Pupils forge worldwide connections
The reputation of Wellington School as an international educational establishment has just been further enhanced.
Ten senior pupils were presented with their UCAPE Diplomas by the headmaster at the end of last term, whilst in the Junior School, Primary 6 children were awarded E- Twinning t- shirts by the British Council following a project with a Romanian school and a celebration of 10 years of E- Twinning at the school.
Pupils are encouraged to include European studies in their Modern Foreign Languages curriculum, culminating in the award of the prestigious UCAPE Diploma in European Proficiency.
UCAPE stands for Union pour la Culture et l’Avenir Professionnel en Europe in French; in English, it is the Union for Cultural and Professional Advancement in Europe. Wellington School is enjoying a second threeyear term of full International School status awarded by the British Council, has an Erasmus+ project that involves co- operation with schools from five other European countries and remains one of the few schools in Scotland to have a Foreign Languages Assistant, this year appointed by the British Council and the RuhrUniversität Bochum.
Pupils can study French, German and Spanish, and can use their language skills in multinational environments including rugby tours, international conferences and regular pupil exchanges with schools in France, Germany, Spain and India.
This term alone, there will be visits to Germany, Italy, France and Romania. Wellington pupils and staff will travel to Dortmund in Germany in November to celebrate 25 years’ partnership between schools, a group will visit Romania for a week this month as part of the current Erasmus+ project and there’s a UCAPE conference in Rome in October. Representatives from the partner school in Jaipur, India, visit Scotland in October and pupils and staff from Spain will visit Ayr in December.
The three key criteria for the International School Award are: year round international activity, an international ethos embedded throughout the school, and a majority of pupils within the school impacted by and involved in international work. Wellington lives this to the full.
Projects also run under the umbrella of Erasmus+ and E- Twinning, promoting collaboration with schools across Europe, and almost all Wellington pupils have had the opportunity to be involved in such Europeanfunded projects over the last six years. More than 100 pupils have already travelled to European countries on previous Comenius mobilities ( the name given to residential visits under the programme) and during the term of the current Erasmus+ project, a further 50 pupil will benefit from similar mobilities.
The School’s annual Open Days will feature the international programmes, as well as all the other varied and interesting constituent parts of Wellington school life.
They are on the evening of Tuesday, October 6, from 6– 7.30pm, and Wednesday, October 7, from 2– 4pm. Refreshments will be served at both of these open events, and family and friends will be made most welcome at either.