Wellington College
Crowthorne, Berkshire, England
Wellington College
Crowthorne, Berkshire, England
Overview
Wellington College, founded in 1853 as the national memorial to the Duke of Wellington, is a leading co-educational boarding school set in an attractive, secure and completely self-contained 400-acre woodland estate under 50km from London. The College seeks to provide young people with the knowledge, skills and character to serve and help shape a better world, with values of Kindness, Courage, Respect, Integrity and Responsibility underpinning every aspect of College life.
At a glance
Academic
Pupils at Wellington College follow national and international curricula with iGCSEs, A-Levels and the IB Diploma on offer. Wellington is at the forefront of academic innovation, with many lessons following the Harkness principle, allowing pupils to take responsibility for their own learning within a carefully regulated and resourced environment. Typically two-thirds of A Level candidates achieve A*/A and over 90% A*/B, whilst on average nearly half of IB students score 40 points or more.
Boarding
Wellington has 16 boarding houses (10 for boys and 6 for girls), including connected Sixth Form boys’ and girls’ boarding houses. Each house is a self-contained community with its own colours, emblem and spirit, and pupils remain in the same house throughout their school career. A resident housemaster/mistress is responsible for looking after the children in their care and for monitoring their academic and social development with the help of a team of tutors, a matron and a housekeeper.
Sports
Sport at Wellington seeks to promote enjoyment, learning and performance, along with an 'active life' philosophy. The College enjoys a national reputation in rugby, hockey, netball, cricket, squash, rackets, polo, athletics, golf, and shooting to name but a few. The extensive facilities include an enormous sports centre, a number of all-weather pitches, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a 9 hole golf course, whilst the quality of the coaching staff matches the excellence of the facilities.
Creative arts
In 2014 the College was awarded “Artsmark Gold” by The Arts Council in recognition of the stellar quality of the Arts and their vibrancy across the College’s cultural life. 2018 saw the opening of a new Cultural Quarter encompassing the existing Christopher Lee Theatre. The new building offers a 900 seat state of the art performance space – part concert hall, part theatre, part opera house – as well as a multi-performance and exhibition space where activities are driven by the students.
Did you know?
- ‘Field Gun’ involves teams from the College Combined Cadet Force racing to transport a vintage field gun and its equipment over and through a series of obstacles.
- Alumni include Sebastian Faulks, author of ‘Birdsong’, 2014 World Junior Women’s Heptathlon and High Jump Champion Morgan Lake and singer/songwriter Nerina Pallot.
