Haydon is an Academy for students aged 11-18 years. We welcome students of all abilities and we seek the best from every student, irrespective of ability. As it says in our Mission Statement and aims, we are firmly committed to individual excellence, ensuring that all students fulfill their potential.
Haydon is superbly equipped. In recent years over £10 million has been spent on new buildings and refurbishment providing a new Performing Arts Block, new Science Laboratories, a new Art & Design building, and the Sixth Form Common Room. The £2.5 million development of the new Activity Centre was completed in December 2014 and, as well as providing an excellent new sports facility will improve student movement around the site by joining the Dobson and St Mary’s buildings. As a result of this investment, the students now have outstanding facilities.
The school was awarded the Inclusion Mark in 2014. In January 2015 we commissioned Kirkland Rowell to survey parent attitudes towards the school. The parents ‘gave a very good overall performance score of 78%’. Many of the parents who commented said how happy and confident their children had been since starting at Haydon School. A parent recently wrote to me about all three of her children and very kindly said ‘there could have been no other school in the borough (or the country) that could have done so much for my children or my family.’ We pride ourselves on being a large but caring school.
We are proud of our school and were delighted when inspectors declared that ‘student achievement is outstanding at all key stages. This is after all that we are here for and it is reassuring to have such a complete endorsement of our excellence from Ofsted.
Haydon School is a delightful place to learn. There are always exciting opportunities being made available for the students. We make a significant effort to provide students with a wide range of extra-curricular activities. There are a large number of sports teams, opportunities to participate in school productions as well as music performances. Each year there are over 100 school trips organized by the staff. In the last year, these have included a World Challenge Expedition to Borneo, a ski trip to the USA, a cultural visit to China as well as several foreign exchange placements, and a visit to the Christmas markets in Cologne. We also have a thriving Duke of Edinburgh program offering the program at all levels. This summer twenty-three of our students completed their final assessment in Croatia. Over one hundred and fifty students are taking the Duke of Edinburgh qualification in the school. Perhaps the most satisfying comment made by Ofsted is ‘students leave the school as mature and confident young people, who are exceptionally well prepared for their future lives in education and the world of work’.
Haydon offers a broad and balanced curriculum, with particular strengths in languages and applied learning. As well as a strong focus on literacy, numeracy, and ICT, we nurture the independent learning skills that will benefit students throughout their lives. At Key Stages 4 and 5, learning is personalized through a wide choice of academic and vocational courses. Close monitoring ensures that each individual makes excellent progress, with additional support provided if required. Our Gifted & Talented program offers an extra challenge to the ablest students, who can choose to take all three sciences and two or more languages at GCSE.
With many brand-new facilities – including the Science laboratories, Art & Design rooms, Performing Arts hub and Sixth Form common room – Haydon is well equipped for contemporary learning. ICT underpins the whole curriculum, with over 1000 computers on-site, interactive whiteboards in all classrooms, increasing use of tablet technology, and an award-winning Virtual Learning Environment to support study at school and home. We are also proud to have achieved the Investors in People ‘Gold’ accreditation in recognition of the continuing professional development provided for our dedicated staff.
We provide a wealth of extra-curricular activities – creative, sporting, cultural, and in the enterprise – that enrich the learning experience. These help students to pursue their passions, raise their aspirations, and develop their teamwork skills.
