As schools return for the new school year, our first Friday Feature looks at the importance of healthy eating and how children can develop positive habits from an early age.

At The Beacon School, this commitment is reflected in the fresh, balanced meals served each day, designed to support pupils' health, wellbeing and learning. Chef Dino, who leads the school's kitchens, works with trusted local suppliers to create menus that are both nutritious and appealing to children. On how the school is making healthy eating an enjoyable part of everyday school life, he said: "We carefully design nutritious menus using fresh, seasonal ingredients, making healthy food colourful, balanced and enjoyable for children to explore and eat. Our focus is encouraging positive eating habits and a love of fresh food."

This commitment extends beyond the dining hall. Through practical cooking and nutrition lessons and the school's gardening club, led by head of cooking and nutrition (and IAPS advisor) Kim Rowland, pupils learn about healthy eating and sustainability. The Kitchen Garden provides ingredients for classroom activities, giving children hands-on experience of growing and harvesting food. Through this innovative initiative, Years 4 to 8 are given the opportunity to explore nutrition, sustainability, the gut microbiome, international food and culture.

By combining wholesome meals with practical education, The Beacon is helping pupils develop healthy habits, essential life skills and a lifelong appreciation of balanced living.

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Writing in School Management Plus, Hayley Mintern, a partner at Anderson Quigley executive talent search, looks at why Saudi Arabia is attracting growing interest from UK independent schools. She highlights the opportunities created by Vision 2030, the country’s long-term plan to diversify its economy beyond oil and invest in areas including education, tourism and technology, as well as new education regulations and growing UK-Saudi cooperation. Emphasising the need for schools to understand the market and choose partners carefully rather than simply exporting their brand, she concludes: "The strongest partnerships will be those where schools understand what Saudi Arabia is trying to achieve and can articulate how their educational philosophy, expertise and leadership can contribute to it."

Science degrees offer the "greatest personal, social and economic value" to the country, Chris McDonald, the new science minister, has said. Addressing delegates at the Universities UK annual conference in Nottingham, he said that, while others shied away from making value judgments, he felt undergraduates should be choosing degrees that set them up for "successful and prosperous careers", although he later added: "I love the arts in my life... I recognise the importance of arts and humanities. But I am the science minister and I will be making the case." By Nicola Woolcock, The Times. 

In an article for LBC, Yvonne Richards, director of the charity Since 9/11, explains why it is so important that children are taught about the events of 9/11, which took place 25 years ago today.  Ms Richards argues that rather than just teaching young people the facts, teachers should give them the chance to ask difficult questions, consider different perspectives and recognise misinformation. Her reasoning is simple: "Because it helps explain the world they live in."

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