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In the short time since he joined in April 2025, our new Head of Wellness and Physical Fitness, Michael Wyndham has made a big impression. Not least for masterminding ‘The Maniacs Re-iced’, his fresh take on a Wellington tradition that has seen pupils running 1km laps of the field at 7am, followed by an invigorating plunge in one of twelve ice baths.
Michael is a firm believer in starting the day on a natural high but there’s a lot more to his remit than icy plunge pools. His role is to educate pupils to make informed, healthy choices about nutrition, lifestyle and physical exercise during their time at school and beyond.
A former coach at Reddam House School, Michael has also worked as a fitness specialist at David Lloyd and Virgin Active and is a keen swimmer, tennis player and triathlete. With a father who swam the English Channel no less than five times, swimming is in his blood and he has regularly participated in the world’s largest open-water swimming event in South Africa.
Michael’s role is a holistic one that involves close collaboration with HMs, DHMs, sports staff, academic support and pastoral staff. He will take a strategic approach to wellness while dealing with individual pupil queries on a daily basis, and reacting to any issues that crop up.
His big areas of focus for the upcoming 2025/26 academic year are to reduce sugar intake across the College; to promote sleep management and stress reduction techniques; and to encourage more physical movement on campus.
Reducing Sugar and Understanding Nutrition
Educating pupils about nutrition helps them to make better food choices. Through House assemblies & workshops, Michael will be helping students to understand food labels, fads and what really makes up a well-balanced diet. Expert nutritionists will come in to talk to pupils, an initiative that is well underway with Reece Smith having recently given a talk on managing ADHD through nutrition.
Michael is working with our caterers, Sodexo UK, to create healthier options at meal times and House snack times, and is looking at ways to reduce the number of sugary snacks in the Tuck Shop. He says “the occasional treat is fine and the goal is not to cut sugar out of pupils’ diets completely but for them to understand the principles of ‘everything in moderation’ and the negative effects that unhealthy options can have, including on concentration and mood.”
Sleep Management and Stress Reduction
During exam season, Michael will be running workshops on sleep management teaching pupils about the impact of screen time and phones before bed and how caffeine can affect sleep quality.
Next year he will be offering more tools to reduce stress, including mindfulness, yoga, Pilates and ideas for spending time in nature. A sleep expert will be coming in to give a talk in September about good sleep habits during the teenage years.
More Physical Movement
Working closely with Wellington’s Elite Athletes, Michael is already an integral part of the Sports Development team at College but wants to encourage more physical movement among all pupils. He will be focusing on gym literacy, overall physical fitness and ensuring every student leaves school feeling confident and comfortable in their physical abilities. With this in mind, he is in the process of creating a 5km outdoor cross-country trail on campus where pupils and staff can compete against themselves and each other by tracking their times on the course on Strava. Perhaps we’ll see a new record in the Kingsleys as a result of all that extra training….
