Wellington School, Somerset

Infobox UK school
name = Wellington School
motto = "Nisi Dominus Frustra"
(The opening of Psalm 127: "If God Be Not With Us, Our Labour is in Vain")
established = 1837
type = Public School
religion = Church of England
head_label = Head Master
head = Mr MS Reader, M.A. (Oxon), MPhil, MBA
city = Wellington
county = Somerset
country = Englandflagicon|England
postcode = TA21 8NT
enrollment = 750
gender = Mixed
colours = Navy & Light Bluecolor box|Navycolor box|Blue
free_label_1 = Former pupils
free_1 = Old Wellingtonians
website = http://www.wellington-school.org.uk/

Wellington School, is a co-educational public school in Somerset catering for both boarders and day pupils. It should not be confused with the better-known Wellington College. Currently the fee stands at £3160 per term (based on a day pupil in 1st - 5th years), £4000 (sixth form) for day students and £6235 for boarders. There are currently 750 pupils on roll including 200 students in the sixth form.

The school is the second largest employer in the town of Wellington, Somerset, where it is situated near the centre of the town. Wellington was ranked the top school in Somerset in the 2007 Government GCSE league tables in the percentage of grades A* - C. In terms of fee levels and A/B grades at A level, Wellington School ranks in the top 10 schools nationally for value for money. [ [http://www.wellington-school.org.uk/senior/index.html Wellington School ] ]

The school opened a new junior school in 2000, having previously only catered for pupils aged 10 and over. In 2003 the Princess Royal opened the Princess Royal Sports Complex [http://www.wellington-sport.org.uk] , a £2.65 million indoor sports facility. Now they are raising funds for a new performing arts centre on which work has begun.

The school has its own marching band and active Combined Cadet Force, founded in 1901. The Combined Cadet Force is open to senior school pupils, and boasts upwards of 170 cadets across the Royal Navy, Army and Air Force sections. It is one of the oldest School Combined Cadet Forces in the country.

The cadets learn military based skills such as climbing, abseiling, weapons handling, orienteering and battlecraft. There are several CCF camps, military training weekends and cadet competitions each year, during which the cadets go on field manoeuvres in order to apply the skills they have learned to a practical situation. There is a commissioned officer who is a full time member of staff at Wellington School who runs the CCF. The cadets are required to present themselves for inspection by the masters in charge of the CCF on a weekly basis.

Since September 2007 there have been no lessons on a Saturday. This has been replaced with activities that incorporate music, drama and sport as well as compulsory activities for the boarders.

History

Wellington is a rounded English public school [1] [2 situated in the small town of wellington,somerset. Somerset is home to several famous public schools including Millfield, Kings Taunton, Queens Taunton and Taunton School. It was founded in 1837 as an all boys school by the Duke of Wellington at the time Arthur Wellesley who defeated the French at the battle of Waterloo. He served as Prime Minister from 22 January 1828 to 16 November 1830 and again from 17 November to 9 December 1834. A solitary daygirl was allowed to join the Sixth Form in 1972 and the following year Wellington became co-educational. Wellington was assigned its arms in 1926: the pale is one quarter of the Duke of Wellington's arms, the dragons represent the County of Somerset and the open book represents learning. The school chapel was built in 1928.

ports

Sport plays a major part of life at Wellington School. The school has several rugby pitches, cricket squares, football pitches, an all-weather pitch, all-weather training areas, tennis courts, squash courts, climbing wall and an indoor swimming pool. In the Lent term all male pupils are encouraged to participate in rugby which is integral to male social order at the school.Football is a new sport at Wellington School which only sprung forth in the 2003 school year.

Hockey is the most prestigious sport at Wellington. With the school producing numerous county players a few England players. The school has seen wins over the likes of Millfield and the Swiss U-18 team.

Many students have gone on to represent the school in county and England hockey, national athletics, county and England fencing and county rugby.

Autumn term:
rugby union, hockey.

Spring term:
hockey, netball, cross-country.

Summer term:
cricket, tennis, athletics, swimming,rounders.

Other minor sports:
badminton, basketball, fencing, football, horse riding, squash, golf. Wellington's Fives court, constructed in 1905, was converted in 1959 into a squash court.

taff

Headmaster Mr MS Reader, M.A. (Oxon), MPhil, MBA

Deputy Head Mr RS Page, M.A., PGCE

Assistant Deputy Head Mrs CA Christie, BSc, PGCE

Director of Studies Dr PM Owen, M.A., PhD

Head of Lower School Mr Patrick M Pearce, B.A., Cert Ed

Notable Alumni

*Jeffrey Archer, Author, politician and convicted fraudster who, it is alleged, falsely claimed as a young man that he had attended Wellington College;
*Keith Floyd, Food critic
*David Suchet, Actor known for playing Hercule Poirot;
*Simon Singh, Science author
*Tom Singh, founder of the New Look chain of stores;
*Major-General E. Renouard James, soldier
*Dame Joel Harkins, Noted philosopher, famous for her views on Phil Collins
*Sir Henry Bale, Chief Justice Natal
*Sir Roy Price, High Commissioner in South Africa;
*Sir Alec Zealley, head of a division of Imperial Chemical Industries
*Sir Ivan de la Bere, soldier who became Secretary of the Central Chancery of the Orders of the Knighthood
*D.T. Young, England rugby and British Pentathlon team 1928
*J.D. Robins, Wales and British Rugby Team 1950.
*Wellington, from The Wombles, named after Elisabeth Beresford's nephew's school.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.wellington-school.org.uk/ Wellington School's official website]

chools in Somerset