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WCIS welcomes first students
By Wang Zhefeng Source:Global Times Published: 2014-8-26 18:38:01
Wellington College International Shanghai (WCIS) opened the doors of its Pudong New Area campus Monday to its first intake of students, a group which includes over 300 pupils from more than 20 different countries.
WCIS is part of Wellington College International China, which is itself the partner of Wellington College, the prestigious independent school in the UK founded by Queen Victoria in 1859.
In 2011, Wellington College International China opened its first school in Tianjin. While this institution admitted several local Chinese students, according to regulations set by the Shanghai Municipal Educational Commission, WCIS will only enroll students with foreign passports.
David Cook is WCIS's founding headmaster. Prior to taking his current position, he served as the headmaster of Wellington College International Tianjin. His career also includes other headmaster stints in Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and the UK.
The experienced global educator explained to the Global Times that this year WCIS will enroll students between 2 and 15 years of age for its pre-nursery to grade-11 program. The school plans to add grade-12 and grade-13 classes for older students in the future.
"That's the model for international schools," Cook said, who remarked that Wellington College UK only enrolls students from grade-nine to grade-13.
WCIS administrators plan to have an average of 15 students in each class, with the size of classes capped at 22 students, in order to give each pupil as much individual attention as possible. Each class will be led by a head classroom teacher and an assistant teacher. WCIS currently has 40 teachers on staff, the majority of whom were recruited in the UK.
Among its current student body, roughly one-third of WCIS's pupils are of Asian descent and another 40 percent are from Europe and Australia. Cook said that every student must pass a math and English proficiency test before being admitted. Putonghua and Chinese cultural lessons will be arranged at the school, he also mentioned.
As for tuition fees at WCIS, these will normally range from 220,800 yuan ($35,884) to 259,000 yuan per year, with higher grades commanding higher prices. Meanwhile, the annual full-day pre-nursery fee is set at 173,400 yuan.
To offset these costs, a variety of academic and extracurricular scholarships are offered. Students with exceptional academic talents or skills in specific areas such as art, drama, music and sports will be awarded.
For many of the parents sending their children to WCIS, Wellington's long history and prestigious reputation make these tuition fees worth the expense.
One mother from the UK told the Global Times that her family moved to Shanghai a year ago because her chemical engineer husband was offered an assignment in the city. At first, their 10-year-old daughter studied at another one of Shanghai's international schools, although after hearing about WCIS, they decided to transfer her there this semester.
"We chose Wellington because in the UK it's one of the best independent schools. It's an ideal option for us," she said. After going on a tour of the campus in Pudong, the mother noted that she is also quite satisfied with its facilities.
Laurianne Gidrol, the Director of Marketing at WCIS, took the Global Times on a tour of the campus Monday, which included a look at the school's sports facilities. The school boasts three outdoor pitches for football and rugby, a cricket square and nets, a 400-meter track and several indoor basketball courts as well as an indoor 25-meter swimming pool.
The school's library also incorporates the very latest in digital and multimedia resources. The amenities don't end there - one can also find a 500-seat auditorium, a mini theater, several practice rooms; and a studio open for student musicians, dancers and actors.
"I want my daughter to be a well-rounded person who is not only good at academic things, and the education in Wellington will help her," the UK mother said.
These wishes were echoed by another mother from Singapore. Her family has lived in Shanghai for many years and her child has transferred between several of the city's international schools. Yet, given the resources and diverse options open to students at WCIS, she believes this school will be the best choice for her child.
Indeed, diversity is expected to characterize much of student life at WCIS. As an international school, students will be coming from many different backgrounds and headmaster Cook believes that this is one of the school's top strengths. "Here, it will be common for a US student to sit down with students from the UK, Russia or China. It will become second nature to mix with people from other countries and continents. This will help students become people with global vision in the future," he said.
WCIS is built to accommodate 1,500 students and Cook is optimistic that the school's enrolment will grow next year.
WCIS is part of Wellington College International China, which is itself the partner of Wellington College, the prestigious independent school in the UK founded by Queen Victoria in 1859.
In 2011, Wellington College International China opened its first school in Tianjin. While this institution admitted several local Chinese students, according to regulations set by the Shanghai Municipal Educational Commission, WCIS will only enroll students with foreign passports.
David Cook is WCIS's founding headmaster. Prior to taking his current position, he served as the headmaster of Wellington College International Tianjin. His career also includes other headmaster stints in Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and the UK.
The experienced global educator explained to the Global Times that this year WCIS will enroll students between 2 and 15 years of age for its pre-nursery to grade-11 program. The school plans to add grade-12 and grade-13 classes for older students in the future.
"That's the model for international schools," Cook said, who remarked that Wellington College UK only enrolls students from grade-nine to grade-13.
WCIS administrators plan to have an average of 15 students in each class, with the size of classes capped at 22 students, in order to give each pupil as much individual attention as possible. Each class will be led by a head classroom teacher and an assistant teacher. WCIS currently has 40 teachers on staff, the majority of whom were recruited in the UK.
Among its current student body, roughly one-third of WCIS's pupils are of Asian descent and another 40 percent are from Europe and Australia. Cook said that every student must pass a math and English proficiency test before being admitted. Putonghua and Chinese cultural lessons will be arranged at the school, he also mentioned.
As for tuition fees at WCIS, these will normally range from 220,800 yuan ($35,884) to 259,000 yuan per year, with higher grades commanding higher prices. Meanwhile, the annual full-day pre-nursery fee is set at 173,400 yuan.
To offset these costs, a variety of academic and extracurricular scholarships are offered. Students with exceptional academic talents or skills in specific areas such as art, drama, music and sports will be awarded.
For many of the parents sending their children to WCIS, Wellington's long history and prestigious reputation make these tuition fees worth the expense.
One mother from the UK told the Global Times that her family moved to Shanghai a year ago because her chemical engineer husband was offered an assignment in the city. At first, their 10-year-old daughter studied at another one of Shanghai's international schools, although after hearing about WCIS, they decided to transfer her there this semester.
"We chose Wellington because in the UK it's one of the best independent schools. It's an ideal option for us," she said. After going on a tour of the campus in Pudong, the mother noted that she is also quite satisfied with its facilities.
Laurianne Gidrol, the Director of Marketing at WCIS, took the Global Times on a tour of the campus Monday, which included a look at the school's sports facilities. The school boasts three outdoor pitches for football and rugby, a cricket square and nets, a 400-meter track and several indoor basketball courts as well as an indoor 25-meter swimming pool.
The school's library also incorporates the very latest in digital and multimedia resources. The amenities don't end there - one can also find a 500-seat auditorium, a mini theater, several practice rooms; and a studio open for student musicians, dancers and actors.
"I want my daughter to be a well-rounded person who is not only good at academic things, and the education in Wellington will help her," the UK mother said.
These wishes were echoed by another mother from Singapore. Her family has lived in Shanghai for many years and her child has transferred between several of the city's international schools. Yet, given the resources and diverse options open to students at WCIS, she believes this school will be the best choice for her child.
Indeed, diversity is expected to characterize much of student life at WCIS. As an international school, students will be coming from many different backgrounds and headmaster Cook believes that this is one of the school's top strengths. "Here, it will be common for a US student to sit down with students from the UK, Russia or China. It will become second nature to mix with people from other countries and continents. This will help students become people with global vision in the future," he said.
WCIS is built to accommodate 1,500 students and Cook is optimistic that the school's enrolment will grow next year.
WCIS school campus in Pudong New Area
Representatives from WCIS give a picture of the campus to the school's sponsor in Shanghai.
A school bus
WCIS headmaster David Cook at the school's opening ceremony
A parent and student at WCIS
Photos: Yang Hui/GT
Posted in: Society, Metro Shanghai