The Wellington School history

The first graduating class was in 1989 with 32 students.

1990: New technology block opens.

1994: Pat McKelvey retires, Taraika – the new whare nui – opened.

1995: Refurbished Hall opens.

The most transformative was perhaps the amalgamation with the Mossblown preparatory school, Drumley House, in 1996.

1997: New photography suite opens; the school is an early adopter of standards based assessment.

The School opened in September 1999 in new purpose-built accommodation, providing one of the most modern and stimulating educational environments for young children anywhere in the country.

The school occupies a 35-acre site in the centre of the market town of Wellington in Somerset and, in 2000, a purpose-built junior school was opened on an adjacent site.

2001: New pavilion is finished and the junior school Certificate in Learning is introduced.

Most recent buildings include the John Kendall-Carpenter Science Centre with its state-of-the-art laboratories and lecture theatre and a £2.6m sports complex which was opened by H.R.H The Princess Royal in September 2002.

The Education Review Office reported: “students engage well in their learning, sustain on-task behaviours, co-operate with their teachers and are confiident contributors to class discussions” (ERO February 2003)

2008: Tukutahi – now called Herengatahi – is introduced at Year 9.

Information and communication technologies (lCT) are an integral part of learning in a variety of innovative ways across the curriculum.” (ERO October 2010)

2014: The school is proudly announced that it would be gaining an additional Māori name to sit alongside the established and venerable name of Wellington High School on 30 October 2014 at the annual Whakanuia event.

The project was completed in late 2018 and more information about this exciting development can be found here: