We are Wellington | Proud tradition, new horizons

The ‘We are Wellington’ project was designed to allow everyone across the College community – pupils, parents and staff members – to share their experiences and thoughts about their time here, and ultimately what it means to be a Wellingtonian. For her contribution, Principal Eleanor Prescott takes stock of how far we’ve come since the Shanghai college’s foundation year, and where we’re headed next.

Before coming to China, I was privileged enough to work at Wellington College UK for four years. It was an incredibly satisfying and valuable time for me, and even when the time came where I wanted to move on to a new challenge, I found that I really didn’t want to leave Wellington; the feel, the philosophy of Wellington, behind. I was aware of China’s educational development and had been here a couple of times already. So, when I discovered that the new Wellington College International Shanghai was looking for a head of Senior School, I immediately thought: “That’s my next job, that’s exactly where I want to be”. Upon arrival, I was thrilled to find that we had all the right conditions to bring that same Wellington philosophy of holistic education here and help it thrive. It was exciting to be somewhere that was genuinely progressive but at the same time had such a great history to draw from, with so many things worth preserving. Clearly, things have changed during my time here. Even though the spirit and feel of the original Wellington College is very recognisable here, we have changed and grown up, we are no longer a derivative or a satellite, we are our own entity. In fact, we are almost the same size as Wellington UK and even in such a short space of time we have developed our own individual strengths and identity. Of course, we will always be proudly, happily and closely linked to the philosophy of our founding school, but I am extremely gratified that we have found such a positive and appropriate way to mould it to fit our own international context here in China. I think that this evolution has been possible because we have remained true to what we are. We are an international school with a British curriculum, rather than a little bit of England in a distant land. Being a truly international school means encouraging and celebrating diversity while remembering to always remain open to change. Our growing calendar of annual celebratory events – particularly the international food festival, held on United Nations Day – is symptomatic of this attitude. As we have grown into a community of around 1000 pupils and hundreds of staff members drawn from all around the world, we have appreciated and celebrated our different experiences and identities at every step along the way. What is equally wonderful and important is how we continue to change, to adapt, as any progressive educational institution should aim to do. Wellington rightly claims to be “proudly educating for the future”, which means that we must always remember that what we’ve achieved together is not the finished product, because we are not the finished product. Every one of us, from our newest arrivals in nursery, to our sixth formers, to our teachers and leaders, we are all searching for ways to better ourselves. Holistic education is a lifelong process, one that starts with a love of learning. As we continue to change, to learn and adapt to the new knowledge and self-awareness that we gain, we are continually changing Wellington for the better. This is not to say that achieving such positive changes is easy or automatic, quite the opposite in fact! Doing so requires all of us to constantly push ourselves further and resist the urge to accept things as ‘good enough’. Fortunately, since arriving here, I have witnessed three years of our pupils developing into a cohort of hugely bright and capable individuals who always throw themselves into everything that’s on offer. They allow themselves to take risks on new and challenging pursuits, to push themselves, to fail and try again until they succeed. As educators, it is (and must always be) our aim to encourage this healthy attitude towards school life and life in general. Progressing also means not resting on past achievements. So, as we look to Wellington’s future, we are always trying to think intelligently about how best to educate our pupils so that they are prepared to handle the world around them, even as it continues to go through iterative change. Again, a big part of our approach to this task is remaining open and receptive to new ideas and new ways of working. As our staff continues to grow in size and diversity of experience, they bring with them refreshing changes to pedagogy. It’s our ongoing challenge and pleasure to bring the best of these experiences together and make them work. Another big part of this puzzle is to keep on actively challenging myths and preconceptions about education and how it should be delivered. For example, as technology continues to shape our world and our daily lives, it’s also opening up so many new possibilities and paths to learning. Making the most of such opportunities means having the courage and competence to look beyond the way things are now and trying to visualise the best way to deliver a better, more useful and relevant education to our pupils. To reiterate my earlier feelings: we already have everything we need to keep progressing and improving. We have fantastic pupils who clearly love to learn, hugely supportive parents who are prepared to take risks with us, and a dedicated, diverse and talented staff who are delightfully free of cynicism and always ready to give more. Working together, supporting and inspiring one another so frequently and openly, that’s what has made Wellington so special in such a short space of time. It’s also what will keep us going in the right direction. Eleanor Prescott Principal

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