wellington school somerset — Copyright Steve Olive 2010

WHAT, WHERE?

Wellington School is a co-ed independent day and boarding school, taking littlies in the nursery from the age of 3 up through to 18-year-olds in the 6th Form (and many stay for the duration). Established in 1837, the school has grown up around the original buildings – the Great Hall and Memorial Chapel – and now extends back either side of the road leading into the centre of the small Somerset town of Wellington. It’s not huge – 210 in the Prep, 660 in the Senior School – but fairly diverse both socially and culturally, with lots of local pupils and over 30 different nationalities.

FACILITIES

The whopping great big Olympic sized sports hall with gym, fencing salle (learned a new word there), weights room etc, which, incidentally, is open to the public out of school hours.

They spent £280k on an all-weather astro turf pitch.

We love the niftily designed half lecture theatre-half lab science classrooms.

The performing arts and drama department has gone from strength since our last visit and is a shining jewel in the school’s crown. About 120 pupils take part in the LAMDA programme, with outstanding results. Scouts from London regularly attend school performances and many pupils have secured roles in the West End, in TV, film and in international touring productions. Over the past four years, 16 pupils have been accepted into the prestigious National Youth Theatre. It’s all very impressive. Old Wellingtonian David Suchet (aka Poirot) has given acting master classes via Skype. They’re modest about their actual theatre – it’s not a purpose-built – but it has all the professional accoutrements you’d expect, they often use sets from the West End in their productions and they put on banging shows. Dance is also growing, with a professional-looking studio and ballet and modern dance tuition taking place in school clubs.

The state-of-the-art Dukes Library and Study Centre makes for a calm atmos for study and The Café 37 is rather cool.

ACADEMICS

The Senior School’s selective (but you don’t have to be a genius to get in), with entrance exams for Year 7 and Year 9; GCSEs 3 x level 6 (3Bs) and 3 x levels 4/5 (3Cs), (A in Maths/Physics to study those) to join the 6th Form. They offer 1-year GSCE courses for international students wanting to study A levels. The curriculum is along grammar school lines offering traditional academic subjects including Latin and Greek – no media studies here – and the more rigorous IGSCEs in Maths, Sciences and Modern Languages. Range of 22 subjects at A level. Results in 2024 at GCSE: roughly a third were A* (9-8); 43% A*-A (9-7); at A level 15% were A* and 40% A*-A. Most – 83% – of students secured their first-choice destination. A good number of pupils go onto Russell Group universities and some to Oxbridge.

HEADTEACHER

Wellington School Somerset headmaster Alex Battison

Dr Alex Battison joined Wellington as Head in September 2024. Previously Senior Deputy Head at Lord Wandsworth College in Hampshire, Assistant Head at Wells Cathedral School and Director of Learning and Innovation at Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex, he comes with masses of experience. Also on the CV: Chair of Educational Futures as part of Harvard University’s Human Flourishing Programme, a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts, a Global Ambassador for HundrED (selecting the top 100 educational innovations in the world each year) and consulting for The Premier League (football)! He’s got a BSc (Hons) and PGCE from the University of Wales, Cardiff, a Masters from Oxford University in Learning and Teaching and a Doctorate in Leadership, Learning and Policy from Bristol University.

In person, he’s super dynamic, has more than a passing resemblance to Buzz Lightyear (he’s got a picture of the Pixar hero on his wall so maybe someone else does too), and possibly the firmest handshake we’ve ever encountered. He talks about a new vision for the school which emphasises excellence, inclusivity and innovation; a school evolving to meet modern challenges and embrace complexity; with teachers and pupils leading the way together to proactively create – rather than just be prepared for – the future. Upcoming initiatives include a thematic curriculum, professional collaborations, more digital literacy and research skills and community engagement. Exciting times ahead.

REPORTS

You can see the latest reports from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), equivalent to Ofsted in the state sector, here.

SPORTS

An innovative Sports Performance and Well-being department means that pupils have weekly well-being lessons, focusing on emotional as well as physical health – in addition to separately timetabled sports lessons. No slouches on the sports field either: there are county cricketers, a National Schools Equestrian Champ and GB Triathlon athlete in the school.

WHAT ELSE?

Lots of activities and trips via the Outdoor Education dept (cycling from Nice to Venice across the Alps anyone?) and the school competes in the Ten Tors Challenge where teams of six hike up to 55 miles over Dartmoor. Most trips, even abroad, are led by staff with the relevant know-how. There’s a sense of continuity and tradition here, choristers wear long red robes in the Memorial Chapel, built by a former headmaster in memory of his nephew killed in WW1 and, poignantly, the walls are painted with names of old boys killed in wars since then.

The Music department is strong. It’s an Bosendorf school – even chopsticks will sound good on the world’s best pianos – with trad instruments, various ensembles, orchestras, composition as well as music tech on offer.

Art here is described as purposeful play and apparently with a Wellington A level Art you can go directly to a degree course without passing through a foundation course.

School nosh (tried and tested) is a cut above. This is the ginger and coriander chicken…

The school can’t be pigeon-holed as a ‘sporty’, ‘musical’ or an ‘academic’ school with different teachers telling me that their subject was the school’s really big thing. It seems to be a genuinely good all rounder school with a heart, combining a classic grammar school education with private sector facilities and extra-curricular enrichment – and despite having plenty of trumpets to blow, it chooses not to do so.

BOARDING

About 185 pupils are boarders, mostly full boarding and about half from overseas, representing around 30 different nationalities. The Grange (girls Yrs 7–9) is the newest boarding house and a short walk up the road in a Victorian villa so pupils leave for school in the morning just like day pupils. The rooms are all doubles with en suites, and there’s stylish furniture and a mahoosive flat screen TV in the common room. Girls are put into ‘families’ of differing ages with a non-teaching member of school as a ‘godmother’, 6th Formers as ‘grand parents’; boys have buddies and mentors.

NURSERY & PREP

The Nursery takes children from 3 years old. Early years enjoy specialist teaching in IT and Music and weekly Forest School. Although the Prep is self-contained, as they move up the school, pupils increasingly use facilities of the Senior School. They use the famous Singapore maths teaching method (quick explainer: this is the super successful step-by-step approach to maths in which kids get to grips with the subject through objects, then drawings and finally, by adding numbers to the drawings).

QUIRKS/BOASTY BITS

Wellington School was Highly Commended in three categories of the Muddy Best Schools Awards 2025: Dynamic Performing Arts (Senior), Giving Something Back, and the Prepared for Life Award. Hats off!

They’ve got their own cannon. And radio station, Welly Echo, set up by pupils. Every Friday afternoon, most of Year 10 and above pull on their combats for CCF (Combined Cadet Force) activities in partnership with the Navy, Army, Marines and RAF. Doesn’t every 15-year-old girl need to know how to strip down a rifle? Plus the chance to learn to fly, sail, develop leadership skills. etc. They’ve got a plethora of ‘houses’ at different levels of the school – too many for me to get my head round.

WRAP AROUND CARE

Main school ends at 3.45pm and school buses leave at 5pm, so plenty of time for clubs and activities. Mostly music and sporty but also Robotics, the esoteric sounding Biological Drawing club or just Chill Out and Read. Sadly the Unicycle Club is not currently on the go (though an ex-member is now unicycling around the world). A bevvy of school buses cover routes all over Somerset and into Devon. Nursery hours are nice and long at 8am–6pm. Flexi boarding for day pupils.

FEES

2025/26 fees per term (unless otherwise specified): Prep: Nursery: £73.50/day; Reception £3,420 rising to Year 6 £6,160. Senior School: Year 7 day pupil £7,244, weekly boarding £9700, full boarding £12,230; Year 8 day pupil £7,990, weekly boarding £9,700, full boarding £12,230; Years 9–13 day pupil £8750, weekly boarding £11,995, full boarding £16,100.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Parents across the board describe the school as a nice place to be – kind, friendly and inclusive – with well-mannered pupils who have no air of entitlement. They talk about teachers going the extra mile to help pupils both academically and pastorally. Maths teaching in the Prep gets singled out for special praise. Music and sports are seen as outstanding. Some like the fact that there’s no Saturday school – or hyper competitive parents.

MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: children who would thrive in an academic environment but it isn’t an academic hothouse and you don’t have to be Einstein’s love child to get a place here.

Not for: anyone wanting the grandeur of a school set in a posh historic house surrounded by acres and acres of countryside – the school’s in the middle of town and it’s got a collegey feel. The curriculum is fairly traditional so if you want to take lots of obscure GCSEs you’d best look elsewhere.

See for yourself Contact the Admissions Team on 01823 668803 or admissions@wellington-school.org.uk to arrange a personal visit, yourself onto onto an open day, the next one is Sat 9 May 2026.

Wellington School , Wellington, Somerset TA21 8NT. Tel 01823 668803.

Wellington School, Wellington

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