Wellington College in academy sponsorship first
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Wellington College is to become the first independent school in the UK to sponsor a state academy. The new academy will be in Tidworth, Wiltshire, specialising in modern foreign languages, business and enterprise.
The College is able to move ahead with the project following a £2m gift from governor and former pupil Tim Bunting and his wife Sarah, and the provision of government funding of £25m. Dr Anthony Seldon, Master of the College, is calling for other independent schools to follow suit, so that the 'educational apartheid that exists between the state and independent sectors' can be dismantled. He believes there may be up to a hundred independent schools that could raise this level of funding from wealthy former pupils and others. He also argues that prep schools could fund state primaries.
E&OE
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The new school, provisionally named Wellington College Academy, will 'inherit the DNA' of its Berkshire counterpart, with a house system, boarding and day places, a deep commitment to excellence, an emphasis on discipline, outdoor activities and service, and a combined cadet force (CCF). A third of the students will come from military families based in the area, echoing Queen Victoria's founding of Wellington College as a school to educate 'sons of officers' in memory of the Duke of Wellington. The academy is scheduled to open in existing buildings in September 2009, on the 150th anniversary of Wellington College's founding. It will move to brand new facilities in 2010.
"I am delighted that Wellington College is able to contribute in this way, but there is still a huge job to be done in ridding education of the historical and ideological divide between independent and state schools. We have so much to gain from working together. I see the academy model as one of the most significant educational ideas to emerge for decades which can address this educational apartheid, and most significantly is supported by the two major political parties," said Dr Seldon.
"The academy project is indicative of the progressive and innovative role that Wellington College wishes to take in education, demonstrating to its own pupils, parents and the public the high importance that the College attaches to service to the community."