Find out more
The WCE Forum 2026 in Shanghai brought together leaders, partners and educators from across the Wellington College Education family of schools for a day of strategic dialogue shaped by the organisation’s ambition to be the most admired and innovative family of schools in the world. The programme explored how WCE can realise this vision through two defining themes: Human Flourishing in the Age of AI and the Power of the Network.
The morning opened with welcomes from Joy Qiao and Sir Anthony Seldon, before Michael Stevenson introduced the OECD’s emerging Human Flourishing model. The model sets out five wider competencies—adaptive problem‑solving, ethical competence, and the ability to understand, appreciate and act in the world—capturing the broader capabilities young people will need to navigate an AI‑shaped future.
This set the stage for Rita Bateson’s keynote, Rethinking School for an AI World, which explored how generative AI is reshaping learning, assessment and the future of work. A subsequent session on the WCE AI Institute outlined how the institute will guide the organisation’s leadership in this space, ensuring that innovation remains both ambitious and ethically grounded.
The afternoon highlighted the power of the Wellington College Education network, with each school contributing actively and creatively to the collective endeavour. Strategic reflections from Sir Anthony Seldon and Paresh Thakrar emphasised a shared vision, space for local innovation and a culture of continual improvement across the family.
Breakout sessions then enabled partners and school leaders to shape the strategic plan for 2026/27, with a strong focus on expanding student and staff collaborative opportunities and sharing best practice around Higher Education pathways. The day concluded with a plenary from James Dahl and a Bund River Cruise celebrating community, connection and ambition, before the momentum carried into the Festival of Education, where educators from around the world gathered to explore emerging ideas and transformative practice.
