We are Wellington | Building a close community

We moved to China in August 2014, right around the time that Wellington College International Shanghai was opening, and we decided very quickly that it was the right school for our boys. This decision was based largely on the research we did on Wellington College in the UK and its very impressive historical reputation. However, we knew that we were taking a slight risk, because there were plenty of international schools in Shanghai that were already well established with good reputations of their own.

The decision quickly paid off though, as my two boys, Matteo and Tommaso, both absolutely love being educated at the College and we all love being part of the Wellington community. I really feel that the College was instrumental in making our adjustment to Shanghai as smooth, comfortable and happy as possible. The closeness of the community was a big part of that: at the start there were maybe 250 pupils and everybody knew one another; parents, staff and pupils all felt part of a close-knit group who were creating something special. Now it’s the fourth year and we have all grown together, welcoming new pupils and staff members, all without losing that sense of closeness and inclusion. I feel like the College is everybody’s home and we all naturally welcome and support everybody who arrives.  

Wellington has offered so much to my sons, both in terms of academic progression and also developing their personality and character. Firstly, they have been exposed to a truly international environment where they can mix with other children from Asia and all around the world, learning from, and absorbing different cultures and viewpoints. Obviously, Chinese culture plays a central role in this process: from their Mandarin lessons to the cultural events like Chinese New Year, when the whole school is transformed into a living celebration of this country’s history and culture.

Matteo and Tomaso have both also developed significantly in lots of different subjects, such as drama and music. The state-of-the-art facilities, the incredibly dedicated classes and personal tuition offered by people like Mr Mulliner and Mr Larsen-Disney, it’s all come together to build their confidence and ability to perform. They’ve had the same amazingly positive experience in sport too, which has only improved as Wellington grows and participates in more national and international competitions. Not only have they learned new skills and abilities, they’ve also learned important life lessons; such as sportsmanship and how to work as part of a team, rather than solely concentrating on how to be the best at everything.

The academic side of Wellington is very challenging and rewarding too. The College has taught my boys how to become independent learners: they’re taught how to think for themselves, how to analyse, and how to solve problems in different ways. The teachers don’t want to hold their hand throughout the whole process; they want the pupils to develop the necessary skills and mindset to complete their work independently.

I truly feel like the College caters to every single pupil on an individual level. They know their name, they know what they like and what they’re good at, and they know how to support and encourage them in the best manner possible. This extends to the pastoral side too, as Wellington has grown to the point where we are really seeing the success of the house system, where every pupil feels part of a family. The pupils have so many friends in different year groups now, along with plenty of ‘big brothers and sisters’, not to mention the house staff who they can talk to if they feel like anything is wrong or upsetting them. From experience, it’s clear that the staff know their pupils so well that they can immediately tell when there’s a problem, and then they resolve it before it has a chance to get any worse.

This is just one side of Wellington’s sense of community, which I think is key to its success. I’ve also been hugely privileged to be part of the Friends of Wellington community which was started around the time the school opened. We had our first event in October 2014 which was the College’s first International Food Fair. This was such a fun and exciting event which really brought everyone together and its success was quickly repeated with the Summer Festival and the Annual Ball. We started Friends of Wellington in order to support events like this and to provide plenty of opportunities to let pupils, parents and staff socialise and have fun in more informal settings.

I think we’ve really achieved great things with these events, as they have grown in size and scale each year. The recent Summer Festival is a perfect example of that, since many of the vendors have gone from not knowing about Wellington to calling us up in advance wanting to be part of our festival. All of this change occurred within just three years! Now, people know who we are and they want to be involved with us. This year, we had over 2000 people attend the Summer Festival, and we only had 800 pupils, which just goes to show how many people are eager to attend and become part of our community. The past almost four years have gone by so quickly, it’s important to stop and think about what we have achieved in that time. I believe that Wellington has made a great reputation for itself, both as a school and as a community where everyone is welcomed and included. I can’t wait to see how the rest of my boys’ time at Wellington turns out.