Fuel for Success: Nutrition at the Heart of Performance

Writes Scott de Weymarn, Head of Sport Scholarship

At 西施直播鈥� School, we recognise that true performance聽–聽whether in the classroom, on the field, or in life beyond school聽–聽is built on strong foundations.聽Nutrition is one of the most important of these, and this year we are taking significant steps to place it firmly at the heart of our performance culture.

We are delighted to welcome Jane McClements, founder of聽The Performance Plate, to聽西施直播鈥�.聽Jane brings a wealth of experience from her work with elite Premier League academies and leading sporting organisations across the country. Her evidence-based approach to sports nutrition aligns perfectly with our ambition to support every boy in achieving his best聽–聽physically,聽mentally聽and academically.

Working closely with myself, Mr Simpson (Head of PSHE) and our Catering Department, Jane will play a key role both within the Sport Scholar Programme and across the wider school. Together, we are launching the Performance Power Up Campaign (PPU) for 2025鈥�26聽–聽a whole-school initiative designed to elevate nutrition education and empower every pupil to understand how food fuels performance, focus and wellbeing.

Throughout the year, all boys will take part in聽engaging聽form-time sessions led by Jane, exploring how nutrition supports energy,聽concentration聽and recovery. Our sports scholars will also聽benefit聽from tailored advice and mentoring to help them optimise their training,聽recovery聽and long-term development.

The Performance Power Up Campaign is built around three core strands:

Whole-School Nutrition Education 鈥� Inspiring pupils to make informed choices and champion a culture of health and wellbeing.
Elite Sport Scholar Programme 鈥� Providing tailored nutrition plans and expert guidance to enhance athletic performance.
Supporting a High-Performance Culture 鈥� Embedding nutrition excellence throughout school life, aligned with our wider commitment to wellbeing, discipline and success.

Nutrition underpins every aspect of performance聽–聽from endurance and recovery to focus and resilience. Jane鈥檚 involvement ensures our boys not only know聽what聽to聽eat, but聽truly understand聽why聽it matters.聽It鈥檚聽about building lifelong habits that聽nurture health, focus and聽how聽to perform at their best.

As the Performance Power Up Campaign takes shape, I am excited to see how Jane鈥檚聽expertise聽and enthusiasm will inspire our pupils to make informed choices that enhance both their wellbeing and their聽performance.