Our Strategic Vision sets out what we aspire to achieve for every pupil at Wells Cathedral School. It is a statement of the kind of School that we are and how we will work in the coming years to ensure we are continually improving and continually developing the very best education for all the pupils we are privileged to educate.
Our Strategic Vision articulates the values which drive and give purpose to the whole School community, from Nursery to Sixth Form. It is a Vision which we want all members of our School family - pupils, staff, parents, Governors and Old Wellensians - to share and live.
Our Strategic Vision is driven by our School Motto: Esto Quod Es. This has been our Motto since at least the 19th century when the School was re-founded. But the words of the Motto are very much older, taken as they are from the personal motto of Aelfric, one of the Anglo Saxon Archbishops of Canterbury, who himself was inspired by the words of the Ancient Greek lyric poet, Pindar.
Our adopted translation ‘Be what you are’ succinctly and powerfully represents our School’s belief in the individuality of each pupil. But we are also very conscious that school should also be about discovering who you are. Our purpose must be to equip all pupils with the ability to enjoy a lifetime of discovery. And that journey only begins here at Wells.
So while we want all our pupils to remain true to themselves, we also want to encourage them, each in their own way and according to their own talents and interests, to be aspirant, curious and open-minded enough to develop their character in a positive way, and to both nurture existing passions as well as discover new ones.
And so we want to encourage all Wellensians to go further and ‘become the best you can be’. This, we hope, better summarises the aspiration we want our pupils and community at large to demonstrate.
Wells Cathedral School has been helping young people to discover who they are for over a thousand years. Our Strategic Vision offers a clear and exciting plan to help ensure we continue to be true to that tradition here. It will also ensure the Wellensians of today grow into the best possible version of themselves so they can go out into the world and make the biggest possible difference.
Head Master
Wells is a family-orientated co-educational boarding and day school for 2-18 year olds which provides an all-round education alongside world-class Specialist Music and Chorister training.
Our Vision
To inspire every individual pupil to nurture their talents in a vibrant, creative, spiritual and stimulating environment to become a responsible global citizen.
Our Mission
¾ Encouraging pupils intellectually to set themselves high expectations and aspirational goals
¾ Challenging pupils to discover new passions and develop existing ones through active engagement in a range of co-curricular and sporting endeavours
¾ Delivering a world-class Specialist Music and Chorister education for those with particular talents
¾ Stimulating pupils to be individuals in a uniquely creative and spiritually aware environment
¾ Empowering pupils to be independent, resilient, confident, kind and compassionate
Core Values (our CARE Values)
reativity
Embracing the power of imagination, innovation and individual talent
Creating a culture of artistic excellence
Valuing human ingenuity and the Arts in an increasingly technological world
Recognising the spiritual and wellbeing benefits that an engagement with your creative self brings
Having an original approach to all that you do
A
spiration
Setting ambitious goals and the highest expectations of yourself
Inspiring excellence through unrivalled opportunity and high quality teaching and coaching
Aiming always to have positive outcomes in all you do
Having appropriate awareness of self and others
Demonstrating boundless curiosity
R E C A R E
esponsibility
Having personal ownership of your learning and behaviour
Understanding your place and your duties in the School, local community and world
Showing respect and care for all
Leading by example
Having the highest standards of honesty and trustworthiness
ndeavour
Doing your best in all things, in the classroom and beyond it
Trying new things and discovering new passions
Participating and building resilience through engagement
Trying for the sake of the team as well as the individual
Recognising the value of determined effort and participation before winning and success
Our Strategic Focus
To develop all-round character and talent
Realised through a safe, beautiful and stimulating environment
We will excel at:
¾ Knowing all our pupils as individuals
¾ Promoting inclusion, acceptance, kindness and mutual respect
¾ Nurturing strong moral and ethical principles
¾ Living our values
¾ Instilling pride in our community and engaging positively with our surroundings
¾ Providing excellent pastoral support
¾ Being a welcoming community.
To develop all-round character and talent
Realised through cultivating passions
We will excel at:
¾ Instilling a ‘can-do’ attitude in all pupils
¾ Encouraging pupil individuality
¾ Providing appropriate opportunities for pupils to try new things
¾ Nurturing independence and resilience in all pupils
¾ Enabling pupils to appreciate the value of teamwork
¾ Valuing conduct and effort over attainment.
To develop all-round character and talent
Realised through generating communityspiritedness and global awareness
We will excel at:
¾ Encouraging pupils to be responsible and engaged citizens
¾ Valuing our historic and spiritual heritage
¾ Developing opportunities for outreach, community service and charitable engagement
¾ Celebrating our international diversity
¾ Nurturing leadership and coaching qualities in all pupils
¾ Enabling pupils to make the right choices.
To provide an all-round education
Realised through excelling academically
We will excel at:
¾ Setting high academic expectations
¾ Delivering and resourcing a stimulating, progressive and appropriate curriculum, including a Specialist Mathematics Programme
¾ Nurturing independent learning and personal academic responsibility and curiosity
¾ Delivering excellent SEND, EAL and more gifted provision
¾ Supporting the achievement of the middle ranks
¾ Developing skills and the acquisition of knowledge through challenging study, observation, research and technology
¾ Recruiting and retaining the highest quality staff with diverse interests and talents
¾ Encouraging a culture of continual teacher and staff improvement, support and development
¾ Delivering excellent careers and post-secondary education advice
¾ Preparing all pupils for ‘life beyond Wells’.
To provide an all-round education
Realised through excelling musically
We will excel at:
¾ Championing a ‘music for all’ experience in a musically-alive environment
¾ Inspiring excellence through unrivalled opportunity
¾ Fostering a deep-rooted appreciation of music and creativity in all pupils
¾ Nurturing exceptional talent in a supportive and holistic environment
¾ Providing world-class specialist music teaching and coaching
¾ Delivering pre-eminent Cathedral Chorister training
¾ Promoting music as a living art form and supporting new Music and the Arts.
To provide an all-round education
Realised through excelling co-curricularly
We will excel at:
¾ Enhancing our ‘sport for all’ experience
¾ Embedding excellent fundamental movement skills in all pupils
¾ Providing suitably competitive sporting opportunities for pupils
¾ Engaging all pupils in outdoor and physical education
¾ Delivering diverse, challenging and focussed enrichment opportunities beyond the classroom curriculum.
To be responsible stewards for the future
Realised through effective budgeting
We will excel at:
¾ Generating appropriate levels of fee and non-fee income
¾ Realising the School’s commercial potential
¾ Maintaining healthy capital and reserve budgets
¾ Investing and allocating bursary funds wisely
¾ Controlling costs without undermining quality
¾ Keeping fee levels as affordable as possible.
To be responsible stewards for the future
Realised through strategic estate management
We will excel at:
¾ Being environmentally and sustainably aware and progressive
¾ Delivering progressive and exciting estates planning
¾ Balancing the maintenance and development needs of our estate
¾ Responding with agility to a challenging and changing educational and commercial environment.
To be responsible stewards for the future
Realised through fostering the Wellensian community
We will excel at:
¾ Attracting enthusiastic and committed pupils to the School
¾ Nurturing a diverse community where pupils make friends for life
¾ Empowering the whole community including through effective use of ‘pupil voice’
¾ Creating effective partnerships with current families
¾ Engaging with former pupils and parents
¾ Encouraging OW support of the School through time, talent and resource
¾ Building a sector-leading Development/Foundation Office
¾ Supporting advocates of the School, including Wells Cathedral, Wellensian Association, Parents’ Association, Chorister Trust, Friends of Music and Old Choristers’ Association
¾ Raising the profile of the School locally, nationally and internationally.
To provide an all-round education
Excelling academically
Excelling musically
Excelling co-curricularly
Our Strategic Focus
To develop all-round character and talent
A safe, beautiful and stimulating environment
Cultivating passions
Generating communityspiritedness and global awareness
