Wellington College on ensuring students are ready to thrive

Murray Lindo, Head of Wellington College Community, on the school approach that is preparing students to thrive in their lives beyond education

“Today, schools need to prepare students for more rapid economic and social change than ever before, for jobs that have not yet been created, to use technologies that have not yet been invented, and to solve social problems that we don’t yet know will arise.”

This quote on Education for the 21^st century by OECD Education and Skills Today spells it out. Pupils today need to acquire more than just an education. They need the skills to thrive in a rapidly changing world, manage their own wellbeing and help solve society’s biggest problems.

Private schools need to be sharper and more forward focused when it comes to actively engaging pupils with the real-world. The next evolution of education should offer more than just good exam results, some pastoral care, co-curricular and a bit of a careers programme. It’s time to be overt and deliberate, instead of preparing pupils for the next stage by osmosis.

At Wellington, we’re committed to doing things by design, not by default and that means equipping pupils to flourish in their lives ahead and make the best decisions for their futures through ‘Life Beyond Wellington’. The programme, which is increasingly integrated into the timetable, blends the best of academic and co-curricular with real-world application.

Our responsibility to our students is life-long but the programme, which runs from Third Form to Upper Sixth, offers particularly robust support in the Sixth Form and during the early years after pupils graduate from Wellington. This includes our University Ambassadors initiative, where Old Wellingtonians (OWs) at popular universities share support and guidance to current pupils throughout the visiting and application process. The Ambassadors welcome students when they arrive on campus and are on hand to help them navigate a new environment.

“Private schools need to be sharper and more forward focused when it comes to actively engaging pupils with the real-world”

All pupils benefit from psychometric assessments in class and are invited to our termly Career Speed Networking events where they can hone their networking, information gathering and communication skills with parents and alumni who work in a wide range of sectors. We also offer a new Life Beyond Fifth Form programme, specifically designed to prepare pupils for Sixth Form and the career choices that arise at this next stage.

One of the most valuable aspects of Life Beyond Wellington, is Wellington Global Connect, our LinkedIn-style bridge to the real world which takes the form of a networking platform with nearly 30,000 members made up of parents and alumni. It can be accessed by all pupils from Fifth Form and beyond to get advice on CVs, insights into different sectors and to network and request work shadowing and internship opportunities.

As Life Beyond Wellington continues to evolve it will be even more seamlessly integrated into the curriculum, with a focus on life skills like financial literacy, as well as careers support. Wellbeing is the building block on which the programme is built. Our overarching purpose is to teach our pupils how to look after themselves physically and emotionally for the rest of their lives, and to forge positive relationships with others.  That means developing the self-knowledge, self-worth and self-regulation to pursue the right goals and contribute meaningfully to society.

Wellington College wellingtoncollege.org.uk

Further reading: 4 Really useful skills for life and work