IB Physical Education | Halcyon International School London

IB Physical Education

As part of Grade 8’s Nutrition, Principles and Dynamic Movements unit in Physical and Health Education, Halcyon has offered each student the opportunity to wear a Fitbit Inspire HR to personally record data on the interconnected nature of nutrition and physical activity.

– Halcyon PHE Teacher

Grade 8’s Jiu-Jitsu Unit
classroom case study

Our students enjoy a range of physical activities, including team sports, martial arts, dance styles, workouts, yoga, and more. In Grade 8’s Jiu-Jitsu unit, students enjoyed learning the training principles and core moves of the sport, working with one another to practice their self-defense skills with the oversight of experts from a central London martial arts studio. The students also learned about the history and purpose of the martial art – one subject area of IB Physical and Health Education also encourages students to explore the theoretical side of their health and life choices as well as physical practice. Understanding the link of different areas of physical education to a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle also supports students in their development of exercise physiology knowledge, well being understanding, training methods, communication skills, team interaction, and leadership skills – central to the IB Learner Profile. In another unit, Grade 6 students completed an assessment based on investigating the nutritional content of popular drinks, taking on the role of educators by creating a guide of healthy snack suggestions and resources for their peers.

Curriculum

Physical and Health Education

Physical and Health Education (PHE) is the Group 8 subject in the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme. Incorporating both physical activity and theoretical study, this subject offers students the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of sports as they learn the importance of achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The activities that students participate in build positive relationships, boosting their abilities in collaboration, communication as well as their understanding of social responsibility – competencies that bolster their attainment in the surrounding curriculum.

Students are challenged to develop their understanding through units that require performance planning, the application of theoretical and practical knowledge and post-performance reflection and evaluation. We have provided some examples of student work below so that you may gain an insight into our students’ dynamic approach to exploring sport, physical health, and performance.

Further student work examples

Grade 8: Fitbit health data unit

As part of their Science/Physical and Health Education Interdisciplinary Unit, we provided Fitbit HRs to Grade 8 students and provided them with the responsibility of recording fitness data and using this to inform their health choices.

Students saw firsthand how nutrition and activity affect physiology, and enjoyed communicating what they had learned in their reflections in class and in their discussions outside of class.

Grade 6 and 7 aesthetic movement performances

Using their practical and theoretical knowledge, our Grade 6 and 7 students combined their dance skills with fitness techniques in PHE to deliver captivating ‘Aesthetic Movement’ performances in Stern Hall. Students selected their own music, concept, and choreographed their own routines – a challenging feat! With our different groups dancing to atmospheric music, Russian hard bass, pop songs and retro hits, our students confidently used this performance as a chance to showcase their unique personalities and creativity.

Sports Enrichment

London Football Tournaments

Our football teams form a core part of our community activities. Our Grade 6-8 mixed team, our Grade 9-12 boys’ team and our Grade 9-12 girls’ team practice regularly after school in preparation for matches and tournaments with other independent and international schools.

Rotating Sport Explorations: Ice Skating, Horse Riding, and more

We offer a variety of exciting sporting opportunities to our students through our Explorations Programme, informed by a yearly survey where students share their ideas and interests for new options. These opportunities have included Ice Skating, Horse Riding, Tennis, Aerobics, Rock Climbing, Cricket, Flamenco, Cross Country, Track and Field, and more.

As a small school, we can be flexible with our sports programme in response to student demands: incorporating students’ ideas and passions into our offerings is crucial to creating enriching courses that engage our students in their physical education.

Fit for Sport: Lunchtime Activities

At lunchtime, our PHE teachers and Fit for Sport coaches support our students to enjoy a range of sports both inside and outside of the Physical and Health Education subject group, including track and field, circuits, and tennis. Fit for Sport at lunch is a great way for our students to boost energy levels and develop positive attitudes for an exciting afternoon of learning.

IB Physical Education Enrichment

Clubs and super-curriculars

Sporting Explorations

– Yoga
– Table Tennis
– Tennis
– Horseback Riding
– Ice Skating
– Swimming
– Track and Field

Sporting Extra-Curriculars

– Football
– Gymnastics
– Table Tennis
– Running/Cross Country
– Basketball
– Dance

Sports Facilities

Our London Facilities

Halcyon is within a five-minute walk of Hyde Park and leading sports facilities such as Seymour Leisure centre, which our students enjoy as large sports spaces. We also enjoy using football grounds at Westway and a London ice-skating rink for our extracurricular activities and Explorations Programme.

On-site Facilities

Halcyon’s Stern Hall provides a wide sporting space for our students to enjoy indoors activities such as Badminton, Gymnastics, Yoga, and more. We also host our Table Tennis club on site.

Seymour Leisure Centre

Students can enjoy a range of sports at Seymour Leisure Centre, including rock-climbing, basketball, swimming, and more.

Subject groups:


Physical and Health Education

Thinking about joining Halcyon? We invite you to explore a further subject group of your interest on our website: you can view more IB subject groups within the IB Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) and the IB Diploma Programme (IB DP), including language acquisition, mathematics, science, the IB core, and more. You can also review students’ subject options at both Higher Level (HL) and Standard Level (SL) in the Diploma Programme, which may help your family think about a subject combination that will provide a good foundation for a range of courses at universities and colleges around the world.