The newly opened Wellington International School of Shanghai opened its doors yesterday in Pudong with an admission of 300 students.

The renowned UK Wellington School, with tuition fees as high as 260,000 RMB, attracts many wealthy parents seeking comprehensive education for their kids. Classes officially kicked off on August 25 with an elaborate inauguration ceremony.

Principal David Cook said that the school admitted 300 students along with two kindergarten classes. Grade 7 to 11 students occupy two-thirds of the total intake, and one-third of these students are Asian.

The school sets high requirements for admission, and the 300 accepted students boast outstanding abilities in Mathematics, English and various other subjects. The school disclosed that standards were set a bit lower for the first intake of students, but the level of tests will be raised as the school gains experience.

The school also implemented a scholarship system to award students’ achievements in academia, including music, art and more.

The tuition fee ranges from 220,000 to 260,000 RMB per year with ascending amounts for higher grades.

Full-time kindergarten tuition costs 170,000 RMB; grades 1 through 2 cost 220,800 RMB; grades 3 through 6 cost 223,200 RMB; grades 7 through 9 are 244,000 RMB and grades 10 through 11 come out to 259,000 RMB, with 2,000 RMB extra added as an application fee.

Some parents said they enrolled their children because of Wellington’s famed reputation, and a mother from Hong Kong chose the school because of its high English standards and intensive IB courses which she believed would be helpful in sending her kid to an overseas college.

The school opened extra curricular classes in music, arts and sports, which are available for people in the area.

It also actively maintains relations with other schools overseas. Shanghai school students and teachers will be going to the UK school to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Battle of Waterloo in 2015.

Source: shanghaiist.com