Dear parents

A British Prime Minister of the 1960s and 70s, Harold Wilson, once declared that "a week is a long time in politics". If a week in the cut and thrust of British politics felt like a long time, a decade in a school can feel like a lifetime. A child's journey through schooling is measured in such a timespan, and indeed, even longer once the kindergarten years are included. For children, it is all they know of life beyond the home and immediate family. In this way, school becomes an entire world for children, a world in which they can grow safely, learn with purpose and become active and engaged members of their microcosmic society. The pace of life is dictated by school days and holidays, largely unhurried and familiar, building to the intensity that inevitably surrounds the time for public examinations. In this way, the core characteristics of a good school are that a child feels valued, supported and encouraged to become a fine young person capable of living a successful life well beyond their school years.

For schools, a decade is not as serenely timeless as it is in a child's mind. This year, we are marking the 10th anniversary of our foundation by launching the celebrations with a day of fresh beginnings, both for the Nest and with the rededication of the Founder's Library. The school is now well established in Tianjin, with a growing reputation for academic attainment at all levels and recognition for the fully rounded educational opportunities our staff and facilities provide. This has not been the result of luck. Building a school requires patience and determination from its staff. New schools have pressures that more established institutions no longer need to worry about, principal among them the creation of a proven track record of academic success and developing children.

These are hard-won successes for any school, and whilst the staff and pupils are two of the critical factors in this process, an undeniably central ingredient is the trust of the parent community. Trust is hard to win, particularly for new schools. A school must earn the trust and respect of its community – it cannot expect these by right. Wellington's British-international programme was a new element on the education scene in the city in 2011 and, as such, something of a curiosity. The pedagogy, curriculum, assessment and emphasis on a child's holistic wellbeing were not surprisingly unfamiliar to prospective parents.

Over the past ten years, our work has been to serve the community we have through the labour of many people: teachers, pupils, and parents. We are on a journey together to see Wellington established as one of the finest schools in China and the region. Each generation of pupils can be confident that their best interests lie at the heart of all our decision-making. The values with which we have sought to build this Wellington community are universal and overarching. Throughout the celebrations of the coming weeks and months, we are not just looking to the end of the current year but to the next decade and beyond as a school that seeks to be not just in Tianjin, but of Tianjin.

At the start of this tenth year since our foundation, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all parents – present, past and future – for your trust in our school and its mission to become the best we can be for your children.

Best wishes

Julian Jeffrey
EXECUTIVE MASTER

Today is Teachers Day and the staff team would like to thank you for lovely gifts and cards. Today has also been the official opening of the Nest. Reception and year one children sang to our special guests and had worked very hard to learn new songs.

Next week will see our reception children go on the first of our educational visits. In preparation for our next theme, 'Down on the farm', the children will visit a real farm to see what happens on a farm and meet some farm animals. The children will leave at 08:45 and return to school at 14:30. I look forward to seeing the children showing their new learning as the theme progresses. Educational visits are an exciting way to bring learning to life and support children to engage with their learning.

Our outdoor learning spaces are really coming to life as the children are exploring the spaces and learning in a whole new way. We hope to be able to show you the value of outdoor learning when you are able to visit. You will see for yourselves how it is different they can learn outside.

Main Building Room 214

0900hrs-1015hrs, Wednesday

15th Sep 2021

The new school year has started at Wellington. Parents of the school are an integral part of our growth and progress towards being a genuinely world-class school. Education is a precious resource, and we would like our parents, whether new to the school or long-standing, to be able to have full access. To that end, good parent-school communication is important, as well as knowing how to communicate with the school through the various channels that school offers to parents. The Deputy Head, Dr Yang Yang, will present a briefing on Parent-School communication methods on 15th September.

Due to the current covid restrictions, we can allow only 20 parents to enter the campus at any one time. Parents who cannot physically come can join the sessions via TEAMS. Please e-mail Ms Emma Shi for registration. The TEAMS link will be e-mailed to parents before the meeting. A recording of the meeting will be shared afterwards.

emma.shi@wellingtoncollege.cn