Wellington College Student Alliance aims to raise aspirations among pupils within its 27 partnership schools. It incorporates a core programme of events for all schools in the partnership, including revision skills days, subject specific days, an Oxbridge programme, an Outdoor Education programme and the Wheeler Programme, a bespoke mentoring scheme that takes in 24 selected pupils each year.
Core programme
The Student Alliance is a formal partnership comprising 27 schools, funded by Wellington College.
The key aim of the Wellington College Student Alliance, (WCSA) is to raise aspirations among pupils within partnership schools. The intention is to raise pupils’ awareness of their own potential and the take-up of enrichment opportunities. There is a nominal membership fee which allows the partner schools to take advantage of the full programme. On average, over 2000 pupils will access the WCSA programme within an academic year.
WCSA benefits all students by providing opportunities and experiences that transcend the classroom. It opens their eyes to a different educational environment and gives them the opportunity to engage with students from other schools. They get to explore subjects and topics beyond the standard curriculum which can help stretch their knowledge and understanding of the world. This shows them alternative perspectives and enhances future aspirations.
Oxbridge Programme
WCSA also runs an annual series of sessions for Oxbridge applicants in its schools.
The programme usually runs like this:
- January – Oxbridge Information Session, online session for students in Y10, Y11 and Y12 interested in applying to Oxbridge.
- February – Oxbridge Super Curricular Workshop, an online session for Y12 students covering what super curricular is and how it can boost their UCAS application, suitable for students applying to either Oxbridge or Russell group universities.
- March – Oxbridge Parents Information Session, this online session for parents covers what to expect and how to help their child through the application process. Available to parents with children who are in Y10, Y11 and Y12.
- June – Oxbridge Early Applicants Personal Statement Workshop, this online session gives Y12 students ideas on how to structure their PS and what to work on over the summer holidays to improve the content.
- September – Oxbridge Next Steps, online session for Y13 students covering upcoming deadlines (including any changes that may have been made), making their personal statement stand out (in a good way), selecting written work and what their next steps should be.
- November – Oxbridge Interview Session, final online session covering current arrangements for this year’s Oxbridge interviews, interview format, hints and tips, mock Interviews and how to get one.
Wellington Future Founders
Following successful schemes in 2023 and 2024 , the Wellington College Student Alliance is delighted to be running this project again. The Head of Business Studies Simon Roundell and members of the Wellington Community deliver the Wellington Future Founders project offering an exciting opportunity aimed at encouraging a small group of students to learn the basics of becoming an entrepreneur.
Each year we take a number of Year 9 students who are already showing an interest in business and enterprise and could be budding entrepreneurs in the future. They may have already demonstrated an interest in various entrepreneurial ventures or have ideas but need help to make them happen. The Wellington Future Founders Project promises an enriching experience for all participants. Students have the opportunity to learn from experienced entrepreneurs, industry experts, and successful business leaders.
They gain insights into various aspects of entrepreneurship, including idea generation, market research, business planning, and marketing strategies. Through hands-on activities, workshops, and mentorship, students develop practical skills and knowledge that can be applied to real-world business scenarios.
The group meets six times over the course of a year at Wellington College. As they are encouraged to try out some of their business ideas, the students are expected to do this in their own time, reporting back to the next session on their progress.
The Wheeler Programme
The Wheeler Programme, established in 2017, is a fully funded educational programme designed to support state school students attending secondary schools. The underlying goal is not to be bound by artificial targets of, for example, successful entry to particular universities, but more simply, to unlock each student’s potential, and to enable them to become the best version of themselves by establishing a growing partnership between the student, their school, their families and Wellington College.
We focus on students who are underachieving at school, for a number of possible reasons but who show academic curiosity. Each year we select a cohort of 24 students in year 9, and support these students until they graduate in year 13, with a bespoke programme of activities tailored to their individual needs.
Each year’s programme includes at least two study days at Wellington College. In Year 9 and 10 the students also come for a residential stay at the college. The experience of boarding, staying away from home and being part of the Wellington community, even for a short time, is a key element of the personal growth embedded in the programme.
Through a mixture of group activities, visits to interesting workplaces, universities, organisations and people; talks, lectures, workshops and discussions; individual coaching, and tailored mentoring, each student is able to discover, develop and grow their own strengths, whether they be academic, personal, artistic, sporting or social.
The Wheeler Programme has shown a positive change in students – in their achievements, attitude, and confidence back in their own schools. It has enhanced their interest and engagement in their subjects and helped them make decisions for the future.
In 2022 the Wheeler Programme teamed up with Impact Ed to measure how Wheeler students progress over their years with the programme. The process begins with an online ‘baseline’ survey at the start of the five-year programme and then asks students to fill in regular surveys as the years go by to see how their motivation, metacognition, self efficacy, grit and goal orientation have changed.
Upcoming events
05 Nov 2025 
“I enjoyed the maths challenge and working together as a team...It was also good to spend time with people I met on the residential last summer.”
Student, Wheeler Programme
Schools in the WCSA
- Altwood
- Ash Manor
- Blessed Hugh Faringdon
- Bohunt
- Bulmershe
- Charters
- Collingwood
- Edgbarrow
- Emmbrook
- Forest
- Garth Hill
- Gordons
- Holt
- King’s Academy Binfield
- King’s Academy Easthampstead Park
- King’s International Camberley
- Maiden Erlegh
- Piggott
- Ranelagh
- Robert May’s
- Sandhurst
- St Crispin’s
- Tomlinscote
- Waingels College
- Wellington Academy
- Winston Churchill
- Yateley
