Haileybury launches diverse new Co-curricular program
Haileybury’s co-curricular program is evolving and expanding to deliver greater choice and more opportunities
Futsal, triathlon, umpiring, conducting, mural-making, coffee-making, chess, space, architecture, international trips and the Duke of Edinburgh program – these are just a few of the options that are part of Haileybury’s newly revamped Co-curricular Program.
The aim of the refreshed program is simple, says Stanley Wang, Deputy Principal (One Haileybury), who is leading an extensive review of the subjects and activities on offer.
“At Haileybury, we talk about the importance of aspiring and exploring. Aspiration is often associated with our strong focus on academic excellence, however that needs to be balanced with exploration,” says Stanley.
“This is a time in a student’s life when they can try different things, work out what they like and what they don’t like as much, and discover where their strengths lie.”Stanley Wang, Deputy Principal (One Haileybury)
"Our new Co-curricular Program has relied on input from students, staff and parents, and we’ve also drawn on our educational philosophy that builds the future readiness of students. All this has helped us develop a Co-curricular program that embraces opportunity and choice.”
Haileybury’s newer Co-curricular options and experiences are initially for Senior School students in Years 9 to 12. Additions will then be rolled out for Middle and Junior School students during 2026.
The power of four
The program focuses on four key areas: Sport, The Arts, Curious Minds and Experiential Learning and includes new sport offerings, such as an expansion of the Arts and Curious Minds choices.
A new ‘Future Ready’ element within Curious Minds will see students complete Bar and Barista training with a view to finding part-time work, or to gain industry experience in careers that may be of interest post-school. In the Make a Difference Project, students collaborate and create a social enterprise or social change project to positively impact a cause close to their heart.
The number of teacher-led societies is also growing and includes an Architecture Society and an International Debating Society. Following the successful launch of a Chinese Debating Society in 2025, students will be able to take part in Chinese and English debating workshops and competitions from 2026 with classmates from Melbourne and Haileybury’s Tianjin school in China.
Meanwhile, Year 12 students who are getting ready to live independently and who want to develop their nutritional knowledge and cooking skills can join an Everyday Chef Society.
Join the club
Haileybury is encouraging students with particular interests to initiate their own clubs, not only to develop their passion areas but to also develop their leadership skills. Existing clubs bring together young people interested in photography, finance, robotics, debating and more.
Clubs are also a gateway to entering national and international competitions, such as the Australian Informatics Olympiad, the Plain English Speaking Award and the Brain Bee Challenge.
“We want to grow the club culture at Haileybury so students can practice leadership by initiating a club, leading it and then thinking about the succession of that club,” says Stanley.
“For example, last year a group of students wanted to engage with the shares and investment competition run by the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. A commerce teacher helped them register for that but that was the students’ own initiative.”
“We have Curious Minds student leaders and we want students to go to those leaders with their ideas so they can help them set up an initial event, see how successful that is and then make the event a regular part of the school calendar. Those student leaders are an important and enabling part of the pipeline of development of student clubs.”
Sport for all
Haileybury is also using its scale and resources to ensure every student finds something within the Co-curricular program that is meaningful and engaging. Sport is one area where this is being brought to life.
While there are opportunities for students to take part in traditional sports and to compete at differing levels, the new Co-curricular sports offerings recognise that not every student wants to play in the 1st teams. Equally, the new program includes less traditional school sports, such as Core Body Conditioning, Lawn Bowls, Climbing, Group Fitness, Cardio Tennis, Reformer Pilates and Martial Arts. A Level Up option has been designed for students interested in coaching and umpiring.
“There will always be young people for whom fitness is important but they are not interested in the traditional team sport setting,” explains Stanley.
“We’ve thought about elite athletes, school team competition players, those who love sport but not competition and those students who have become disengaged from sport. We’ve made sure there is something in the program that is tailored to everyone.”
From medieval music to Mauritius
The Arts element of the Co-curriculum program also has added depth.
Aspiring young conductors can gain practical conducting experience and mentorship from music professionals and set design and mural-making are available to students interested in the Visual Arts. The Set Design option features hands-on workshops that take students from sketching backdrops to building and installing props and scenery, while mural making demonstrates how public art in urban spaces can spark conversations and celebrate community and creativity.
The newly introduced Experiential Learning part of the Co-curricular program incorporates Haileybury’s extensive international trips – in previous years students have ventured to China, Japan, France, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, the UK, the USA, Nepal, India, Africa and South East Asia.
There are also opportunities for two Year 12 students to spend up to a month in England at Haileybury UK and the well-established Duke of Edinburgh International Award program continues to attract students who achieve bronze, silver and gold status.
More than...
Stanley is excited about the power of the revised Co-curricular program to engage students and to expose them to experiences and skills that enable them to discover their potential at school and after graduation.
“Everyone understands that a school’s primary business is academic achievement and student wellbeing, but what distinguishes a school like Haileybury is the richness and depth of the Co-curricular program. That is what makes Haileybury more than a school,” he says.
“Every student belongs somewhere in the Co-curricular program and because of our scale, we can offer students niche but wonderful opportunities so everyone can find their place and be their true self."
