Inside the Halcyon Difference

Most people in this corner of Marylebone know Halcyon London International School by sight: the building at 33 Seymour Place, a few minutes' walk from Marble Arch. It has been part of the neighbourhood for over a decade. What's harder to see from the street is what the school has quietly built inside. In 2013 four parents founded Halcyon as a charity, and decided that the quality of the school would not only be determined by academic results, but also by the quality of relationships and the warmth of the community.

That founding belief is still the yardstick the school holds itself to today, and this year it found new stewardship. Halcyon welcomed a new Director, Jeff Lippman, who brings more than 30 years of international education experience, having led schools across three continents before arriving in London. I sat down with Jeff to reflect on his first year, and on what makes Halcyon so special. 

Purpose Over Profit

One of the first things Jeff wanted to talk about wasn't curriculum. It was the founding structure of the school.  As a not-for-profit, Halcyon reinvests all of its fees back into the programme. Jeff explained: "When there's no profit motive pulling against your mission, you're free to make decisions based on what's actually right for each student.”

That posture shows up in how the school treats its neighbourhood, too. Jeff and the Halcyon team have spent the year opening Halcyon's doors outward: hosting events for families, inviting authors and academics to speak, and running a literary festival in partnership with a local bookshop. "One of the things I've learned," Jeff said, "is to never underestimate the power of community. A school our size can either turn inward and form a bubble or turn outward to serve our community. We choose the latter."

Academic Excellence and Student Wellbeing

Jeff was quick to point out another foundational principle that drew him to the school over a year ago: At Halcyon, academic excellence and genuine care are not in tension, they are inseparable and interdependent. According to Jeff: "You don't get real excellence out of a student who's anxious, disconnected, or afraid to get something wrong. Wellbeing isn't a break from the academics here. It's the condition that makes the academics work."

That belief shows up formally in Halcyon's Wellbeing Programme, which leans on restorative conversations rather than punishment when conflict arises between students. As Student Wellbeing Leader Nito Harvey puts it, "When students feel safe, valued, and supported, they are more engaged, motivated, and open to learning." 

It shows up in smaller, tangible ways too: this year Halcyon opened a rooftop garden, giving students their own patch of green space to plant and tend in the middle of the city. According to Jeff, "The rooftop garden gives our students something precious and rare in central London: outdoor space to learn, create, and connect with nature, and reinforces our commitment to sustainability and student wellbeing.”

Student Agency

If wellbeing is about how a student is held, agency is about how much they're trusted to carry on their own. Jeff treats the two as one continuous idea rather than separate initiatives. He has led schools spanning three continents and across all of them, one belief has stayed constant: real learning happens when students are given the room to lead.

Halcyon doesn't just allow students to become architects of their own education, it builds the school around that expectation, stepping back so students learn to turn ideas into action rather than wait for adults to do it for them. "One of our alumni put it best," Jeff shared. "Halcyon gave him an orientation to action: the confidence to take the next step and impact the world around him."

That same confidence is what makes disagreement feel safe rather than threatening. A student who has been trusted to lead, in Jeff's view, is better equipped to sit with complexity instead of avoiding it, a skill that's increasingly rare outside school walls. "Our foundation is mutual respect, international-mindedness, and the idea that diversity means embracing people and ideas different from your own," he said. "That's what lets us venture into challenging territory and still have it feel safe. You can give students the space to explore ideas, even to disagree, and it doesn't break the school. It builds it."

That mix of perspectives starts with who's actually in the room. Halcyon draws students from dozens of different countries, and locally from independent and state schools. The school's bursary programme was built to widen access, so a Halcyon education stays within reach for families who might not otherwise be able to consider it.

What Comes Next

This year Halcyon engaged in a process of charting their next chapter and building a strategic framework for the future. This process was community driven, including the voices and feedback from parents, students, staff and the board of trustees. Jeff is excited about the new vision: To be the defining school for this moment: where young people learn to think clearly and critically through complexity, hold onto what is most human, and leave ready to shape a better, more sustainable world.

This vision is not just words on paper, but a direct response to a rapidly shifting world. According to Jeff: "AI is dismantling the structures that traditional education was built on and  young people are disengaging in record numbers. Schools have to change, but most are so rooted to tradition that they can't adapt to the needs of students right now. That is where Halcyon is different. In our innovative and agile ways, we can truly meet this moment like no other school.”

In a city where institutions often look backward to define their worth, Halcyon’s gaze is fixed entirely on tomorrow, showing that the defining school for this moment is the one who is willing to embrace change for the better.