Wellington College on celebrating a mixed milestone

As Wellington College marks its 50th anniversary of turning co-ed Master James Dahl celebrates the great benefits of learning in a mixed community

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Wellington College as a co-educational school. In September 1975, eight pioneering and courageous girls entered the Sixth Form to join the 750 boys. This September, our community will be one where the gender balance of the student body and the teaching staff will be 50/50. What a way to celebrate!

Modern Wellington is passionately co-educational and, for me, the benefits of having girls and boys educated together fall into four areas. First, the nuance of discussion and intellectual rigour of the classroom is enriched by the perspectives of both sexes. Whether it’s analysing a Shakespearean sonnet, unpicking a knotty ethical issue in Philosophy & Religion or simply trying to decode a tricky equation in Maths, having the different views of all included in the discussion enriches the experience. Some argue that girls are put off STEM subjects in co-educational schools. In Wellington’s current Sixth Form, 60% of girls study Maths and 73% study at least one STEM subject, figures way above national averages.  

Secondly, we believe it is vital, during those formative adolescent years, for boys and girls to be sitting alongside each other, listening respectfully to and learning from the views of everyone, building on each other’s points in an inclusive manner, and exploring the world around them from the different perspectives emerging from all sides within the discussion. Not only does this make the learning experience deeper and richer, but young people of both sexes develop understanding and skills they will take into university and the world of work, both of which are – of course – mixed. If part of a modern education is preparing young people for the world of tomorrow, then we must develop within them the ability simply to be with one another in a natural and respectful way – so much more easily done in a co-educational setting.

“In Wellington’s current Sixth Form, 60% of girls study Maths and 73% study at least one STEM subject”

Thirdly, there are the obvious co-curricular and character benefits. We have both single- and mixed-sex sports teams; our school plays and musical theatre productions benefit from cast and crew made up of boys and girls; our regular Dance Shows feature talent from across both sexes. If one of the purposes of education is to develop essential human skills and traits, such as communication and teamwork, then surely young people should be learning to communicate and work in teams where both boys and girls feature?

Fourthly, I love the fact that old-fashioned and outdated gender stereotypes are dismantled every day. At Wellington, some of our best dancers are boys and it was also a boys’ House which – rightly – won this year’s House Singing competition. Similarly, the best footballer currently in the College is a girl who plays alongside boys in the 1st XI, and two of our lead cadets in the Combined Cadet Force (including the gruelling Royal Marines section) are girls. Wellingtonians leave school knowing they can achieve anything in life, regardless of gender or identity.

So, as we head towards September and this landmark occasion in the College’s history, I will be raising a glass to the power of co-education and to all Wellingtonians – girls and boys – who make living and learning together fun, enriching and such a great preparation for the adult world of tomorrow.

Wellington College wellingtoncollege.org.uk

Further reading: Framlingham College on meeting the needs of modern family life