Wellington College
Virtutis Fortuna Comes
Founded in 1853 as a memorial to the first Duke of Wellington, with its foundation stone laid by Queen Victoria, Wellington College has grown into a fully co-educational boarding and day school with a broadly even balance of boys and girls. Its approach to teaching draws on the Harkness method, seated discussion in place of the traditional lecture, set within a 400 acre Berkshire campus.
Key Facts
Location : Crowthorne, Berkshire
Type : Co-educational, boarding and day
Age Range : 13 to 18
Pupil Numbers : Approx. 1,100 pupils
Founded : 1853
Motto : Virtutis Fortuna Comes ("Fortune is the Companion of Valour")
Academic Profile
Pupils at Wellington take their GCSEs before a distinctive twin-track Sixth Form, choosing between A Levels and the International Baccalaureate, with A-level pupils also studying courses in areas such as artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship. Old Wellingtonians proceed to Oxford and Cambridge, alongside Ivy League and other leading universities.
Co-Curricular Life
Sport is a genuine strength, with a national reputation in rugby, hockey, netball, cricket, and rackets among more than twenty disciplines, supported by two modern sports centres, indoor and outdoor pools, and a golf course across the College's 400 acres. The arts are held in equally high regard, recognised by an Arts Council Artsmark Gold award, and centred on a purpose-built cultural quarter whose main hall serves as concert hall, theatre, and opera house alongside the Christopher Lee Theatre. Music and drama run with real depth throughout, and the College's lakes and woodland support a broad range of outdoor pursuits.
Admissions Essentials
Pupils join Wellington College in Year 9, at age thirteen, with further places available at Year 10 and in the Sixth Form. Registration for Year 9 entry takes place in the summer term of Year 5. Candidates sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test in the autumn term of Year 6, and selected candidates are invited to an assessment day at Wellington in the spring term, comprising collaborative activities and an interview rather than further written tests. Conditional offers follow, confirmed by a satisfactory school report at the end of Year 8. At Year 9 entry, scholarships are available in two categories, academic and music, with further categories, including art, drama, dance, and sport, opening to pupils once they have joined the school.
In Essence
For a child who learns best by speaking up and being heard, Wellington's Harkness teaching, where pupils shape the discussion around the table themselves, makes contributing an idea matter as much as reaching the right answer, and makes every voice around the table count.