Wellington College will be setting up schools in three Southeast Asian countries through a regional partnership with Singaporean businessman Peter Lim.
Lim’s company, WCI Regional Management, announced that it has signed a master license agreement to establish premium quality Wellington College International schools for 3–18-year-olds in Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
“Wellington College is an ideal choice. We believe the Wellingtonian values of courage, respect, integrity, kindness and responsibility are well suited for Asia. It is vital that we equip our youth with skills that extend beyond the classroom to help them reach their full potential and prepare them for the future,” commented Lim.
The new schools will share the values, ethos, enduring quality and ambition of Wellington College, a leading UK boarding school and one of the world’s top International Baccalaureate (IB) schools with a strong reputation for all-around excellence, including particular strength in sports. Furthermore, the new schools will have a combination of the very best British education and regional and pan-Asian education strengths and traditions.
Plans are to accommodate up to 2,000 students in each school, offering early years, preparatory and senior school programmes following the English National Curriculum and culminating in the IB Diploma. To be staffed by an international faculty, the schools will meet rising demand by expatriates and local families, both from the west and the east, who seek quality education for their children without having to send them thousands of miles away from home.
“We are delighted to partner with Wellington College to offer expatriates and parents in Asia the opportunity to provide the very best of British education to their children at campuses in Southeast Asia,” said Lim.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also made international travel more challenging for both parents and children. These schools will join the Wellington College International family of schools, which include schools in China and Thailand, and the first school in India opening in 2023.
Each school is unique in its focus and strengths to meet the requirements of the community that it serves. It is also (or is envisioned to become) the top school in its region, delivering an outstanding, pioneering education for students to thrive in life, and an educational experience that is distinctly Wellington. The schools in the network also work together to share best practices, support strong cultural connections and an international outlook.
“We are thrilled to team up with Peter Lim to launch a network of outstanding schools in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. The region is growing fast, spurring demand for international schools like Wellington that offer well-rounded academic experiences and unrivalled opportunities,” said Scott Bryan, International Director of Wellington College International.
Wellington College was inaugurated by Queen Victoria in 1859 and established in Crowthorne, a small town set in the picturesque Berkshire countryside about an hour’s drive west of London. The College is a national monument to the first Duke of Wellington, one of the commanders who led and ended the Napoleonic Wars. Wellington strives for all-around excellence.
Although it is consistently in the top 10 schools globally for the IB Diploma, examination grades are only the beginning. Wellington is equally prominent for its achievements in arts and sports, including recent national titles in hockey, rugby, and squash, among others.
Wellington College students from the UK and international schools regularly attain placement at the world’s leading universities including both Oxbridge and Ivy League. Notable alumni include novelist George Orwell, actor Sir Christopher Lee, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, former cabinet ministers, champion cricketers, rugby player, and race car drivers including F1 champion James Hunt.
“It is my great honour as 15th Master of Wellington College to celebrate the announcement of Wellington College International’s partnership with Mr Peter Lim,” said James Dahl, Master of Wellington College.
“A dynamic, pioneering and holistic education is the hallmark of education here at Wellington College in the UK. It is abundantly clear that Mr Lim shares this educational ambition and vision, and we are excited to open a number of 3-18 WCI schools in the region in years to come.”
Wellington College will join a growing list of international schools that have been set up in Singapore for Kindergarten to grade 12. Driving demand for international schools, once sought after mainly by expatriates working for MNCs, is Asia’s burgeoning and affluent middle class. China, in particular, has seen the number of international schools explode from a dozen two decades ago to more than 500. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has also influenced many families’ decisions to have their children attend a school closer to home.
The British High Commissioner to Singapore Kara Owen CMG CVO stated, “British education continues to attract interest from parents wanting to ensure their children receive a ‘whole child’ education. Wellington’s academic excellence, integration of sport and art do just that. Wellington’s values – courage, respect, integrity, kindness and responsibility – are exactly the values the world will need in its community and its leaders in the 21st century. I congratulate Wellington and Peter Lim for landing Wellington in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.”