The Eight Aptitudes
Wellington is committed to an all-round or holistic education and the development, in full, of each pupil’s individual gifts. An education at Wellington requires pupils to engage with all eight of their aptitudes and to reflect on these.
The point of an eight aptitude focus in the Wellington education, is to delight in the various ways in which we experience the world around us and to develop as individuals. Whilst each aptitude can be considered individually, we are more interested in the way that they meet. It is often in the surprising moments: the consideration of morality on the rugby pitch, or the awareness of beauty in a maths class for example, that the greatest illumination comes.
We therefore use an eight aptitude approach (underpinned by Wellington's five core values: kindness, courage, integrity, respect and responsibility), to help us to ensure that we offer a broad and wide-ranging, genuinely holistic education.
We aim to help nurture the following aptitudes:
| Aptitude | Descriptor |
| Linguistic | Words and language, written and spoken; retention, interpretation and explanation of ideas and information via language; understanding relationship between communication and meaning; ability in English, languages and the humanities |
| Logical | Logical thinking, detecting patterns, scientific reasoning and deduction; analysing problems, performing mathematical calculations, understanding the relationship between cause and effect |
| Cultural | Artistic ability and awareness, appreciation and use of sound and vision; appreciation of music, art and dramatic skill |
| Physical | Body movement control, manual dexterity, physical agility and balance; eye and body coordination; sporting and dance prowess |
| Spiritual | Awareness and appreciation of one’s place in the world; thinking and awareness beyond materialism and the self |
| Moral | Awareness of personal responsibility, of right and wrong and steering clear of the wrong; openness and honesty with those around you; having firm principles and sticking to them |
| Personal | Self-awareness, knowing yourself, personal objectivity; knowing of your own need for, and reaction to change |
| Social | Perception of other people’s feelings; ability to relate to others; getting on with others; including others |