Our students benefit from, and are encouraged to participate in, a wide range of clubs and activities. Students actively organise and run them as part of their development of leadership skills and qualities.
Students are encouraged to enter selected competitions to challenge their thinking and creativity, such as maths and science challenges, essay and poetry writing competitions and debating events (including some in foreign languages).
Workshops and lectures are organised on a regular basis. At Old Palace, these are called “Points of Departure” (PoDs) and they aim to stimulate interest and motivate students to explore an area beyond the normal school curriculum. Recent PoDs have included:
- Fashion on the Ration
- Monks, Masters and Medicine Jars
- Nature and Nurture: theories of intelligence
- Ethics in Shakespeare
- Comparative French and English poetry
- Mathemagics: number tricks and how they work
- The Creative Designer
- Studying Abroad
- Dodgy Limits – a short history of infinity
- What is the meaning of Flags?
- Looking at Greek tragedy: the creepy stories of the Greeks
- Life in Cuba
- Emotional Design
PSHEE is fundamental to the aims of Old Palace, and is an important and necessary part of all students’ education. There is a whole-school planned programme of learning through which students acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to manage their lives and thrive as individuals, family members and members of society. We use PSHEE to promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of students and to provide guidance on religious education, financial education, careers education, sex and relationship education, physical and mental health, study skills, work-related learning, citizenship, current affairs, decision making and the importance of physical activity and diet for a healthy lifestyle. Where possible, this PSHEE is taught simultaneously across the School, by form and class teachers, in order to allow maximum flexibility for across year events, activities, speakers and debates.
Note: Relationships and health aspects of PSHEE are compulsory but we have been teaching this at Old Palace for many years.
Sports
The health and welfare of our students is paramount and and this is promoted via the Healthy Active Lifestyle programme that all students participate in.
Exercise is a great source of stress management, allowing students a break from academic studies as well as teaching them the importance of a healthy work/life balance. Research has also shown that involvement in physical activity on a regular basis can improve academic performance and allows students to approach their work with a fresh and more productive outlook.
The programme includes a range of activities including yoga, fitness, bench ball, table tennis, badminton and netball. In addition, there is a busy team sports programme open to all Sixth Formers. A Senior netball team plays fixtures against other schools whilst Sixth Form students can run sports activities for students lower down the school. Year 12 students also play a key role in the smooth running of the Sports Days at both Prep and Senior School, acting as great role models for other students.
Combined Cadet Force (CCF)
The CCF trains young men and women to develop their qualities of leadership, self-reliance and initiative.
Please click the button below to learn more about our joint CCF initiative with Whitgift School.
Music
The Music provision at Old Palace is highly regarded with numerous opportunities to perform in orchestras, choirs, concerts and as a soloist in both school and external events.
Our Polyphonic choir sings regularly in Croydon Minster and in Cathedrals around the country.
Drama
There is a thriving Drama department at Old Palace and the co-curricular programme provides students with a wide range of opportunities including an annual production open to Sixth Formers.
Students can participate as actors, student directors, designers and backstage crew. There is also a vibrant lunchtime programme, where students can explore improvisation, playwriting or direct the younger students in scenes. Joint productions with Whitgift School occur on a regular basis, providing exciting opportunities for our Sixth Form students.
Sixth Form Trips
Old Palace benefits from its close proximity to Central London and the wealth of opportunities this provides. Sixth Form students regularly attend theatre productions, visit museums and art galleries.
Language students visit the Goethe Institute, the Institut Français and the British Film Institute and all students are encouraged to attend lectures and seminars in relevant subjects.
Further afield, students have recently ventured to Tanzania in the summer holiday, visiting their project after a busy year of fundraising for their charity partner the Livingstone Tanzania Trust and leading a construction project for a primary school.
A number of Sixth Form students have also visited China, immersing themselves in the culture, traditions and modernity of the country. There are regular Geography trips both at home and abroad including Iceland, allowing students to explore the extraordinary landscape of the region.