Peter Mallinson’s Speech Day Address Outgoing Chair of Governors

Speech Day 2021 Peter Mallinson

Your Royal Highness, Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen and current Wellingtonians.

Thirteen months ago I joined most of you for our first ever virtual Speech Day – at the time a relative novelty amidst the so-called first lockdown. Wellington TV, together with numerous members of staff and students performing from their homes all over the world, produced an hour and a half of visual celebration of music and dance and sport and academic success.

We little knew then, that we would be forced to adopt a similar methodology in July ‘21, this time with barely two weeks’ notice, although the ever fluctuating nature of the pandemic had our internal COVID task force certainly aware that conditions might have changed at any point.

My heart goes out to all of you for the abrupt cancellation of what for many parents and children is the highlight of the school year, and for the Class of 2020 who were due to have their postponed graduation ceremony this weekend. Fortunately, this year’s graduates are able to continue with a modified programme today, albeit without their families present. Particularly galling, from my point of view is seeing the tens of thousands – of which I admit to being one – attending matches at Wembley, Lords and Twickenham, whilst schools – not just Wellington of course – are not permitted to have our parents and students participate in predominantly outdoor celebrations at the end of what has been such an unusual and disrupted school year.

Sadly, if there was ever a year when the value of independent school education has been exemplified , it is this last one. But we must not forget that hundreds of thousands of children in some segments of the state sector have missed out on major parts of their education this last year given the difficulties of inadequate bandwidth, lack of tech hardware and software, and cramped physical space in less advantaged areas of the country.

Where we can, we have done our best to help with catch-up content, laptops, and financial grants to our state school partners and this summer we are also providing a catch-up Summer School programme for five local schools, in addition to the continuation of our successful Wheeler programme for university aspirants. My fellow governors join me in congratulating James Dahl, Stephen Crouch, Cress Henderson and the senior leadership team – indeed the whole teaching and non-teaching staff – for their Herculean efforts over this last year in moving back and forth between online and in-classroom teaching, whilst minimising large outbreaks of the virus, and maintaining both the high academic standards to which we have become accustomed, as well as an impressive array of co-curricular activities, many of which were able to take place virtually.

This Summer Term, sporting fixtures were briefly allowed to resume, and the arts and drama programmes had a number of live performances, and Wellington’s incredible breadth of talent was fleetingly allowed to express itself with some parents present. I know all of you students have worked consistently well throughout the year, and continual assessment should arguably give a fairer representation of achievement levels.

I want to take a moment to recognise four of my fellow Governors, who have retired during the last twelve months and who represented an astonishing almost 50 years of service between them.

Rob Perrins, Old Marlburian, but a Wellington parent, was our lead Financial governor for much of his time with us, and used his experience as former CFO and now Chief Executive of the Berkeley Group, to provide invaluable advice on our property assets and on developing the Master Plan for the school, working closely with our Bursar and COO.

Edward Chaplin, ex-Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and to Italy, brought his diplomatic expertise and charm to the fore in chairing Wellington College International, which has been an unmitigated success with five schools in China under the leadership of Joy Qiao, one in Thailand, and planned projects in Singapore and India, and today generating substantial recurring income to the school, much of which goes to our bursary and Prince Albert programmes.

Howard Veary, former partner at Deloitte, chaired our Risk and Audit Committee and for the last nine years, Eagle House and championed major projects there such as the new Sports Hall, a new Pre-Prep and Nursery – recently opened by the Earl and Countess of Wessex – and the Music School Development.

And finally, Peter Frankopan, Senior Research Fellow at Worcester College, Oxford, prolific and best-selling historical author and commentator, who has chaired our Academic Committee for the last five years, and continually challenged both staff and students to demonstrate intellectual curiosity in and out of the classroom.

To these four, all of us owe our deep gratitude.

I am delighted to say that we have recently appointed three new governors, all experienced in their fields, and bringing our governing body to almost 50/50 male and female. We welcome Dr. Christie Marr, an early Apsley OW, and former Head of College, a PhD in Computer Science, and Deputy Director of the Isaac Newton Institute at Cambridge University; James Garvey, parent of three OWs and former partner at Goldman Sachs and Global Head of Capital Markets at Lloyd’s Bank; Lt. General Sir Christopher Tickell, OW and Deputy Chief of the General Staff. All will be great additions to our Board, and we are honoured to have them.

As I wrote to parents a few months back, I am excited to be handing over as Vice-President to William Jackson, a parent of two OWs, Managing Partner of Bridgepoint private equity, and a Director of The Royal Marsden, amongst other positions, who has already initiated, together with James Dahl, a strategy and purpose review, which will guide the College over the next decade.

Wellington has changed enormously over the 18 years I have spent as a Governor. In 2003, we were under 1000 students in the Group, were 0.9 times subscribed for every place, and had less than 50 girls in a senior school of 700. Under the inspired leadership of Sir Anthony Seldon, followed by Julian Thomas, and now the equally inspirational and indefatigable Mr. Dahl, at Wellington College today, we are 3-4 times subscribed for every place – much more than that in the Sixth Form – and are educating almost 1500 students here in Berkshire and coming close to our 50/50 co-educational goal – which will be achieved with the building of a new 6th Form co-ed boarding house, due to break ground early next year, and with the transition of the Talbot to a girls house, starting this September.

Abroad, we are proud to count close to 5,000 Wellingtonians in China and Thailand.

Our Prince Albert Foundation continues to grow, and thanks to the generosity of many of you parents, this September we will have 20 scholars receiving 100% fee awards and a life-changing education. Our goal is for this number to rise to 40 over the next 5 years.

Academic standards have risen dramatically, during this time and today over half the Sixth form choose to take the International Baccalaureate from a standing start less than 15 years ago and our results now place us in the Top 10 IB schools in the world. As befits a truly global school, a record eight students will be heading to Ivy League universities this year, alongside 17 to Oxbridge and the vast majority to other great universities at home and abroad.

I offer my congratulations to all today’s prize winners for stoically adapting to online learning and hopefully achieving terrific results.

As one of four Old Wellingtonian brothers, with two sons as recent graduates, and three nephews and nieces currently in the school, I am, as they say, “invested”. But what a rewarding and enjoyable investment it has been. I feel deeply fortunate to have watched and been a part of this journey of transformational change.

And yet there is so much ahead for all of you to look forward to.

Words and phrases such as “Zoom”, “Teams”, “you’re on mute”, “anti-vax”, “Delta variant” and “hands, face, space” have become part of the lexicon today, but it is perhaps the more traditional concepts of service, social responsibility, academic and pastoral excellence, physical and mental health, and a global outlook, which define Wellington, and which give me enormous confidence that its students and staff will prosper in the years ahead.

I wish all our leavers every success in life and hope your association with Wellington will be long-lasting and mutually beneficial.

Thank you and have a wonderful summer.

Peter Mallinson