Plymouth students have taken part in a global initiative designed to deepen their understanding of nutrition and hydration as they prepare for the demands of exam season.
A total of 74 students at OneSchool Global Plymouth joined 8,000 of their global peers for Mission Nutrition, a full-day immersive learning experience exploring how food and water can support sustained focus, energy and wellbeing.
The initiative took place as temperatures soared to record May highs across the country, with pupils across OSG campuses also taking part in a hydration challenge to highlight the importance of drinking enough water during warmer weather and periods of intense concentration.
Students set water intake goals, monitored use of drinking stations and explored how staying hydrated can support focus and help them feel ready for the school day.
Mission Nutrition took place at 120 OneSchool Global campuses across 20 countries, including all 23 campuses in the UK.
Pupils at OneSchool Global Plymouth completed a programme of sessions exploring food groups and how different foods can support their energy, focus and wellbeing throughout the school day.
They looked at the role of slow-release energy foods, the link between nutrition and mental wellbeing and how making informed choices can help them prepare them for demands of lessons, revision and exams.
The experience was tailored for three age groups, Years 3 to 6, Years 7 to 9 and Years 10 to 12, and finished with a Final Mission using what they learned in a real-world context.
Kirsty Matthews, Campus Principal at OneSchool Global Plymouth, said: “As Campus Principal in Plymouth, I see every day how closely a child’s wellbeing is tied to their ability to learn. When children understand why food matters, they’re far more likely to make choices that support their learning and their growth.
“The children have been brilliantly engaged in the Mission Nutrition initiative interacting with our “fruit and veg” sticker board and our “Water tracker” board.
“Looking ahead, I hope to see stronger links with local growers or students bringing in homegrown ingredients as I know so many of them enjoy gardening as well as more hands‑on food education, like cooking, to make nutrition memorable.”
Mission Nutrition was tailor-made for OneSchool Global with the guidance of Caitlin Edmonds, an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist. Ms Edmonds has previously been involved in the delivery of nutrition programs for elite sporting teams major professional Australian sports leagues, include football, netball and Australian rules football.
She said: “Mission Nutrition is a wonderful initiative to help students explore food, energy and wellbeing, and I am delighted to have worked with OneSchool Global on an initiative of this scale to create this shared learning journey.”
Giles Bennett, Regional Director of Education in the UK for OneSchool Global, said: “We wanted to really engage the attention of all of our students in the UK and across the globe, so we dedicated a full day of learning to Mission Nutrition, and enlisted the expertise of Caitlin.
“It was especially important with exam season underway and the country experiencing unusually high temperatures, meaning that understanding how hydration can support focus, energy and wellbeing is more important than ever.
“OneSchool Global’s entire learning framework is founded on teaching our students the skills they need to set them up for their whole lives, and Mission Nutrition is a great example of that philosophy in action.
“We want to empower students with knowledge around nutrition, health and wellbeing, so they can apply it to their everyday lives in simple, achievable ways.”
