creative subjects like Hospitality and Catering provides enriching and fulfilling experiences, fostering skills development, and enhancing health and well-being (Huddleston and Ashton, 2018)*. The Edge Foundation, in a recent policy report, contends that an emphasis on a ‘knowledge-rich’ curriculum, centred on memorisation for rigid end-point examinations, fails to equip young people with the skills sought after by employers for the future (Edge Foundation, 2018: 16)**.

To this end, The Fifth on Fourth bistro, situated in The King’s, serves as a training ground for our Hospitality and Catering students, offering them invaluable hands-on experience in a real restaurant setting where they create dishes of the utmost quality. At The King’s Academy, we provide NVQ Levels 1, 2, and 3 in Food Preparation and Food and Beverage Services, equipping students with a competitive edge in the job market. Under the guidance of expert staff, students are supervised through the entire process of planning, cooking, and serving dishes. Our standards for service are exceptionally high, fostering a professional environment where students are encouraged to unleash their creativity to meet customer needs.

Success rates for these courses consistently surpass national averages for other vocational programs. Our learners exhibit high levels of motivation, enthusiasm, and industry knowledge, reflecting their dedication to mastering working practices in the field.

During your visit to our provision, you will have the opportunity to:

• Experience a dining experience at the Bistro cooked especially by the Bistro students
• Witness the Bistro’s operations firsthand, from behind-the-scenes to public-facing areas
• Engage in a discussion with the course coordinator regarding the qualification
• Interact with the students
• Review documentation that supports and strengthens this offering, such as coursework and internal/external assessment procedures.

**Huddleston, P. and Ashton, H. (2018). Tell it like it is: Education and employer engagement, freelance and self-employment. In Mann, A., Huddleston, P. and Kashefpakdel, E. (eds). Essays on Employer Engagement in Education. Abdingdon: Routledge.

**Edge Foundation. (2018). Towards a Twenty-First Century Education System: Edge Future Learning. London: Edge Foundation.