We are Wellington: How we grow a maths champion at Wellington?

Wellington children performed exceptionally well in their debut at the *Caribou Mathematics Competition this year compared with their peers across Zhejiang province, China and the whole world! The standout performer was Jayden in Year 3, who achieved the remarkable feat of finishing number 1 out of approximately 3,000 Year 3 participants globally! Being a founding pupil, Jayden has been at our campus for almost five years. What positive changes has he experienced in these years? How has Wellington supported him to become the maths star he is today? In today’s We are Wellington article, we interviewed Jayden’s mum, who introduced why they chose Wellington College International Hangzhou and all about Jayden’s life at Wellington. Read on to find out more.

*Caribou Mathematics Competition is the most influential challenge on campuses across North America, hosted by the Canadian Mathematical Society, a world-leading authority in maths, which attracts over 160,000 participants from more than 29 countries each year.

“We chose Wellington because of its good reputation, teaching team, facilities and focus on wellbeing.” 

We also learned that the school has a well-established pastoral care and safeguarding system. Wellington College UK was the first school in the UK to incorporate wellbeing in its core curriculum, and Wellington College Hangzhou has inherited this tradition by establishing a comprehensive wellbeing system and following rigorous safeguarding regulations. All to support children to achieve elevated physical and mental health in a safe, secure and heart-warming environment. Therefore, after carefully comparing all the international schools in Hangzhou, we decided to join Wellington without hesitation. 

“I feel comfortable about the choice because I know Wellington has good teachers.” 

Wellington College Hangzhou is the most stringent when it comes to selecting teachers in the city. Teachers at Wellington are not only well educated and experienced, but more importantly, they are incredibly patient with children and respectful of different cultures. They know how to find children's strengths and potential and encourage them to learn through play so that learning becomes something enjoyable, rather than a dull process. Jayden has developed a good English reading habit at school and this love of learning is nurtured by the guidance and encouragement of his teachers. Therefore, I am deeply grateful to the teachers at Wellington. 

“Going to school is what makes him happiest.” 

From a nursery child to a Wellington pupil, the most incredible improvement I’ve seen in Jayden is his spoken English. His confidence has also grown, and he is now courageous enough to speak out. He has become a curious boy with immense creativity. Every day at Wellington is a happy and cheerful day for him. He loves to go to school and feels that going to school is the most enjoyable thing. 

One thing that people do not often mention is the importance of one’s English level in international competitions. Caribou Mathematics Competition is an English paper, so candidates must have good English reading and comprehension skills, otherwise it will be too challenging for them to understand the questions and the intentions behind. Jayden spends 30-minute reading in English every day; it is also what teachers at Wellington emphasise at school, because reading is not only to develop good reading habits, but also to improve their English levels. Jayden's success in the competition can be attributed to his love of math and the detailed guidance he received from his teachers, as well as his improved English skills since he joined Wellington. Such a combination has allowed him to understand the questions and answer them with higher accuracy.

“Wellington sparks his interests.”

Jayden is independent. He has many hobbies, such as sports, reading, crafts and building Lego. He takes five exercise classes a week, reads every day, and schedules time to watch a movie he loves every Sunday. Sometimes, he jogs with his dad, and listens to stories while he builds Lego or working on arts and crafts. Jayden joined the school swimming team in Year 2 and has participated in many swimming competitions under the guidance of swim teachers. There is regular training every week at school which helps him improve his swimming skills. Wellington offers a rich school curriculum and abundant school activities, so there is no need for him to attend any knowledge-based courses outside the school. I wouldn’t say that Jayden has a special talent in mathematics, but he is extremely concentrated when studying and loves to complete his homework independently. These are the things that every child at Wellington is equipped with every day because they are embedded in Wellington values and have also allowed Jayden to grow up with courage, kindness, responsibility, integrity and respect. 

“Jayden, mum wants to tell you…” 

Your parents are so happy that you have achieved great results in this international competition. In your journey ahead, there will be many challenges and uncertainties, but we hope you will continue working hard, face the challenges bravely, keep such an enthusiasm for learning, chase your dreams and forge ahead with the support and care of your Wellington teachers. 

“Every family deserves the unique taste of Wellington.” 

Wellington College Hangzhou follows the same high standards as Wellington College UK in terms of teachers, facilities, academics, wellbeing and safeguarding. There are established and open channels for parent-teacher communication and dedicated parent workshops for us to deepen our understanding of the curriculum, teaching style, wellbeing system and other support. The Wellington College Hangzhou community is also a friendly and inclusive international family, with a variety of international cultural celebrations such as Halloween dress-up day, Easter egg hunt, Christmas tree-lighting ceremony, Diwali celebration, and International Day. We welcome any families looking forward to joining the Wellington community and cannot wait to build a brighter future for our Wellington international family.