The Week Ahead

Welcome Back!

The new school year 2022-2023 has begun at Wellington College International Hangzhou.

I write to wish a warm welcome to our returning families and to say a big hello to all the families who are new to our community this year. Our community continues to grow in terms of size but also diversity, and we are proud to welcome new pupils from five of the seven continents around the globe to our school this year. Indeed our pupils are global citizens!

The start of a new academic year is always vital and full of energy; this year has been no different. Our pupils returned filled with excitement, keen to both catch up with old friends and meet new friends. We began the year together as a school, reflecting on the Wellington values and setting ourselves high expectations to support our individual and collective pursuit of excellence. We then celebrated the excellent exam results from across the campus this summer. We applauded our Year 10 pupils, who all achieved A* in their early entry Maths IGCSE – a seriously impressive feat.

Then our expanded pastoral team of tutors and co-tutors handed out planners and timetables, shared expectations and set the scene for what we expect to be the most successful year yet at Wellington College International Hangzhou.

I appreciate your loyalty in choosing our school and entrusting us as your family's education provider. We are fast becoming the international school of first choice in Hangzhou. At the same time, the Wellington College China group is synonymous with the absolute best in international and bilingual education in China. We are going to have a great year.

A quick request to all parents – to fully support our drive to ensure a completely English language immersion environment for your children at school, please help us reinforce the expectation that your child read an English language book at home for at least thirty minutes per day. Reading is vital to English language acquisition and development whilst also being enjoyable, relaxing and fun. Thank you. 

First and foremost, congratulations to every member of the Class of 2024 who recently achieved outstanding IGCSE results. With 59% A* grades and 73% A*-A grades, it is clear that our new Lower Sixth pupils are bursting with talent and capable of their next academic challenge. 

This year also brings the second-ever cohort of Pre A Level pupils. Welcome to our new families. I look forward to getting to know you more throughout the year. 

I love the start of a new academic year. The excitement of returning pupils catching up with their friends fills the empty classrooms with an energy that makes even the most nervous of new starters smile. The school is brought back to life. Our new and returning staff have been preparing these past weeks and are keen to meet and inspire their pupils. We now make Wellington College Hangzhou history as our eldest cohort embarks on the final stage of their high school journey: their A Levels. I am extraordinarily excited. Let the learning commence.

I hope you and your family are safe, in good health and have enjoyed a lovely Summer. The new term is now underway, and we are delighted to welcome back our returning families and our new families to the community.

It has been my privilege to see our pupils' learning and pastoral care back in full swing as I have walked around the school. Pupils have begun to explore new friendships and reunite with old ones, sharing stories of their summer adventures. Pupils have been introduced to their specialist teachers and have started exploring their new routines in class.

We have many opportunities to connect as a community in the month ahead, the first of which is the community BBQ. I hope to see all of our families at this event. We also have the academic induction session for parents and the Meet the Teacher event for parents. We will continue to use DingTalk as our main channel of communication.

Please have a wonderful year ahead.