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Wellington College is delighted to have been commended in the Co-ed Independent School of the Year category at the Independent Schools of the Year Awards 2026.
The annual awards celebrate excellence across the independent education sector, recognising schools that are delivering exceptional opportunities and experiences for their pupils. This year saw a record number of nominations across 25 categories, with judges highlighting the innovative and inspiring work taking place throughout the sector.
The commendation comes at the end of a landmark year for Wellington College, as the College celebrated 50 years of co-education and reached an equal balance of girls and boys for the first time in its history.
Throughout the year, the College has marked this milestone with a range of initiatives celebrating the impact of co-education, including the ‘Pioneering Women’ trail, a documentary, Better Together: The Path to Co-education, an arts show in the QEH in London attended by HRH the Duke of Kent, and a specially-themed Speech Day. Across sport, drama, academic life and leadership, Wellington continues to ensure that girls and boys learn alongside one another in a culture of mutual respect, shared ambition and opportunity.
At Wellington, co-education is about far more than educating both girls and boys in one school. It is about ensuring pupils learn to live and work together in a kind and respectful community, challenge one another to achieve their best, and leave the College ready to thrive in the world beyond Wellington.
The values recognised through this commendation are reflected in Working Together, a film that premiered at Speech Day as part of Wellington’s 50 years of co-education celebrations. Featuring pupils from the College, the film explores how co-education enhances and deepens the learning experience, demonstrating how students grow from classmates into colleagues through shared learning and collaboration. It offers a thoughtful insight into the culture that underpins life at Wellington and prepares young people for the world beyond the College.
The finalists for the Independent Schools of the Year Awards will be announced on 10 September, with the winners revealed at the awards ceremony on 14 October.
