Wellesley College

Today, Wellesley is a place where boys, aged five to thirteen years, can flourish and grow in an unrivalled setting between the bush and the sea.Wellesley embraces critical thinking and innovation to provide cutting-edge education and prepare our boys for the future, while honouring Wellesley’s heritage and protecting its unique environment and distinctive character.

Days Bay House was built for the Wellington Steam Ferry Company and opened on October 9, 1903, offering accommodation for 50 guests and their staff. The building and its lavish furnishings cost £9,000. It was lit by electricity, with its water supplied from its own dam up in the gully.

At first, the new establishment was open only in summer, with ‘bathing houses’ on the beach for those wishing to take dips in the sea, but a scarcity of guests soon forced it to open all year round. Thousands of people travelled across from Wellington on the ferries to enjoy its facilities. Hockey fields, tennis courts and cricket grounds were built for use by clubs and casual visitors. Guests could also enjoy the entertainment in the adjoining grounds – Katzenjammer Castle, the Pavilion, a water chute, camera obscura and miniature zoo, as well as musical performances in the rotunda. The beach had boats for hire and donkey rides, and in the bush were numerous walking tracks.

At Wellesley, we provide the academic, physical, social, emotional and spiritual support boys need to discover their best. We foster lifelong skills to ensure our students can progress to secondary school and beyond with confidence and independence. Our staff members have an excellent understanding of children and how boys, in particular, learn best. Every boy is different, and that is something we recognise, support, and celebrate.

The buildings and facilities are designed to provide our boys with the best education – both in and outside the classroom – with a significant focus on the whole child developing positive relationships, wellbeing, mindfulness, fun and care for the environment.

Wellesley’s Vision, Mission and Values are guided by the school’s Strategic Plan to ensure each boy who attends this special school is empowered to discover his best.

Wellesley prides itself on personalising learning for each boy. We focus on creating a flexible programme that allows students to progress as they demonstrate their own personal mastery of academic content, regardless of time, place, or pace of learning.

Teaching students how they learn, so they become agencies for their own development, is key to how we approach teaching and learning at Wellesley. We want our students to be confident, resilient, innovative thinkers who are creative in the way they solve the problems they face.

Wellesley’s aim is to bring out the best in each boy. Our approach focuses on developing each boy in mind, body and spirit, which gives each of them a platform to excel. Using our unique environment and building positive relationships with our ākonga, students, together we embrace our school values in order to discover the best versions of ourselves. In a world of constant change and increasing disruption, we believe that empowering each boy to find his potential, and unlock his passions, will ultimately be how he will succeed in his own special way.

Wellesley values all aspects of the education process. Our teaching and learning philosophy focuses not only on academic achievement, but also on a holistic approach where developing leadership skills, confidence, resilience, wellbeing and curiosity is at the forefront of our minds. Wellesley has a rich history, so we take lessons from past experiences and blend 100 years of tradition with future-focused innovative thinking in our education.

Joining in extra-curricular activities is the perfect way for our boys to take risks, to explore new passions, to be curious, and to try something new.From chess and Enviro-club to extension drawing, drama or sport, Wellesley offers a wide variety of opportunities for each boy to discover his best.

At Wellesley, in addition to the class Visual and Performing Arts lessons, boys are able to access individual musical tuition in an instrument during school hours via our Itinerant Music Teachers’ Programme. Lessons are available on piano, violin, woodwind (clarinet, saxophone, flute) trumpet, drums and guitar.Specialist vocal tuition is also available. Lessons on violin and piano are available for boys in Years 1 – 8. Lessons on all other instruments, including vocal tuition, are available for Year 5 – 8 students. Meet our Itinerant Music Teachers here.To book your son’s music lessons, please fill out the itinerant music enrolment form or contact Mary-Anne Morgan for more information.

Sport has always played a big part in the life of our boys at Wellesley College. As well as offering sport as part of the curriculum, taking part in Zone sports, and submitting competitive teams to inter-school fixtures, we have a number of extra-curricular sports that challenge boys to discover their best.There are sometimes additional costs to support these activities and often a need for parent/caregiver coaching and management. There are no special uniform requirements for these activities.

Information on how to sign up, fees and parent involvement is communicated to parents via the school newsletter or the Head of Sports at the start of each season.