New Third Form Academic Scholars Announced

What does it mean to be an Academic Scholar?

At Wellington, academic scholarship is not simply about attainment. It is an attitude of mind.

It is about curiosity, independence, intellectual confidence and the capacity to think deeply with others. It is the pupil who asks why? The pupil who keeps thinking after the lesson has ended. The pupil who reads, debates, explores and challenges ideas, not because they are told to, but because they want to know more.

Wellington College is delighted to announce the new cohort of Third Form Academic Scholars, following an extensive and carefully considered selection process. This included academic performance, intellectual curiosity, Malim Project submissions, engagement in lessons, participation in academic extension opportunities, lesson observations, dialogic discussions, and one-to-one conversations with shortlisted pupils. Feedback was also gathered from Housemasters, tutors and subject teachers, helping to build a rounded picture of each pupil’s academic potential, curiosity and engagement. The process looked beyond attainment alone. It sought to identify pupils who show the habits of mind central to scholarship: independence, creativity, intellectual humility, and a genuine desire to engage with ideas beyond the curriculum.

Being named an Academic Scholar gives pupils access to Wellington’s Academic Scholars Programme. The programme begins for these students with a residential trip to the University of Cambridge this summer, combining academic workshops with leading academics alongside more relaxed activities, including a bike tour, an escape room and, of course, punting.

Next year, our Fourth Form Academic Scholars will take part in weekly sessions organised around the central theme of Human Connections. They will complete a series of short interdisciplinary courses, alongside two three-week skills courses in public speaking and debating. These will culminate in a Balloon Debate, in which pupils will advocate for the importance of selected non-Western thinkers in advancing knowledge, developing their research, persuasive writing and public speaking skills in the process. Scholars will also undertake a ten-week Game Theory course, exploring strategic and adaptive problem-solving through a range of perspectives, including economics, politics, evolutionary biology, sport, literature and history.

We hope the new scholars thoroughly enjoy the next four years of the Academic Scholars Programme. At its heart, the programme aims to foster intellectual curiosity, intellectual humility, belonging, interdisciplinary connection and, above all, enjoyment in learning. It is designed to help pupils explore new perspectives, ask better questions, engage in meaningful discussion, and find pleasure and fulfilment in academic discovery.

We recognise that pupils develop at different stages. The door to the Academic Scholars Programme remains open, and further pupils will be invited to join at the end of next year as their interests, confidence and intellectual ambitions continue to grow. Congratulations to all pupils selected for this year’s cohort.