Dear parents

It is with great pleasure that I extend a very warm welcome to all our parents from the Wellington community. The start of any new academic year is always an exciting time, for pupils as well as teachers, and whilst 2020 is like no other year in so many ways, I still sense that excitement building for the new term. Members of staff at Wellington, both academic and non-academic, have been hard at work to prepare the school for the arrival of 550 pupils, many of them new to the school. As a result, you can be assured that the estate and grounds are safe and secure.

Wellington is a school that seeks to promote and celebrate pupil achievement at every age group. August traditionally sees the UK publish its public examination results, which for us means IGCSE, AS and A Level grades for pupils in years 11, 12 and 13. As with all schools which take these qualifications, the school’s candidates were given teacher-assessed results as a consequence of Covid-19’s impact – physical exams were simply not possible in May/June 2020. The grades were carefully moderated within the school to ensure fairness and pupils, their parents and universities have been assured of their accuracy by the UK regulator, Ofqual. Our candidates performed wonderfully well and fully deserved their record-breaking results. Year 11 scored 64% A*/A at IGCSE, year 12 recorded 74% A grades (there are no A* grades at this stage) and our year 13 graduates achieved 71% A*/A. This is now the fourth consecutive year for record results in the school, and clearly the pupils and their teachers deserve the highest praise for their hard work. These results place Wellington firmly in the top rank of schools across the globe, but more importantly, these outstanding results give our pupils life-changing options for university admissions and career prospects.

Whilst the summer headlines are inevitably dominated by the success of our public examination candidates, it is important to remember that pupil achievement at all levels, and all age groups, remains our focus. I am just as delighted to see the progress made by our younger pupils in their lessons, and it was a joy to be able to share in their celebrations last term. A new year presents a fresh chance not only to achieve great things in the classroom, but also to grow in self-confidence, resilience, and independence. These essential life skills are all part of the holistic education we offer here at Wellington and are an indivisible part of any child’s time at school.

You will know by now that some of our new teachers are yet to arrive in Tianjin. The school fully supports the safe and responsible introduction of overseas’ colleagues in the current pandemic situation. It does mean, though, that we have had to make some short-term changes to the teaching allocation in order to minimise the impact on lessons and activities. These have been communicated to you by the heads of school, but if you do have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact them directly. Our new teachers bring with them a wealth of experience from the UK and international education, and I know they will prove wonderful additions to our community.

There are also some important internal promotions, including Ms Li as the lead teacher for Reception; Mr Banham as new housemaster of the Blucher in the Senior School; and new Mileposts leads in the Junior School (Mrs Broadhurst, Mrs Prendi and Mr Rowark). Ms Hollywell will lead on maths. In boarding, Mr and Mrs Juma take over from Mr and Mrs Wood (Mr Wood stays on as assistant housemaster, with Ms Qi and her husband also joining the team). Finally, Ms Rogic takes on the additional responsibility for counselling across the school.

I am determined to make this a year of further progress and development for Wellington. For all of us in school, working to give each individual child the best all-round educational experience ranks alongside our commitment to safeguarding as our core priorities. Parents play a key role in helping us to improve through providing feedback and engaging in open, proactive communication. It is essential that any of the questions or concerns you may have are addressed as fully and speedily as possible, so please do continue to reach out to the school. We continue to have weekly ‘Meet the Master’ sessions, as well as more briefings for parents of children at all ages; open days for existing parents; and enhanced curriculum information. In the interests of ensuring a safe and healthy environment, parent sessions will be online until at least January 2021 unless otherwise notified.

Finally, I would like to remind all parents that the Friends of Wellington (FOW) exists to offer our adult community a chance to meet and enjoy participating in a shared pastime or activity. There are classes available in yoga, English language, as well as traditional Chinese medicine, although please note some courses will run off site until further notice. Every parent is automatically a member of the FOW, so these programmes are available to all – contact details for the organisers are provided in our Week Ahead, which in turn is published via WeChat and email.

Best wishes

Julian Jeffrey
MASTER

With the new design of the school ID card, from this term, we will replace parents’ school cards as well. Please get your child to bring your parent cards to school for replacement in the first week of the new school year.

From the 2020/21 academic year, the school catering has implemented a new bilingual app for parents. You should follow the guidance that will be sent by the service team through email and to access the following information for your child:

• Check the weekly menu.

• Check the balance of your child’s lunch card.

• Top up the lunch allowance for your child.

• Upload you and your child’s feedback on matters involving catering.

• Catering also will upload some catering information/notice through this APP.

I hope this app proves helpful and enhances our catering service level further. Thank you.

COVID-19 measures for the new term

People management 

• 14-day tracked statistics for staff, subcontractors, pupils on temperature records; any symptoms; and if the individual has been to high/middle risk areas

• Daily temperature reporting - morning and noon for non-boarders and additional evening check for boarders

Facilities 

• Facilities reopening including the swimming pool, gym, theatre, and library

• It is no longer compulsory to wear masks in low risk cities, but pupils should bring a backup mask with them to school

Catering and Bus Management

• All catering lines will be opened except the salad bar. This will be offered after the National Holiday in October

• School utensils will be available to pupils and staff for new academic year

• Pupils in the Junior School will go back to the dining hall for lunch

• Pupils in the Nest will continue to eat in the classroom with a lunchbox offered by the catering company

• It is no longer compulsory to wear masks on the bus in low risk cities, but pupils should bring a backup mask with them on the bus

Security Control

• Parents cannot enter the school

• The picking up procedure will be the same as last term (Junior School parents will come on to the campus and pick up their child from the football pitch)

• The Tianjin green health code will be checked every Monday at the school entrance. The “I am fine” cards will be available

• There continues to be strict controls for visitors to the school

Cleaning and disinfection

• All hand sanitizers and liquid soap will continue to be available around the building

• All air conditioner units will be cleaned and disinfected before the school starts

• The fresh air system will remain closed, but may be used at times of higher AQI levels