Wellington College aims to extend bursaries to 50% of students

One of the country’s leading independent schools has announced plans to increase dramatically its bursary provision, widening access to those who would not otherwise be able to attend.

A new campaign launched by Wellington College last week, aims to raise funds to provide significant fee remission for 25% of students by 2028, and then to double this to 50% by 2038.

Julian Thomas, Master of Wellington College, is passionate about giving children with real promise, but limited financial means, the opportunity to come to Wellington. 

Mr Thomas says, "Our ambition is to ensure that a Wellington education is available to as many children as possible, regardless of their financial means. In the last year alone, we have raised £1.5 million for this campaign and, combined with the income from our international schools, this has given us the opportunity to make significant progress. Nevertheless, this is just the beginning of what will be a decades-long commitment to the creation of means-tested bursaries."

Wellington College was established in 1859 to educate the sons of soldiers killed in action at minimal cost. While the need for this has diminished over the years, the College remains committed to ensuring that children of talent and promise are able to reach their full potential.

Mr Thomas comments: ‘Widening opportunity and access is part of our DNA. In the future, we aspire to match the level of support provided at our foundation. We are going back to our roots’.

Wellington College is part of a successful Independent State School Partnership, involving 11 local secondary schools, and it sponsors two, soon to be three, state academies. Over the last few years, the College has found innovative ways to open its doors to a wide range of students from diverse backgrounds. The WOW Campaign is the latest addition to Wellington’s ambitious and ever-evolving commitment to inclusive education.