Sixth Formers Thrive in State-of-the-Art New Spaces

Our new Sixth Form Centre and Elizabeth House, which both opened in autumn 2024, are inspiring spaces that bridge the gap between school and adult life. 

Elizabeth House is Wellington’s eighteenth boarding House, exclusively for sixth-formers, and marks a milestone towards gender parity as Wellington’s first co-ed House. The new House pays homage to Queen Elizabeth II, who was the College’s Visitor and whose legacy lives on through our ethos of service leadership. 

The beautiful, contemporary building provides a nurturing environment for seventy pupils, all with en-suite bedrooms. More akin to university-style living, it comprises a girls’ wing, a boys’ wing and thoughtfully designed co-ed communal spaces with mixed gender tutor groups. To integrate across the Wellington community, our new lower Sixth Formers are having regular dinners with pupils from the other 17 Houses throughout the year.   

“Elizabeth House has really helped create a strong sense of community in the Sixth Form. The space itself is warm and welcoming, but it’s also about the people – we all come together and support each other. I think it’s a big part of what makes the co-ed environment here work so well, and it’s been great to be part of that.” – Precious (12 E)

Light and airy, Elizabeth House was designed by Mica Architects with a strong focus on sustainability. The striking building has a living roof and the surrounding woodland is ‘brought into’ the space through carefully positioned windows and a calming colour scheme in forest tones. 

“The design of the building encourages interaction and inclusivity, with shared common rooms that naturally bring people together. There’s a real sense of balance here, and it’s clear that The Elizabeth has been thoughtfully created to support both individual growth and a strong, united house identity.” – Cara (12 E)

Our new Sixth Form Centre opened in October 2024 and has already become a thriving hub for senior pupils. Fleur Moore-Bridger, Head of Sixth Form has been delighted at how popular the centre is proving. 

“The centre is busy from 8am-9pm every day, with most of the Sixth Form popping in at some point each day.  It has provided a peaceful, purposeful space separate from House life where the Sixth Form can grow its identity, students can focus on work and collaborate with their peers. Crucially, it feels like an inspiring, adult space where they can begin to plan their futures” Fleur Moore-Bridger

Each floor of the Sixth Form centre is flooded with natural light, dotted with plants and designed with a different purpose in mind. The ground floor is home to a cafe with collaborative work spaces, moveable bookshelf dividers and sofas and french doors that bring the outside in. The first floor is a silent study zone while there are sofas, whiteboards and an outdoor terrace on the top floor.  One of the biggest advantages of the space is that sixth form staff have their offices in the building including the Head of Sixth Form, the Heads of Years, The Heads of IB, and the HE and Careers teams. Pupils can pop in for an informal chat with staff more easily than ever before.     

We have deliberately created a space where pupils can broaden their minds when considering their next steps. Photos of universities around the world adorn the walls with QR codes that pupils can scan to visit their websites instantly. The Sixth Form Centre allows pupils to engage seamlessly with our Life Beyond Wellington provision with drop-in sessions on topics like ‘How to make the most of Wellington Connect’ and networking events with Old Wellingtonians hosted in the space. 

Having opened relatively recently, this is just the beginning for these two transformative spaces with more events and socials planned over the coming months.

About Wellington’s Sixth Form 

Wellington welcomes up around 70 new pupils into the lower sixth each year. This includes around 10 Prince Albert Foundation fully-funded scholars and around 20-25 new international students. The driving ethos behind our sixth form provision is to provide the opportunities and independence that pupils crave at this stage.

Pupils who join in the sixth form can look forward to a wealth of academic and co-curricular opportunities.  Wellington offers both A-Levels and IB with a 50/50 split among pupils and an exceptionally wide range of subject choices.  We have world-class sporting, music, arts and drama facilities with 150 active clubs and societies and over 25 different sports played, with national and international success.

Wellington sixth formers leave on a high after an exhilarating two years, ready to embark on exciting futures and realise their full potential.  

Registrations for Sixth Form entry in 2026 open in June 2025. Find out more here