Junior School

Dear Parents

 

Thank you to everyone who came to the theatre this morning to hear about developments for next year and beyond. I explained:

• This year, we listened to you and installed air conditioning in the Junior Dining Hall.
• Our first Y12s are currently halfway through their A-level courses, and doing very well. From August 2025, we will have a new Head of Sixth Form; an additional Thai university counsellor; and a new Head of University Admissions, all ready to supply all the support they need for ultimate success.
• A reminder that last summer’s IGCSE results were very strong, with an average grade of A across the whole cohort, with more than 160 A*/A grades; with more than 25% of all grades at A*. One student got all A s (which fewer than 0.2% of students achieve) and four got all A/As. We got 97% A*-C grades. The average result by department was almost 0.5 of a grade ahead of projections.
• I talked through the new Crowthorne Building, which is very nearly finished. The Tech floor (DT, Computer Science, Robotics) is industry-leading – wait till you see it! Then there are Drama Studios, Food Tech lab, an amazing Music Department and a brilliant multi-purpose room on the top floor.
• We will work on improving the Senior Car Park this summer, with a new exit to reduce congestion.
• New staffing developments in Senior School include 2 more Science teachers, 2 more Maths teachers, 1 more English teacher, one more Economics teacher, 1 more PE teacher, 1 more University Counsellor, 1 more counsellor, 1 more EAL/IELTS teacher.
• Further ahead, we are planning a new Sports Hall; the Tennis Court roof; developments in both Dining Halls; a new Early Years Centre.

I also appreciated the questions from parents afterwards. An enjoyable event, I think!

 

This is my final week on departing education staff:

 

Ms Erin Ferguson, our Head of Libraries, has worked at the school since the year we opened, 2018, building up our beautiful libraries, first in the Junior School then, latterly, in the Skylight Building – which was built itself as a huge library. If anyone ever wants a great recommendation for their next read, Erin is the first person we would all ask! She's leaving to start her new family – and we wish her all the best of luck.

 

Mr Tom Lemon joined Wellington in 2022, and quickly became a well-known and respected member of the PE department. He also led the Wellbeing curriculum across the Senior School, and has been a supportive and active House Tutor. He moves with his family to Malaysia, where he will take up a Deputy Head role.

 

Mr Scott Colton has been with us since 2024, as Head of Sixth Form. He has also taught a large and dedicated class of A-level psychology students this year, with – we expect – great success. His calm and steadying presence on the top floor of the Skylight Building has been very helpful for our first-ever Year 12s. We wish him the best of luck as he returns to Malaysia with his family.

 

Ms Laura Peltomaki joined the Learning Support department three years ago. A calm and positive practitioner, she always has excellent knowledge about how best to support each child. She now returns to Europe with her husband and young daughter.

 

Ms Sal Walton has worked at the school since 2019, first as a very successful ALT then, qualified with her PGCE, as a cover teacher. She has always been flexible, supportive of all the students, and ready for whatever challenge comes her way. We wish her all the best as she returns to the UK and her family there.

 

Sam Church has been teaching EAL at Wellington since August 2020. Sam always encourages each child she teaches to fulfil their full potential, developing their confidence in speaking English. We wish her all the best in her next steps.

 

Tomorrow we have our Solo Music Festival in the Theatre and the Second Annual Wellington Chess Championship in the Sports Hall. Perhaps I will see you there?

 

With best wishes
Chris

Have an old WCIB polo shirt your child no longer wears? Drop it off at the Copenhagen Café in the Junior School and give it a second life!

 

During the school break, we’ll send all donated shirts to Second Chance Bangkok, a non-profit that creates jobs for women in the Klong Toei slum community. There, the shirts will be lovingly transformed into handmade Wellyphant dolls — each one unique and full of heart.

 

It’s a simple way to recycle, support others, and be part of something truly special.

 

The donation box is open now until the end of term.

 

For more information, please contact: Marketing@wellingtoncollege.ac.th 

Thank you to all the parents who joined us this morning in the Auditorium for our Campus Development Update, led by our Master, Mr Chris Nicholls. It was a pleasure to share the exciting progress we've made and provide a look ahead to what’s coming in the next academic year and beyond. 

 

Highlights included plans to increase staff headcount to support our growing community, improvements to campus traffic flow with new car entrances and exits, and the much-anticipated opening of the new Crowthorne Building this August. This state-of-the-art facility will feature two drama studios, a Design & Technology Hub, a Computer Lab, a Food Science Lab, additional classrooms, expanded library space, and more.

 

We’re also thrilled to be adding a brand-new playground for our Junior School students and looking ahead, we shared early plans for a new Early Years building and a new Sports Hall.

 

It’s always inspiring to come together as a community and reflect on how each step of our development is designed to support the learning, growth, and wellbeing of our students. 

 

 

 

 

 

Get Ready for the Solo Music Festival

 

It’s almost time for this fantastic event and to ensure that it’s as successful as possible, please follow this guidance from the event organiser, Mr Whyte:

 

The festival will run tomorrow (Saturday 7 June 2025) from 10am to 1pm and tickets are now sold out.  Performers have been given specific information about arrival times, and we’d ask that if a performance space is full, you follow staff guidance on other venues to join, namely the Theatre or Atrium.  We ask that audience members only enter the venues between performances (during applause of MC announcements) to avoid disruption. 

 

Please use the Senior School car park for drop-offs and parking as we have other events on campus that will utilise the Junior School entrance area.

 

Above all, please support our students who will be performing at a variety of levels and for some of whom this may be their very first public performance.  Thank you for your support!

As part of our Global Social Leaders (GSL) programme, six groups of Senior School students are working on projects aimed at making a real difference in the community. Each week, we’ll introduce one of these inspiring teams and the meaningful impact they’re making.

 

This week, we shine a light on ‘100 Percent’, a passionate group of six Year 8 students – Ben, Mew, Aran, Sunny, Latte, and Vegas – who are taking action to address food insecurity in Thailand.

 

According to the Global Hunger Index, approximately 8.8% of the population in Thailand, or around 6.2 million people, lack adequate nutrition. Motivated by this statistic, the students named their initiative ‘100 Percent’ – reflecting both their full commitment and their goal for 100% of people to have access to nutritious meals.

 

They partnered with the local charity Scholar of Sustenance, collecting surplus food from supermarkets, markets, restaurants, and households. These ingredients were then turned into nutritious meals, with the students personally preparing, cooking, and distributing over 150 meal boxes to underserved communities around Bangkok.

 

To further support their cause, the team organised bake sales and activity stations at school throughout May, raising over 13,000 Baht within the Wellington community. All funds will go directly to supporting the fight against hunger in Thailand.

 

Well done to the ‘100 Percent’ team for turning compassion into action, and for reminding us all that even small steps can lead to meaningful change.

Last week, our U9 boys took part in the GBAC football tournament at ANS. It was a fantastic day filled with teamwork, determination, and valuable experience on the pitch. Well done to all the players for their great effort and sportsmanship!