TEDxJohnLyonSchool has seen pupils, teachers and esteemed subject experts explore our Earth, its place in the universe, the beauty and power of our world, the landscapes and environments that shape our daily lives, the nations and tribes that label and define us, and solutions to some of the problems facing humanity.

Held at John Lyon School in Harrow on Thursday 17th October, 13 speakers including a 12-year-old-pupil, an expert on the Big Bang and a mountaineer who has stood on top of the world, talked with passion and positivity about how we can affect change to help the future of the Earth as well as to help us, the people who are lucky enough to call this Earth our home.

Seven John Lyon pupils, Jai Davison, Varun Valentine, Tanvir Handa, Dhiren Mahajan, Husain Abedi, Rishi Luthra and Ashil Shah, were joined by three teachers, Maria Trafford, Joshua Carr and Morgan White, and three other experts, astronomer Chris Crowe, mountaineer Matt Dickinson and interfaith and communications professional Zaki Cooper.

Subjects covered under the central theme of Earth were varied: from extraterrestrials to bees, and from alchemy to faith, all delivered from memory without any use of notes. East City Films were there to capture the talks to be published on the TEDx website and the John Lyon School website.

TEDx is an offshoot of the world-famous TED, created to be a programme of local, self-organised events that bring people together in the spirit of ‘ideas worth spreading’ to share a TED-like experience. TEDxJohnLyonSchool was created and put together over a number of months by John Lyon teachers Dr Florence Weinberg and Mrs Maria Trafford, as part of the  John Lyon Excellence Programme, which provides an opportunity for all boys, no matter their academic ability or age, to maximise their potential to learn and to discover their passion.

TEDx events, including TEDxJohnLyonSchool are held in front of a live audience, but also filmed and then hosted on the TED website and watched by many thousands of people across the globe.