Wellington School

Wellington School was founded in 1837 and now comprises two schools, Wellington School and Wellington Junior School. The Senior School is a fully co-educational day and boarding school with 80% day pupils, 20% boarders, 55% boys and 45% girls and now numbers 700 pupils between the ages of 11 and 18. The purpose-built Junior School, opened in September 1999, occupies an adjacent site sharing many of the facilities of the Senior School. It currently numbers 200 boys and girls between the ages of 3 and 11. The Headmaster is a member of HMC. Pupils enter the School either at age 11 by taking an entrance examination; via Common Entrance or through interview at the age of 13; or through interview or assessment into the Sixth Form. There are four or five Year 7 classes and nearly 200 pupils in the Sixth Form. Class sizes in the Lower School (Years 7 - 8) average 22 pupils and A level sets are seldom larger than 15. Pastorally, the school is divided into six Upper School and four Lower School day houses, three Upper School and one Lower School boarding house. Every pupil has a tutor who oversees their welfare and academic progress. The School occupies 35 acres in close proximity to the town centre which has a population of 12,500. The town lies equidistant between Taunton and Tiverton railway stations (both approximately 20 minutes away). The character of the area, situated between the Blackdown Hills (now an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), the Brendon Hills and the Quantocks, has remained largely unaltered for many years. The Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks and the North and South coasts are within an hour's drive away. The catchment area for day pupils extends up to 20-30 miles around the town, served by an extensive bus service (insert link). Buses depart school at 5pm to enable all day pupils to take advantage of the busy after-school programme. Many parents who live on the outskirts of Exeter and to the North and East of Taunton testify that it is faster to get to Wellington using the M5 than it is to the centre of these busy towns.