Wellington College

Wellington College

Set within 400 acres of stunning parkland in Berkshire less than an hour’s drive south-west of London, Wellington College is one of the UK’s — and indeed the world’s — great coeducational boarding and day schools. It seeks to provide young people with the knowledge, skills and character to serve and help shape a better world. Its innovative and interesting use of technology in the classroom combined with its emphasis on pedagogical research, oustanding teaching and emphasis on pupil-centred learning ensures that Wellington is at the forefront of educational advance.

An exciting fusion of heritage and innovation characterises our educational philosophy. Our curriculum, facilities, and teaching methods are constantly adapting to the challenges of preparing young people for the ever-changing world of the 21st century. Wellington College is a school which is dynamic in every sense of the word, and yet all that we do is rooted firmly in our five College values — Kindness, Courage, Respect, Integrity and Responsibility — values which underpin every aspect of life at Wellington.

The College is celebrated not only for its academic achievements but also for its world-renowned sporting, artistic and dramatic provision. Stellar examination results, a richly varied co-curriculum, and a raft of national accolades contribute to the College’s national and international reputation.

Wellington has won many awards for the pastoral support it offers its pupils. There are 18 boarding houses, each with its own dedicated team of HMs, tutors, matrons, and domestic staff. A newly built co-ed sixth form house opened in September 2024, as did a brand-new boys’ day house. A new Sixth Form Centre will also open in 2024, thereby ensuring that our older pupils receive the very best university and career guidance.

Pupil and staff-led Mental Health initiatives and our nationally recognised Wellbeing curriculum not only help our pupils successfully navigate their teenage years, but also prepare them for healthy, happy and successful lives after school.

Wellingtonians study GCSEs, followed by the IB Diploma or A Levels and, whichever route they take, results are superb. In 2024, 38.1% of grades at GCSE were 9s (the most common grade for Wellingtonians) and 83.3% 9-7. The combined total of IB and A-level grades was impressive: 31.7% of grades achieved were A*/7; 72.4% A* A/7 6. 100 Wellingtonians have been offered Oxbridge places over the past five years, while 20-25 move on each year to American universities, including several to Ivy League universities.

In 2023/24 there were over 25 different sports on offer at Wellington, involving 200 teams in around 1200 fixtures, and it was yet another bumper year with over 30 Wellingtonians involved in National level sport, 23 teams or individuals taking part in National finals, and five overseas sports tours.

Wellington remains committed to adding to its reputation as one of the UK’s strongest and most diverse schools on the sporting front, offering both challenge and support to all pupils at all sporting levels.

Music, Dance and Drama are stunning, with a huge number of pupils taking instrumental or speech and drama lessons. 2023/24 was an outstanding year for the Arts at Wellington with sold-out performances in the GWA and CLT, our two school theatres, concerts of the highest class at venues in and beyond College, mass participation in House Singing and House Dance competitions. Wellington is proud of the all-round education it provides for its pupils, and even prouder that exposure to and participation in the arts is arguably the most valuable feature of a Wellingtonian’s experience, a claim recognised by the Arts Council’s award of Artsmark Platinum to the school.

The Speech Day show, in a 4,000-seater Big Top, provides a fitting finale for the Wellington Performing Arts year, with musicians, singers, actors and dancers able to reprise many of the highlights of the year.

Leadership, service to others and developing an international outlook are also central to the College’s core values which is why co-curricular activities include CCF, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, and a pioneering Global Social Leaders scheme, in which pupils learn to create and run innovative social action projects, tackling local and global issues.

Clubs and societies range from Green Power Racing to the Field Gun team, from WTV (Wellington’s own television company) and its pupil-run radio station DukeBox, to a full range of more traditional pastimes such as Photography, Creative Writing, Debating and the Model United Nations society.

Wellington builds strong external partnerships to broaden its impact in education and continues to have mutually beneficial partnerships with a wide variety of schools, including Special Schools, Secondary and Primary schools. The Wellington family of schools includes Wellington College Prep and eight schools in China, India and Thailand, with new schools in development. This network supports opportunities for cultural dialogue and understanding and broadens access to world-class education through bursaries and regional education initiatives.

Further information including how to visit the College can be found on the website, and the Admissions Office can be contacted on +44 (0)1344 444013.

Wellington College Prep

Head: Mr Ed Venables

Wellington College Prep is Wellington College’s prep school, located on the south-eastern corner of the Wellington College estate. We have approximately 400 children and are predominantly a day school but also have around 70 boarding beds for flexi, weekly and bi-weekly boarders. We aim to offer the best preparation for Wellington College (with a similarly broad co-curricular experience) but every year children leave Wellington College Prep to go to at least 20 different senior schools. Our vision is ‘to prepare every child to flourish and succeed throughout their lives’ and an aspect of that is providing the best advice about, and preparation fo,r the right senior school for every pupil.

Further information including details of how to visit Wellington College Prep can be found on the website, www.wellingtoncollegeprep.org.uk and the Registrar can be contacted on [email protected] or +44 (0)1344 772134.