What Should Parents Keep in Mind while Selecting a Premium School?

Wellington College International Pune provides a first-class holistic education to pupils from Pre-Nursery age to Year 10 (Indian Grade 9). The school provides Cambridge IGCSE courses for our Grade 9 pupils and, from August 2025, it will introduce IBDP courses to older year groups. Wellington Pune is a core member of the premium international Wellington family of schools, starting with The Wellington College in the UK (founded in 1853) and now operating across China, Thailand and India, and soon to open in Indonesia too. All Wellington schools can lay claim to be truly pioneering in their holistic approach, for example in 2006 Wellington College was the first school in the UK to introduce a course in happiness and wellbeing. This innovative decision sparked enormous interest both nationally and internationally and, over fifteen years later, all Wellington schools remain fully committed to a programme whose aim is simply to promote the flourishing and excellence of the young people under our care. We have introduced this exciting development to the educational ethos in Pune and it is a hallmark that our parents seek when selecting a premium international education for their children.

All parents and pupils, in India and internationally, select the quality of education and the outcomes achieved as pivotal in their selection of a school. Academic results are testament to the quality of any premium provision and a Wellington education embodies this too, for at the heart of the College’s educational philosophy is a commitment to intellectual development and the highest academic standards. We will always aim to build and retain a love of learning. This is evidenced in the data: the examination results at Wellington College UK are simply stellar, for example their IBDP students have averaged over 40 points (from a maximum of 45) in the past three years, confirming Wellington UK as one of the highest achieving schools, not just in the UK but across the world. Wellington College International Pune follows this rich tradition of academic excellence, taking pride in the breadth and depth of its curriculum, the quality of its teaching staff and its clear focus on equipping pupils with the skills — and the desire — to become life-long independent learners. In searching for a premium international education, pupils and parents now desire a greater focus on active and experiential learning, involving quality teacher-student interaction, and the employment of digital schooling and virtual classrooms to improve the overall experience of learning and teaching. Ultimately, academic life is at the forefront of every Wellingtonian’s time at school: it is the foundation on which all else is built.

However, it is clear that parents and pupils also aspire for a life beyond simply academic outreach, important though that is. This is also central to the Wellington vision of high-quality international education, within an Indian setting. Examination achievement is, of course, a crucial condition for academic success but a further aspect of our mission is to encourage pupils to try new things, to help them stay physically and intellectually healthy, and to guide them in the discovery of lifelong interests and opportunities for self-expression. All these contribute enormously to the growth of truly rounded, balanced individuals, in our case preparing them more fully for the world beyond Wellington. In fact, it is often in the Activities or Enrichment Programme that many pupils find their passion and learn to develop new skills, be they intellectual, cultural or athletic. Whether athletic or academic, a spirit of friendly competition is essential to personal growth by fostering a sense of pride in the community. In Sports, Foreign Languages, Debating, or indeed Mathematics, all our pupils will have every opportunity to build character and self-confidence by putting their skills and abilities to the test.

That said, a quality premium education should not be confined to what is learned solely on campus. A first-class international schooling in India allows one to be immersed in this wonderful culture, whilst providing global outreach to the pupil body. The Wellington family of schools, with a network of eight schools, offers exceptional opportunities for pupil exchange programmes and a plethora of educational excursions throughout the world. In July 2024, for instance, 150 Grade 7 pupils across the Wellington family of schools participated in a summer camp at Wellington UK. These types of activities push our pupils outside of their comfort zone, paying lasting dividends on their success in academics and life. Moreover, they cultivate curiosity, self-confidence, and leadership skills and make memories and lasting friendships. Premium international education embeds a distinct focus on research, critical thinking and conceptual learning, with pupils also encouraged to become part of larger community-driven projects.

These are core values in a Wellington education and we strongly encourage all pupils to develop their independence and confidence, clearly evident within the classroom focusing on Harkness learning. The success of this approach can be glimpsed in the university attainment of Wellingtonians, with pupils gaining Oxbridge places, as well as many securing offers from prestigious UK institutions such as Edinburgh, Durham, Imperial and UCL, in addition to the achievement with first-class US universities such as Harvard, Brown, Yale, University of Chicago, NYU, Berkeley, UCLA, Duke, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford amongst many others. In pursuing a premium international education all parents, and pupils, should interrogate a school’s university track record and the success of their family of schools in that regard. The Wellington name is synonymous, world-wide, with outstanding achievement in university attainment and helping forge the next generation of leaders.

Furthermore, a crucial component in any school achievement, lies in the creation of the correct culture at a school, and this should be a determinator in parents selecting the right environment for their children. At Wellington we strive to embrace opportunity and aspiration, with the exceptional twinning of inspirational staff to magnificent facilities. A premium education also involves the provision of world-class facilities and Wellington Pune is pioneering in this regard, with outstanding facilities for sports such as football, cricket, swimming and tennis also enhanced by magnificent co-curricular arenas (including cutting edge auditoriums allowing premium musical and performing arts opportunities).

Wellington College Pune therefore ticks all the boxes in offering a premium international education. However, as summary, two further points require accentuation. A Wellington education also provides access to the internationally renowned Festival of Education (EdFest) programme of exceptional festival gatherings of the leading educationalists and ‘thought leaders’ in their fields – these opportunities occur at all Wellington schools and Wellington Pune is proud to continue this tradition for its pupils. And, similarly, Wellington College Pune works in partnership with the newly created Bridge, Wellington UK’s Centre for Professional Learning and Educational Research, to enhance learning and teaching outcomes, and provide CPD opportunities for teaching staff. In turn, this allows our Pune team to pass on innovative and 21st Century evidence based approaches to the pupils, allowing them to be at the vanguard of technological debates on AI and the leading pedagogical concerns. Once more, therefore, Wellington College International Pune clearly illustrates all the key criteria that parents should aim for in selecting a premium international schooling for their children – that balance of legacy & heritage with truly pioneering and world-leading 21st Century educational provision.