| Halcyon Blog

“Pupils’ love of learning shines through at Halcyon. Leaders’ ambition for pupils to achieve their potential is high. Pupils’ quality of work is excellent. Pupils are respectful, self-confident, independent and quietly determined.”

Ensuring our community feels "supported and connected" is crucial in these times. Having a place to reach out to engages our students in lessons, creates a space for family wellbeing and leads our parents to bring positive words of encouragement...

Our community-centric IBDP Theatre Arts performances are often insightful, reflective experiences for our students. Opening up the Media Room to students, staff, and parents alike, Theatre Arts classes embrace the responsibility of establishing...

Every Friday marks the end of a busy week for our Catering team. As our Kitchen Porters Richard and Michel safely wheel away the emptied bowls and plates from our cafeteria, our Chef Manager, Jackie, leads us into the Catering office to share an...

In January, our Music teacher Mr Elia invited Mr John Themis and Mr Costas Rialas to ‘Music 2020’ - a unique opportunity for our students to learn from experience and build their songwriting skills. This is just one way of ensuring our...

IBDP HL Mathematics is a challenging option: research from the University of Leeds suggests that this subject choice requires students to develop university-level skills from Grade 11. Indeed, a glance at the IB course description will have...

In every vibrant corner of our school, staff members are busy together building an ever-improving learning environment. While we make every effort to make our community close, Grade 7 are unlikely to have had the chance to familiarise themselves...

Grade 10 and 11 Visual Arts students had an excellent opportunity to get their hands dirty - with charcoal - by learning from the very best in the figure drawing world. Paul Brandford (Royal Academy of Arts) made a special visit to Halcyon to...

Making room for a flexible and integrated connection with history and culture is part of the IB’s teaching philosophy: this allows for a holistic learning process which allows students to think about the world, rather than observe it, readying...

Despite the growing signs of autumn, Hyde Park is still thriving with biological diversity and scientific curiosities. Environmental Systems and Societies IB Diploma students packed an armoury of clipboards, pH meters and much more to find...

Economics is Halcyon’s newest Diploma subject, although that’s not instantly obvious upon walking into LG1. While the shiny covers and sharp corners of the recently-acquired textbooks betray the newness of the subject, students are focused and...

Our new English as an Additional Language (EAL) teacher took a few minutes out of her busy work supporting students to give us an insight into how Halcyon’s new programme is already enriching students’ love of learning. 

Work experience provides students with a meaningful opportunity to put in to practice the skills they have learnt throughout their MYP. At Halcyon, G10 students take part in either a week of work experience or a week learning to sail. This...

This week, 9 of us from Global Issues Network and Eco Committee, alongside thousands of change-makers packed The SSE Arena, Wembley, for WE Day 2019.

Every year, more than 400,000 people from schools, universities and beyond take place in a Model United Nations (MUN). Taking part in MUN gives students the opportunity to learn more about how the UN works and the important role it plays in world...

G12 students Beckett and Evy created an Instagram page which translates lengthy news stories from around the world into politically neutral 200-word summaries specifically targeted towards informing young people within 60 seconds. Their goal was...

In English, 9x have just taken part in something completely innovative and new to Halcyon. Chaos Class is a new unit aimed at promoting student voice and autonomy initiated by Ross McGowan. The class were given almost complete creative control...

G11 Students had a lovely afternoon at the Photographer's Gallery. They learnt about camera obscuras meaning 'dark room' in latin, and learnt how to create their own portable camera obscuras using card, tracing paper and tin foil! It was a huge...

What is it?

World Antibiotic Awareness Week (WAAW), held each year November, works to increase global awareness of antibiotic resistance (AMR) and to encourage best practice amongst the general public, health workers and policymakers to avoid...