Peter Lim partners UK school Wellington College to set up Singapore campus

SINGAPORE business magnate Peter Lim's company WCI Regional Management on Wednesday (Feb 23) announced in a press release that it has signed a master licence agreement to establish Wellington College International schools for 3 to 18-year-olds in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Wellington College is a UK boarding school that offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma and is considered strong in sports, including rugby and hockey.

The schools, which will be staffed by an international faculty, plan to accommodate up to 2,000 students each, with a curriculum covering early years, preparatory and senior school programmes following the English National Curriculum that will culminate in the IB diploma.

They aim to meet "rising demand by expatriates and local families" who do not wish to send their children overseas for the curriculum, the press statement said. It indicated Asia's "burgeoning and affluent middle class" as a key driver for such demand.

The target is to open at least one of the campuses by 2025, subject to regulatory approvals from the authorities, according to an article by The Straits Times (ST).

ST also noted that fees will be similar to those charged by high-end international schools - around S$30,000 a year or more.

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Additionally, Scott Bryan, the international director of Wellington College International, told ST that the school will be heavily involved in the setting up of its international schools, including designing curricula and appointing senior leadership, to ensure the quality of education delivered is up to par with the parent school.

Representatives from the British school will be on the schools' boards of governors and annual inspections will be conducted, he added.

Wellington College International currently has schools in China and Thailand, and plans to open another in India in 2023.

The schools in the network also work together to share practices, support cultural connections and an international outlook, the press release added.

Commenting on WCI Regional Management's latest partnership in the press release, Lim said: "We believe the Wellingtonian values of courage, respect, integrity, kindness and responsibility are well suited for Asia. It is vital that we equip our youth with skills that extend beyond the classroom to help them reach their full potential and prepare them for the future."

Wong Li Lin, a spokesperson for WCI Regional Management, also told ST that the international school area is "a new area for us".

"Mr Lim has always believed in education opening up a lot of opportunities for the young. This will be a passion project and international school education is an exciting growth market particularly in this part of the world," she added.

In the press release, James Dahl, master of Wellington College, said: "A dynamic, pioneering and holistic education is the hallmark of education here at Wellington College in the UK. It is abundantly clear that Mr Lim shares this educational ambition and vision, and we are excited to open a number of 3 to 18 WCI schools in the region in years to come."

Also in the press release, Kara Owen, British High Commissioner to Singapore, said: "British education continues to attract interest from parents wanting to ensure their children receive a 'whole child' education. Wellington's academic excellence, integration of sport and art do just that."

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