Wellington College

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 pupil-centred learning ensures that Wellington is at the forefront of educational advance.

An exciting fusion of heritage and modernity 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 2024. 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.

Sport

Two floodlit AstroTurf pitches, a modern, well-equipped sports hall and an even newer indoor centre hosting netball, tennis, fencing, and 4 permanent cricket lanes. Add in 16 rugby and football pitches, an indoor swimming pool, 22 hard tennis courts, 9 cricket pitches, 2 lacrosse pitches and 10 netball courts and you begin to see the extent of our sporting provision. On top of that we have a strength and conditioning centre, a newly equipped fitness gym, a dance studio, basketball and volleyball courts, a recently refurbished rackets court, and a brand-new real tennis court. There is plenty of provision for squash and badminton, and a challenging climbing wall, and indoor shooting range contribute to the variety of activities possible here, with a nationally acclaimed nine-hole golf course, adjacent range and indoor computerised coaching facility perhaps laying claim to being the jewel in Wellington’s sporting crown. The Wellington Riding Centre hosts our equestrian offering for beginners and intermediates, Polo is played at the nearby Emsworth grounds, and Sailing takes place on a nearby lake.

Pastoral

House life lies at the heart of each pupil’s experience, and it comes as no surprise that every Wellingtonian is convinced that their House is the best. Housemasters and Housemistresses, dedicated tutor teams, matrons and housekeepers all ensure that the House truly is a home away from home.

A focus on Mental Health with both staff and pupil ambassadors, a unique Mental Health Day for pupils, several national awards for Safeguarding, a recent educational initiative on Sex and Consent, and a newly appointed Head of EDI help ensure that Wellington provides a safe and healthy environment for pupils and staff.

Our nationally recognised Wellbeing curriculum (we were the first school to introduce happiness lessons) focusses on embedding growth mindsets and building grit and resilience: the positive coping strategies that our pupils learn not only allow them to make the most of all the opportunities available to them at Wellington but also prepare them for healthy, happy and successful lives after school.

Academic

Wellingtonians study GCSEs, followed by the IB Diploma or A Levels and, whichever route they take, results are superb. In 2024, 38.5% of grades at GCSE were 9s (the most common grade for Wellingtonians) and 65.2% were 9s or 8s. The combined total of IB and A Level grades was impressive: 31.9% of grades achieved were A*/7; 72.6% A*A/76. Remarkably of the 244 pupils in the Upper Sixth, almost 50% of the year group secured either A*/A at A Level or Higher Level 7/6 at IB, with 41 students achieving at least three A*s or three Higher Level 7s.

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.

Sport

In 2023/24 there were over 25 different sports on offer at Wellington, involving 200 teams in around 1,200 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. Notable successes included the boys’ cricket XI winning the BOWS Festival, the golfers taking the Micklem Trophy, the girls’ Under 16 hockey team being crowned National Champions, rackets trophies at Queen’s for both boys and girls and the Under 15 rugby team winning the Langley Trophy. Further national successes were recorded by the shooting team and the girls’ ski team.

We are always thrilled to celebrate, nurture and support those pupils with international and professional ambitions. In 2023/24 Wellington pupils gained national and international recognition in the following sports: Athletics, Equestrian, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Hockey, Netball, Polo, Rugby, Rifle Shooting, Skiing, Swimming and Triathlon. In recent years many of our boys have signed professional rugby contracts, several girls have received American university hockey scholarships, and both boys and girls have been awarded golf scholarships to the USA.

The College remains firmly committed to sport for all and a strategic focus to support this has seen further investment in professional sports coaching, with an emphasis on our priority sports of Rugby, Cricket, Football, Golf, Hockey, Netball, Tennis and Rackets. There has also been ongoing investment in our facilities with a newly renovated main cricket pavilion, the laying of a third astroturf pitch for hockey and tennis, the creation of twelve new tennis and netball courts, twelve sets of portable floodlights for winter training, an indoor swing room for golf and a new gym facility aiming to provide for both high performing sports pupils, while also creating a wholistic exercise space for activities such as yoga and Pilates.

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.

Performing Arts

Music, Dance and Drama are stunning, with a huge number of pupils taking instrumental or speech and drama lessons. While the whole school musical Les Mis, the Christmas Dance Show and concerto and choral concerts were the highlights of 23/24, Junior and Senior plays, Instrumental competitions, House Singing, Dance, and Drama festivals and two student-written and -directed plays at the Edinburgh Fringe offered both variety and opportunity. The annual Speech Day show in a 4,000-seater Big Top provided a fitting finale, with musicians, singers, actors and dancers reprising many of the year’s highlights.

Music has a well-structured routine of activities and events, with flagship ensembles performing regularly at high-profile concerts at venues such as St John’s Smith Square; with regular recitals every Tuesday evening; regular concerts featuring the Symphony Orchestra, the Concert Band and Big Band; and weekly services featuring the Chapel Choir, who also sang Evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral and St George’s Windsor, toured Portugal and recorded an album. Two concerto concerts, which saw four pupils perform, backed by a full orchestra, emphasised our pupils' aspiration to perform concerti – no surprise, with 13 students holding Diplomas this year. Masterclasses from renowned professional, singer-songwriter concerts, a recording studio, the Jazz Orchestra, and the a cappella group the Wellingtones, all provide a range of opportunities for our musicians.

Jack Absolute Flies Again, Les Misérables, and Lionboy were the stand-out productions of 23/24. In addition, three student-written and -directed plays – The Severans, Blood of My Father, and Dionysa – the Third Form’s Bits from the Bard, a Limelight Evening with Matthew Macfadyen and Keeley Hawes, 12 masterclasses, the WellingTony’s awards evening, the House Fives house drama competition and a new Outreach programme for senior scholars have all had key roles to play. In addition, the Contemporary Monologue Evening and a sell-out Festival of Musical Theatre provided opportunity and range for students interested in Drama.

Dance saw 110 students in the Christmas show, a much-anticipated House Dance competition with 750 students in the audition process, and a variety of Curriculum events, proved that dance is integral to a Wellington education. To the theme of The Quad, the Chapel and the Dorm, the Dance Show showcased a range of Contemporary, Lyrical, Contact, Street, Commercial, Ballet, Tap, Acro, and a breathtaking Silks routine. The Curriculum Dance Show allowed our academic dancers to show off their choreographic and performance skills, while the Street Crew Battle attracted a large and vocal crowd to South Front. Focused workshops, career advice from dance professionals, visits to the Royal Ballet, and inspirational sets from the daredevil Acro team are all features of Dance at Wellington.

Co-curricular

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.

Admissions Process

Most pupils enter the school in September (at the start of Year 9) when they are between 13 and 14 years of age. Places are also available for pupils joining at 14+ (Year 10). Around 60 pupils join the College for the Sixth Form (applications open at the end of Year 10, with exams and interviews taken in the autumn of Year 11). Registration (with £360 fee (£300 + VAT)) is online. Those registered for 13+ entry (by the end of Year 5) sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test in the Michaelmas Term of Year 6. Selection for a subsequent assessment morning or afternoon (usually in the Lent Term of Year 6) is based in small part on the results of the Pre-Test and in much larger part on a school reference. Those who are successful are then offered a place conditional on a favourable report of satisfactory completion of schooling from their current school at the end of Year 8. A waiting list also operates. Pupils who have missed the registration date for 13+ entry have the opportunity to go through a Late Admissions Route. All details and registration forms can be found on the College website.

Scholarships:

Detailed information about the scholarships available on entry at age 13+ or 16+ can be found on our website. Pre-entry scholarships at 13+ are only awarded in Academics and Music. The most prestigious named academic scholarships and scholarships in other disciplines (Art, Drama, Dance and Sport) are awarded at the end of Year 9 to reward not only ability but also scholarly attitude. Students are invited to participate in Inspire Days in their areas of particular interest during Year 8.

For entry at 16+, scholarships are awarded in all of the above areas as part of the full application process.

As well as it being a great honour and accolade, pupils awarded scholarships upon entry to the College, and those awarded at the end of Year 9, are expected to be leaders and role models within their field of interest. They will also take part in a programme of extension activities and opportunities appropriate to their particular area of talent. Music scholars, for example, attend regular masterclasses with visiting professionals and Academic award holders partake in an extension programme of study designed by our Head of Academic Extension.

Scholarships do not in themselves carry any financial benefit but may help unlock fee assistance. The only exception to this is Music Scholarships which allow for free tuition in two instruments and free composition and Alexander Technique lessons.

Fee-assisted Places

Widening access to Wellington is at the heart of the Governors’ and Master’s vision for the future of the College. All financial aid in terms of fee reduction is therefore awarded via a means-testing procedure (details on our website and from the Chief Operating Officer’s office). Our aim is to enable an increasing number of families, who otherwise would not be able to afford the fees at Wellington, to send their son or daughter to the College. Means-tested fee assistance may be up to 100% of College fees, depending on individual family circumstances.

Means-tested Fee Assistance

For children with exceptional talents whose families would not be able to afford the full Wellington fees, we offer awards ranging from 10% to 100% of fees. Eligibility for an award is generally assessed – via means testing – at the time of an offer being made so that a family can accept the offer knowing that the required level of fee assistance is available. An average year might see 20 pupils be admitted (at 13+ and 16+ entry only) with an average award of c. 50% remission. Any family wishing to make an application for fee assistance will be invited to apply as part of the broader admissions process. A link to the online confidential ‘statement of financial position’ form will be sent after the registration deadline to families requesting fee assistance.

The Prince Albert Foundation

The Prince Albert Foundation is a scholarship programme aimed at widening participation to families who would not normally consider or be able to access independent education, and for whom we can offer a genuine shift in opportunity. Currently there are 10-15 fully funded Prince Albert Scholarships awarded each year, predominantly at 16+. Children who are eligible for Prince Albert Scholarships are those whose families are at socio-economic disadvantage; all families are means assessed by the College's Chief Operating Officer. There is often a further relevant need/desire for boarding.

Candidates must meet our minimum academic criteria for entrance; we assess potential as well as current achievement, and actively encourage applicants who will maximise opportunities at the College – including academic, sporting, music and student leadership. The Prince Albert Foundation is not a programme designed to recruit pupils with a significant sporting talent.

Foundationers

In accordance with the College’s original foundation, one aim of which was to provide education for the children of deceased military officers, the College continues to educate the children of deceased servicemen or servicewomen of His Majesty’s Armed Forces irrespective of rank and the orphan children of persons who, in the sole opinion of Governors, died in acts of selfless bravery.

Alumni

Sir Christopher Lee, Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, Sebastian Faulks, James Hunt, Nerina Pallot, Rory Bremner, Paul Leonard-Morgan, Will Young, Ellie Bamber, Max and Thom Evans, Sam and Tom Curran, Morgan Lake, Fin Baxter