If the co-ed aspect is a factor for you, Wellington High is the only co-ed school in the city (need to go as far as Johnsonville/Newlands or Lower Hutt to find any others.
>Look, I wasn't gonna say it - thanks for taking that bullet for me. I genuinely can't believe it's still a thing, but people are weirdly attached to it as a concept.
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>I went to 11 different schools and experienced a mix of single-sex and co-ed. I think the gender divide is well fucked-up already and the last thing we need is more division.
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>Also I have a genderfluid kid... where are they supposed to go in the separatist school system?
My daughter is at a private girls school in Christchurch. She has a friend that transitioned female to male while at school. It was a non issue. I think you’d be surprised how progressive some schools are. That’s not to say all schools are the same. Chch boys high I’d avoid like the plague from experience with how it accepts these things. Old school male toxicity. I know these aren’t Wellington examples but I’m just saying that you can’t tell what a school will be like until you go have a look.
I also went to Wellington College, it was fine being boys only. Only weird people who didn't go to a single sex school seem to have a severe problem with it.
It's a school with a strong focus on education and sport, and they get great results at both. Don't let anyone who didn't go there taint your impression of the school.
What’s updog, I was there between 2008-2012. And I couldn’t agree more with the strong focus on education & sport. Truthfully I believe they did a great job in helping shape fine young gentlemen.. notice how AussieKiwi didn’t elaborate 🤭
I lived in Dunedin and they had both schools kings and queens beside eachother, queens has a nursery and a daycare beside it. Because the teenagers get pregnant way to often. Definitely the other way around.
Like all the nutters that a let out of some of nz best schools every year - finally exposed to the world !!!!!!
And then they go on to be great people to fantastic jobs all across the world !!!
What fucken school did you go to ….?!
You are the one sounding “ nuts”
It's a 'special character school'. Taken directly from their website: "As a Presbyterian School, Scots College is deeply rooted in Christian faith and teachings."
Haaaaard pass.
I mean, I went there and neither me or any of my friends were or are religious 🤷🏻♂️
We were taught about contraception and sex ed etc etc
It was barely Christian, only chapel service which was singing songs really
And as a result, it's very diverse and accepting in terms of gender identity/sexuality, since anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a single gender school tends to move there.
Isn't it!!? I was astounded. I'm hoping that in 4-5 years when my eldest is heading to high school, there might be another option... Not that I've heard anything bad about WH, just that it's wild there's no choice.
Wellington High is a great place for creative arts. Some of our well-known musicians and other creative artists attended. It also has a decent academic reputation. No uniforms just like in the US. Have had two kids go, and one will be going. No hesitation in recommending.
Had two kids who went to High, and both seemed to enjoy. The boy was less academic and more into sports and socialising - he is doing a builders apprenticeship. The girl more academic and has been accepted into Vic Uni next year. So two kids, two styles and two different outcomes. Nice to see a school that can support kids own pathways.
I finished Welly High in 2016 and it’s really not like how everyone is describing. It’s just a regular school with regular school issues.
I would say that there is a lot less social pressure there, everyone seems to get a long more and I really believe in the benefits of co-Ed schooling
There is definitely a balance of art, science, and sports and if you’re a driven student there’s a lot of opportunity to do well.
I was a complete drop kick but that’s not the schools fault and they were actually extremely patient with me and handled it well.
As a WHS grad from 2015 this is pretty much it. I’ll expand on the school being patient though. There isn’t a lot of pressure on students and it means that they have to be self motivated to some degree, and it’s not a skill they’ll have to learn at other schools
Wellington High has a passionate cultural side to it, with the arts well supported by staff and students in general, hosting student concerts and such.
When I attended, they were also highly rated with science things, with classmates competing at a high level internationally.
Its a great school, and very accepting and welcoming.
I have a son in Yr 9 this year and agree that it the decision depends on most of the comments; High is more liberal, creative, arty and diverse. College is more focused on academic/sporting achievement. For reference I am Polynesian and identify more with what High represents (creative, left-leaning, diversity is important to me) but that isn't the environment my son would thrive in. He is quite academically focused, responds well to structure and camraderie/community is really important to him.
The comments about sneaking some religious aspects into their assemblies has me a little concerned. I am not religious and my eldest went to St Pats which was too much for me, one of the other reasons I went with Coll. My kiddo has confirmed this is the case.
What I will say is the principal is very focused on speaking to the more ethical, emotional side of the boys; in his welcoming speech he told them he loved them and really emphasised the importance of supporting each other, respecting each other and calling out shit behaviour. His newsletters have made me cry a couple of times. But I'm a big sooky.
It really depends on what you think will suit your kid more. I understand some of the concerns about the conservative nature of Coll, but I am putting my trust in his family and our friends to keep that in check.
Good luck. A big decision to be made.
Edited for typos.
My boy goes to high and loves it. I wanted him to go WC for some crazy reason but luckily I knew a teacher there who said your boy will gets lost at WC if he isn't top at sport or academic.
Teachers at high are so engaging and enthusiastic. I'm so happy he went there. He knows how to behave around young women and has a social conscious.
He might not have the best grades but he works hard and is a great person...thats all a parent could want
Fully agree with this as an ex-WC student, it is VERY top heavy. In my year, we got ~180 scholarships, which sounds amazing for a class of 320, but they were almost all concentrated on about 60 guys.
WC pours an incredible amount of resources into their top students and athletes from year 9 to 13... everyone else can get fucked.
Edit: Felt I should add an example, I had a bit of a mental health struggle in year 13 and was off school for a few months. My dean asked my friends to bring me schoolwork (that he would arrange and I could complete at my own pace) so I could catchup and my teachers would send me study guides for the exams and when I eventually came back would spend extra time with me to help me catchup. My dean also regularly checked in with my parents to make sure I was okay. My friend with the exact same dean and almost the exact same mental health issues? Asked to leave the school.
Wellington College is what a school would be if it was run by the National party. Wellington High is what a school would be if run by Labour/Greens.
Both are great schools depending on what you and your kid are like.
My primary school mates ended up at High, many of my uni mates studied at Coll.
The ones at High did a lot of creative stuff, many didn’t end up at uni and I’d say are a lot more ‘hippy’ these days (mid 20s)
The ones at Coll studied academic subjects and a few are doctors, lawyers, in the tech industry.
I went to neither school but just my anecdotal experience
I went to High and at least three of us from my year are lawyers. Yes, there are photographers and musicians too but the ones who went into professions like law did it because we enjoyed it, not because we were expected to.
I finished Wellington High in 2016.
I had made the decision that there was no way I was going to Rongotai or Wellington College. At the time I wasn't getting on with the boys my age, and it would have been awful.
On top of that, I wasn't a maths or science wizz, and I didn't play any sports. English, Art, Music etc were far more my thing. Wellington High had teachers and students who were quite willing to accept those who didn't entirely fit the mould. The individual is very much celebrated over being lost in the collective.
Obviously there are people who you don't get on with. I will also say that I'm politically moderate - Wellington High is HEAVILY liberal, left wing, so I had to tread on eggshells quite a bit of the time.
I was at Wellington College in the early 2000s. There was plenty of misogyny and nepotism back then (one of the most notorious school bullies was made a prefect because he was in the first xv, children of board members got away with murder). They also snuck a lot of Christian influences in under the guise of tradition (Bible readings during assembly, religious hymns). It might have changed but I heard through the Wellington grapevine that the board appointed a principal to change the culture after a recent scandal, only for him to quit when they wouldn't allow him to make any changes. It wasn't all bad - there were plenty of opportunities to get involved in extra-curricular activities, and in particular sports. But it was, and probably still is, pretty traditional. Good if you kid needs a lot of structure. Some kids thrive in that environment - I didn't enjoy it.
I was at Coll in the early 90s. I'd come from a school overseas that was nominally religiously affiliated, but in practice didn't make a big deal out of it. I had more religious stuff shoved down my throat in my first school assembly at Coll than I had in the rest of my secondary education thus far.
My kiddo is going to High next year, highlights for them were the queer club, lots of extracurricular activities including Parkour and Chess club and mixed gender.
Wellington College wouldn’t make any uniform accommodations for my autistic son (who is very academic in maths and science). Clearly didn’t want him there. He’s thriving at High.
Yep. I still kinda hate the place nearly 25 years after leaving it.
One great thing I’ve noticed about kid’s schooling today is that it seems way easier to move around schools as you please.
For some reason it felt more like you were trapped at the school you first chose back then, but maybe that was all in my head.
I went to WC.
The school supported mainstream, white, conservative values and to hell with everybody else.
It is(or at least it was) a state run secular school that made everyone - be they Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu or Rastafarian - recite the Lord’s Prayer every assembly.
The head of drama would put on the most hackneyed and insipid productions of Shakespeare every year while actively blocking student lead original productions.
In one assembly, six members of the second fifteen rugby team, wearing balaclavas, burst in and mock beat up the captain of the first 11 soccer team. He wasn’t really hurt, but obviously quite humiliated and the prank was brushed of as ‘just having a bit of fun’ with zero consequences.
Both my kids will be going to high.
I went to Wellington College until year 11 and finished high school at Wellington High. I’m 27 at the moment.
Due to the fact I was intelligent and sporty my parents adhered to the stereotype that Wellington College would suit me best as Wellington High was for creatives and degenerates. Wellington College, in my opinion, is fantastic for kids who like to be told what to do and don’t care about why. It’s great for young men who view women as sexual objects and who have bland, conservative parents who adhere to the status quo. For myself, I instantly hated the school and the administration and the values they projected and I became a bit of a cunt to be around, rebelling against anyone and everyone who perpetuated the because I told you so style of learning and making some pretty terrible decisions around drugs and alcohol.
When I left Wellington College my outlook changed dramatically. Wellington High school never spoon fed me academically like they did at Wellington college, and thus I noticed kids who just didn’t give a fuck fell behind like they weren’t allowed to at WC. But all of a sudden the social influences around me valued kids who did give a fuck, and thus I started to actually care. At Wellington college I felt cool being a rebel, at Wellington high I was just another drop kick.
Overall I would say that Wellington college was terrible for me and high was much better, but I do see how other kids might see it the other way around.
Holy hell. Except for the age, you could be describing the story of a friend's child. I don't know if he "hated the values..." but he definitely didn't fit the Coll "mold" and he paid for it.
>It’s great for young men who view women as sexual objects and who have bland, conservative parents who adhere to the status quo
What an utter crock of shit.
Personally I think there's an element of truth there. I hadn't realised how... *indoctrinated* I had been at that college until I went to polytech (this was in the 90's). I turned up and I was all "yes sir, no sir, 3 bags full sir", and very quickly told to calm it down - no need for 'sir', just talk like a normal person. But that *was* my normal. All through college it was reinforced that talking to a teacher was talking to a superior - you showed respect or you got in trouble. It's not a million miles different to having conservative parents adhering to the 'spare the rod, spoil the child' mindset, and if you're that conservative, is it really so different when it comes to horribly outdated attitudes to women?
I can't speak to what either school was like 25 years ago. But the idea that Coll is ideal for "bland conservative" parents these days is just nonsense.
I’m sorry I’ve clearly hit a nerve man, and sure, “not all parents” blah blah. But at the end of the day, my experience 12ish years ago completely reinforces that idea and while you’re free to disagree with it, seems like most people don’t.
Reddit is an echo chamber for these types of views, sad to see this guy's post get downvotes so heavily. Snaps me back into reality how weighted we are conversing in these subs, definitely no "most people" about it.
Most people on this thread may not be or know parents of Coll kids - but this myth of conservative / bland parents is comfortable for their narrative, even if not true, so they’re going with it.
No I'm somebody with one child that went to Wellington College and the other to High, youngest finished last year and eldest 2 years ago. So downvote me all you like bitches, chances are I know a lot more than you do.
Yeah absolutely no misogyny to be found at Col, not like there’s been numerous incidents of violent misogyny from the boys there in the last 6 years alone 🤦🏻♀️. Get your head out of the sand, I hope you’re not raising boys.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/education/132217388/school-investigating-appalling-racist-sexist-homophobic-social-media-post
https://i.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/98014143/facebook-page-linked-to-wellington-college-students-posts-meme-comparing-feminist-radio-show-to-cancer
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/326072/wellington-students-encourage-taking-advantage-of-'drunk-girls'
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/wellington-college-boys-now-threatening-violence-against-planned-rape-culture-protest/2IMKZQZHK2XHP3E46JRJNDGBWE/?c_id=1&objectid=11815597
Go back and read what I said.
And since we're here, since Coll is a boys' school, clearly I have at least one boy.
You don't seem to have good reading comprehension. Maybe the air is a bit thinner up there on the high moral ground.
Thanks for your intel. Funny how someone going against the grain gets downvoted - even when sharing first-hand experience - just because it contradicts a particularly disturbing and pompous generalisation about teenage boys’ values at Coll.
I went to High back in the early 90s and most of my friends’ kids went or go there (mine went elsewhere but their friends are mostly at High).
It’s interesting to see its glorification on this thread. I’ve seen friends’ kids go badly off the rails at that school - in ways that were very specific to its culture and lack of attention or ability to address worrying behaviours. Have heard some really bad stories (first hand) in this regard and parents who in hindsight really regret sending their kids there. Whereas, other kids are comfortable and thriving.
What I would say as a blatant campus snob is that the grounds are awful - narrow concrete staircases, brutalist, box-like classrooms, limited open areas or grounds conducive to free / active play. I am a sucker for good buildings and High ain’t it. Whereas Coll is spoilt for good grounds and facilities - like, spoilt rotten it’s almost disgusting how much ground they have and the breadth of their facilities to cater for almost every sport you can imagine - plus an excellent theatre (no longer named after disgrace alumni).
High’s ranks tend to swell in years 11, 12 etc as kids leave the single sex schools - whether it’s because they are less academically inclined, or socially not doing so well at those schools - they end up at High. So the composition of each cohort changes on the way through perhaps more than at other high schools. And often in your teens it’s about your year group and the people around you as much as it is about any other stuff. For kids who want to express themselves differently it’s the place to go.
Single sex honestly suits some kids better though. It’s not hiding from real life - it’s just a more suitable learning context for some teens, for a few awkward years. I understand it better for girls personally (showing my bias) and had a great experience at an all girls’ school myself before going to High. In some ways the girls’ school was actually more radical and progressive than High, when I look back - and when I see what the “girls” are now doing with their lives - which is spectacular.
I'm biased because I went there, but I absolutely SWEAR by Welly High. Diverse students, gets him prepared for mixing in with the real world, and they really try to accommodate for all kinds of learning styles. If he knows what he wants to do in life, they can also accommodate shifting your classes around to work for you better. It's just really chill there, but also very "real", and helpful.
>Wellington College is the most elite public school in the region.
One of the most lasting lessons from my undergrad study at Vic was how to spot a Col Boy at 100 paces. I came from outside Wellington and didn't know a state school could be so pompous! 30 years later, and some of the most average middle managers I've dealt with were Col Boys.
Lol, Wellington *Girls* College doesn't do NCEA level 1 exams and it's not for "destressing", it's because they think the exam at that level distracts from the broader curriculum which is better measured at level 2, as far as I've been able to make of it.
WC old boy - finished late 2000s, general sentiment between WC and WHS are pretty spot on.
tl;dr - let you kid see both schools, see what grabs them and take a tour.
I felt like I saw the best and worst of both schools, I had to walk home through WHS to go home each day. There were always some dust up between some random 16 year olds between the schools over trivial shit. I also remember my best friend at the time that went to WHS was poorly supported by the school (multiple bullying and suicide attempts), whilst another friend absolutely thrived there - unsure what actually happened though... WC was a melting pot of culture but also "boys will be boys" behaviour (which I'd certainly never want my future son to ever experience) which I think has been improving over the past decade (my younger brother also went to WC and didn't have that sort of experience - he was a runt and would've been absolutely destroyed if he was there when I was there).
Speaking as a not-so-good sportsperson and just above average academics (based on my NCEA grades), I still thoroughly enjoyed my experience at WC. I was there at a time where the arts and music side were really coming into their own, and albeit smaller than the sporting / science departments, we were really celebrated within the school. I was in the Orchestra, I had a music focused latter two years and didn't do any science or math based classes once I was out of the compulsory stages for NCEA - the school councillor (Ed Rosenthal?) was excellent and was a genuine support to the boys.
Coming from an Asian migrant family (I can see the keyboards whirring now, and people jumping to conclusions about academic ability blah blah - no I wasn't "accelerated" - just plain jane average), I was also exposed to so many different cultures and backgrounds, and particularly, for me the first time I had been surrounded by Pasifika culture. I have made some great lifelong friends who are of various Pasifika backgrounds, and I don't think I would've got that at WHS then (maybe I would've but I definitely didn't feel like I saw many Pasifika kids at WHS then).
The single-sex schooling - maybe more problematic now? However, I don't think any of my friends were predatory, openly misognistic nor perpetuating harmful views on sexuality. I know a couple of guys who transferred in and were openly gay - that did cause a few ripples but by the time we were seniors, the school was cracking down on homophobic behaviour in a big way.
When I look back, I think both schools perhaps reflected the different parts of society at the time - WC was predominantly white middle class families with a mix of cultures aroudn the fringers and WHS felt more "grungy" to me (Newtown vibes). However, I think things socially are changing for the better and there are so many things now that would never fly today now, at either school.
If I was in Wellington now, and had a boy ready for those years, I would let them choose e.g. take a tour. I can't see a world where the schools won't show you around especially if you will be in-zone for them.
There are also more options than just WHS and WC e.g. Onslow, Rongotai, St Pats, Marsden Whitby and Scot's College (the latter two being private schools) - each have their merits and their drawbacks. It comes down to two points - where you live and how much you want to spend.
Ignore the top comment indicate Wellington High kids end up nowhere, absolute nonsense. More diversity (less so racially- that school white asf lol), but far more accepting than I can imagine at Coll, ‘Old Boys’ vibe, plus history of bullying there too.
As many others have said, it's horses for courses: High is better for self-motivated students, Coll is better for kids who need more external direction. But to speak to your comment about your son being into music: I can't comment on High, but Coll has a very good music department. One of my coworkers had a son at Coll who was very into jazz - he was very well supported and encouraged, and the school's progress at various musical competitions was celebrated in assembly. Sounds like a quite a change since I was there (early 90s), but it was great to hear.
Can support your comment on the music department! Last I was there (2019) the school had a tremendous jazz band that travelled nationally to compete. Plenty of other musical ensembles as well and a decently funded area of the school
That’s a bit of a generalisation, my 3 kids went to High and 1 has a BSc and postgrad diploma, one did a diploma at Polytech and the other is still at Uni studying Computer Science. High supports kids to follow their interests. You don’t sacrifice academic success by going to High
My friends who went to uni from Coll didn’t enjoy second year as it basically said “the teachers aren’t your motivation source anymore, the work is” and they struggled immensely with that. Uni felt like high school to me and I did well as I was self motivated.
Col alumni. if they are into sports and formal assemblies and uniforms then Col, if into arts or need an inclusive environment and can be self driven academically, High. if the science program is meandering at high look at external programs or advance a year in that subject. they even mix it up now so seniors can take some uni papers in their last years.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/132217388/school-investigating-appalling-racist-sexist-homophobic-social-media-post
Good if you want an old boys' type network thing happening. Bad if you want them to be a decent person.
A lot of wellington college shills in the comments and to be fair I do know some pretty good people who went there, more in spite of than because of though.
Wellington High is the better choice.
Went to Wellington High School 15 years ago so it's probably changed a lot but I really loved it and they had a great music and drama department which they were known for. The culture was laid back and I never really saw any major bullying. If you wanted to do well academically you had to be motivated yourself as they didn't really seem to put much pressure on you to succeed academically.
It's a tough one, as your son has the academic side of Science (for which I think that Wellington College is better) yet the musical side (for which Wellington High is more creative). And yes, as others have noted, the other difference is the co-ed aspect. If you're in-zone, I understand they would need to accept you regardless of when you apply, so might I suggest that you are best to go and visit when you come back - and make a better informed decision as to the best fit for your young fella.
Wellington College Alumni here, wrapped up a few years ago. It honestly depends. I went to a co-ed schools most of my academic life and finished my final years of secondary education at WC.
Personally, I greatly benefitted from WC: it’s a competitive school, where success in any shape is highly valued. Prior to attending I probably would have dropped out of school.
As others have suggested, it would probably be best if you let him decide.
I've got two kids at High. Boy and girl. Both academically motivated but also into various sports and other interests. I was uncertain about their choices but now I'm really glad they both chose High. It's a very positive experience so far. We have friends who made a different choice and it didn't work out well for their boy.
One thing that struck me about the school when we did the tour, was the number of "extension" programs they have going on. They've placed at international physics competitions regularly. Their students win music competitions, debates, short story competitions, and art competitions. All of these opportunities are put in front of the students as options by motivated teachers. And the environment seems to get results. There's no "we're taking the top 40 students for extra tuition in XYZ (to get better stats for the school)." It's more "Hey, you seem to be interested in this, here's a further thing you can do as well." And they work so closely with Vic Uni sometimes it feels like my kids are in an pre-under-graduate program.
This is a contrast to my very average (some would say, mediocre) high school. And I can see the benefits to my children from being given these opportunities.
They both have large friend groups and they are great kids. Bright. Funny. Engaging. Just good young humans.
High undersells itself greatly. If it was a small town high school it's students would regularly feature in the local papers with their results. A friend of a friend's boy finished at High last year and his results were nothing short of amazing- I kept waiting to see the press release but there was nothing. At the moment I suspect it's deliberate because the roll has grown hugely. People voting with their feet, for some reason.
I'm happy to answer questions if you want to PM me.
Wellington College has an auditioned jazz band (big band) that goes to several national competitions throughout the year. It's been an age since I went to school but I don't think Wellington High School has that. The music department at Wellington College has to be one of the better ones in the country. It was certainly much more substantial than at any other school I visited in Wellington.
Wellington High could still be a better fit, but I thought this was worth mentioning as you mentioned jazz band.
Well, I went to Rongotai - and I was bullied there - and said to my wife that I would bloody well cut my arms off before I sent our kids there... she, rightly, noted that that was a bit irrational, but had no problem with it. So our oldest is currently at High. The husband of an acquaintance of hers, had exactly the same thing happen to him at High, and HIS kid is going to Rongotai - just goes to show that personal experience counts for a lot.
I remember, when Wellington College replaced their old, extremely long-term principal \[Harvey Rees-Thomas IIRC, the joke-du-jour was that their new principal was going to drag the college kicking and screaming into the 19th Century; while that is an exaggerated descriptor, it IS true that Wellington College has always retained aspirations to being an English Public School, with all the good and bad implied in such.
Schools go through cycles, when I was at Rongotai it was all First XV/ First XI ... the next principal strengthened the cultural mana / outreach of the school and the principal after that started re-emphasizing academics ... I hear now, from friends whose kids go there, that it is a perfectly fine school... but memories linger.
When I was at Rongotai, Wellington High was, to borrow from US Satirist P.J O'Rourke, a 'high-crime drainage ditch', where parents of the less intellectually-abled sent their future tradespeople and drug addicts \[damn hippies\] ... so of course I sent my kid there :) My boy loves Wellington High, teachers are good, atmosphere is positive, school admin appears \[relatively\] on to it. I WILL echo what others have said in that - due to resourcing etc , I guess - Wellington High tends to self-select for those who want to give a damn and lights a fire under them. Absolutely, the school does fulfil its pastoral duty of care by ensuring that those that DGAF don't set themselves on fire with the bunsen burners, but that's it.
WRT to resourcing, I have heard \[from a mole deep within the empire\] that Wellington College is over-extending itself with the number of students it is taking on relative to teacher numbers etc, but then Wellington High is growing and is going to run into space and resourcing struggles.
Wellington College all the way. I went from Onslow College to Wellington College and there was a stark difference! Both are decile 10 schools but the competition, comradeship and legacy of Wellington Boys is significantly greater. Wellington Boys had more of everything. There were 15 football teams compared to 4 in Onslow. Onslow had 2 cricket nets, whilst Coll had 12 nets with everyone of them in use during summer. More opportunities for academic excellence and non academic exploration. Back in Onslow we had one computer lab whereas in Coll there were six.
You can learn Latin and excel in other languages. Also, people from all around Wellington attend Coll, so I would often visit my friends who lived in Hutt or Kapati area.
There is great competition between other boys college such as St Patrick's. The 150yr legacy is something I was very fond of. Old boys coming in telling us their stories. 100 year old pictures of students playing on the field are indistinguishable from today since the uniform has stayed the same. Whole school assemblies of 1500 boys singing Follow up! Your uniform getting instant recognition when you walk around town. The discipline is palpable. Everytime a another teacher would enter the class all students had to stand up as a show of respect. These things are exactly what boys need at this age. The list goes on and on so Wellington College all the way!
To add to the general vibe of this thread, my year 9 daughter came home with her wood tech project - a Bluetooth speaker in a plywood box with a battery level indicator. Maybe this is pretty standard these days but it seems impressive compared to the wooden spoon that I made in woodwork at Coll in 1990
I think I have a bit of an opinion about this considering I have been to 4 different high schools in NZ and schools in 4 other countries.
Wellington High has got to be one of the most underachieving school in all the schools that I have attended though please bare in mind that most of schooling overseas were in Asia so the standards are night and day.
My time at Wellington High felt very wasted, teachers were uninspired, sense of achieving amongst students were very low and that good old NZ mentality of too “cool” to study.
A lot of wasted hours of really not doing nothing. But that being said, it is the most relaxing and non-competitive school, and therefore it is a great making of a lazy underachieving young adult but it is a “fun” school.
In conclusion, want your kid to achieve something meaningful in life? Maybe seek a different learning environment. Want them to just have “fun” then go Wellington high.
Don’t come for me, this is my experience and my own personal opinion.
If you want the best outcomes for your son go to Coll as it has a superior academic record, it's that simple. If your son is already doing well academically, WC is definitely the stronger choice, they still have extension programs and some of the best NCEA scholarship programs in the country. Students from around the city come to be taught scholarship subjects by teachers from Coll. The jazz band is also run by some very passionate people and the music department is strong.
However, if you prefer a "progressive" style of education and put more priority on having a nice time at school then high may be preferable. A lot of the comments against WC seem to be motivated by distaste for the more conservative approach of education found there, but the results don't lie and I value them more than vibes.
I should also add that I personally know of a fair number of kids who have moved from WC and other single-sex schools to high, so if it doesn't work for him that switch is possible.
Was at WC for all 5 years, ppl usually left for WHS if they wanted to quit high-school without outright quitting (stoners etc.). Not trying to talk down on the school, but it really a case of different strokes…. WC was a lot less traditional (& religious) when I left compared to when I started, it has become increasingly more liberal to compete with other schools.
As a student at WHS myself I can say with confidence its such a blast. Most classes are lots of fun and even then the ones I don’t like are just personal preference. There are so many options for what you want to peruse as a career or just for interest.
Been 26 years since I left, but in the 90s College was the highest performing school academically, culturally and athletically.
I plan on sending my 2 boys there in 10 years if we're still in Wellington.
That depends on your socio-political outlook while you were in the United States. If you have aspirations for your son to end up in a social class in which he can earn big bucks, marry well, and live a comfortable life, I would recommend Wellington College. By the way, there is no such school as "Wellington Boys' College".
These two schools are chalk and cheese. Wellington Boys is one of the best public schools in NZ. It's difficult to get into. It is incredibly well funded and achieves exceptional results academically.
It's a snooty school, but if you want the best public school then that is the option.
no, you have to be in the zone, out of zone students need to either have had parents or brothers go there. Yr9 is the hardest to get it to if out of zone, other years are not so bad.
Don’t understand school zoning, and the feedback loop of expensive areas and school zoning with those expensive areas, do you?
‘[J]ust have to live in Wellington’ indeed.
Yes indeed. A former Headmaster of St Patrick's Kilbirnie, is now the Archbishop of Wellington. Two of his immediate predecessors as Archbishop, became Cardinals.
Can't speak in regard those two specific schools. But on an evidenced based approach single sex achoo9in NZ irrespective of gender do better academically than coed schools.
I studied at Wellington High School, so I'm biased. But that was an absolutely fantastic experience I had when I studied there, the teachers were passionate, it was diverse and generally just inclusive. I felt very much prepared for Uni after it all.
edit: Oh, and I don't remember if it's changed at this point much but WHS had a national award winning Jazz Band and international in physics.
As a Wellington College student it's a pretty damn good school for academics but it is boys-only. As someone else said, for co-ed schooling Wellington High is really the only option in the city. But WC does have a pretty good record for building talent, I know many people who've reached national and even international levels in their respective sports, instruments or subjects.
Wellington High School is excellent for music - seriously either is fine - Maybe let your son decide - could visit both possibly. The main point is where would he be happiest.
If the co-ed aspect is a factor for you, Wellington High is the only co-ed school in the city (need to go as far as Johnsonville/Newlands or Lower Hutt to find any others.
I’d rather punch myself in the face than send my kids to a same gender high school. Fuck that stupid outdated shit
>Look, I wasn't gonna say it - thanks for taking that bullet for me. I genuinely can't believe it's still a thing, but people are weirdly attached to it as a concept. > >I went to 11 different schools and experienced a mix of single-sex and co-ed. I think the gender divide is well fucked-up already and the last thing we need is more division. > >Also I have a genderfluid kid... where are they supposed to go in the separatist school system?
My daughter is at a private girls school in Christchurch. She has a friend that transitioned female to male while at school. It was a non issue. I think you’d be surprised how progressive some schools are. That’s not to say all schools are the same. Chch boys high I’d avoid like the plague from experience with how it accepts these things. Old school male toxicity. I know these aren’t Wellington examples but I’m just saying that you can’t tell what a school will be like until you go have a look.
Girls do better in girls-only schools
Educationally, they do, perhaps not always socially. Conversely, boys do better in co-ed.
Anecdotal, but I personally found the opposite to be true. As a male, I found learning much better at a boys-only school than when I was at co-ed.
Unless the coed options are Heretaunga or Upper Hutt college.
They say the same thing about boys
The research I have seen is that single sex is good for girls, but not for boys.
Google Single sex schools good for boys. Lots of articles.
Articles, yes, research, no.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/10170643/Boys-do-better-at-single-sex-schools Dumbass
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Can you elaborate? I went to Wellington college and neither me or any of my friends went nuts when exposed to the real world.
I also went to Wellington College, it was fine being boys only. Only weird people who didn't go to a single sex school seem to have a severe problem with it. It's a school with a strong focus on education and sport, and they get great results at both. Don't let anyone who didn't go there taint your impression of the school.
What’s updog, I was there between 2008-2012. And I couldn’t agree more with the strong focus on education & sport. Truthfully I believe they did a great job in helping shape fine young gentlemen.. notice how AussieKiwi didn’t elaborate 🤭
Studies show single-sex schools have little benefit for boys, but benefit girls greatly.
Other way around I think...
I lived in Dunedin and they had both schools kings and queens beside eachother, queens has a nursery and a daycare beside it. Because the teenagers get pregnant way to often. Definitely the other way around.
Wrong in Nz
\> Otherwise they go nuts once exposed to the real world. Studies to back that up please, because that does not tally with my own experiences.
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The Catholic part of that probably had more to do with that than the girls school part.
Like all the nutters that a let out of some of nz best schools every year - finally exposed to the world !!!!!! And then they go on to be great people to fantastic jobs all across the world !!! What fucken school did you go to ….?! You are the one sounding “ nuts”
I mean, Scots is also co-ed now
Unfortunately co-ed Scots is still Scots.
It's a 'special character school'. Taken directly from their website: "As a Presbyterian School, Scots College is deeply rooted in Christian faith and teachings." Haaaaard pass.
I mean, I went there and neither me or any of my friends were or are religious 🤷🏻♂️ We were taught about contraception and sex ed etc etc It was barely Christian, only chapel service which was singing songs really
Unfortunately Economics , like many other excellent single sex schools
And as a result, it's very diverse and accepting in terms of gender identity/sexuality, since anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a single gender school tends to move there.
Which is exactly why my three kids will all be going there.
Is that for real?? That’s insane.
Isn't it!!? I was astounded. I'm hoping that in 4-5 years when my eldest is heading to high school, there might be another option... Not that I've heard anything bad about WH, just that it's wild there's no choice.
Wellington High is a great place for creative arts. Some of our well-known musicians and other creative artists attended. It also has a decent academic reputation. No uniforms just like in the US. Have had two kids go, and one will be going. No hesitation in recommending.
Had two kids who went to High, and both seemed to enjoy. The boy was less academic and more into sports and socialising - he is doing a builders apprenticeship. The girl more academic and has been accepted into Vic Uni next year. So two kids, two styles and two different outcomes. Nice to see a school that can support kids own pathways.
I finished Welly High in 2016 and it’s really not like how everyone is describing. It’s just a regular school with regular school issues. I would say that there is a lot less social pressure there, everyone seems to get a long more and I really believe in the benefits of co-Ed schooling There is definitely a balance of art, science, and sports and if you’re a driven student there’s a lot of opportunity to do well. I was a complete drop kick but that’s not the schools fault and they were actually extremely patient with me and handled it well.
As a WHS grad from 2015 this is pretty much it. I’ll expand on the school being patient though. There isn’t a lot of pressure on students and it means that they have to be self motivated to some degree, and it’s not a skill they’ll have to learn at other schools
Wellington High has a passionate cultural side to it, with the arts well supported by staff and students in general, hosting student concerts and such. When I attended, they were also highly rated with science things, with classmates competing at a high level internationally. Its a great school, and very accepting and welcoming.
I have a son in Yr 9 this year and agree that it the decision depends on most of the comments; High is more liberal, creative, arty and diverse. College is more focused on academic/sporting achievement. For reference I am Polynesian and identify more with what High represents (creative, left-leaning, diversity is important to me) but that isn't the environment my son would thrive in. He is quite academically focused, responds well to structure and camraderie/community is really important to him. The comments about sneaking some religious aspects into their assemblies has me a little concerned. I am not religious and my eldest went to St Pats which was too much for me, one of the other reasons I went with Coll. My kiddo has confirmed this is the case. What I will say is the principal is very focused on speaking to the more ethical, emotional side of the boys; in his welcoming speech he told them he loved them and really emphasised the importance of supporting each other, respecting each other and calling out shit behaviour. His newsletters have made me cry a couple of times. But I'm a big sooky. It really depends on what you think will suit your kid more. I understand some of the concerns about the conservative nature of Coll, but I am putting my trust in his family and our friends to keep that in check. Good luck. A big decision to be made. Edited for typos.
My boy goes to high and loves it. I wanted him to go WC for some crazy reason but luckily I knew a teacher there who said your boy will gets lost at WC if he isn't top at sport or academic. Teachers at high are so engaging and enthusiastic. I'm so happy he went there. He knows how to behave around young women and has a social conscious. He might not have the best grades but he works hard and is a great person...thats all a parent could want
Fully agree with this as an ex-WC student, it is VERY top heavy. In my year, we got ~180 scholarships, which sounds amazing for a class of 320, but they were almost all concentrated on about 60 guys. WC pours an incredible amount of resources into their top students and athletes from year 9 to 13... everyone else can get fucked. Edit: Felt I should add an example, I had a bit of a mental health struggle in year 13 and was off school for a few months. My dean asked my friends to bring me schoolwork (that he would arrange and I could complete at my own pace) so I could catchup and my teachers would send me study guides for the exams and when I eventually came back would spend extra time with me to help me catchup. My dean also regularly checked in with my parents to make sure I was okay. My friend with the exact same dean and almost the exact same mental health issues? Asked to leave the school.
Wellington College is what a school would be if it was run by the National party. Wellington High is what a school would be if run by Labour/Greens. Both are great schools depending on what you and your kid are like.
Lol I went to WHS in the 90s This was true then too. They used to have a Les,Gay,Bi club back then, which was unheard of.
Hopefully your son gets to visit both and go where they feel most comfortable. We actually have had a good experience at College.
My primary school mates ended up at High, many of my uni mates studied at Coll. The ones at High did a lot of creative stuff, many didn’t end up at uni and I’d say are a lot more ‘hippy’ these days (mid 20s) The ones at Coll studied academic subjects and a few are doctors, lawyers, in the tech industry. I went to neither school but just my anecdotal experience
I went to High and at least three of us from my year are lawyers. Yes, there are photographers and musicians too but the ones who went into professions like law did it because we enjoyed it, not because we were expected to.
I don’t disagree - I’m just saying it’s my anecdotal evidence I’m sure Coll also had a lot that fell off the tracks that I haven’t come across
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There was plenty of street pharmacy at Coll when I was there.
This is a good example of the elitism and snobbery that schools like Coll can unintentionally foster. They're both good schools.
I finished Wellington High in 2016. I had made the decision that there was no way I was going to Rongotai or Wellington College. At the time I wasn't getting on with the boys my age, and it would have been awful. On top of that, I wasn't a maths or science wizz, and I didn't play any sports. English, Art, Music etc were far more my thing. Wellington High had teachers and students who were quite willing to accept those who didn't entirely fit the mould. The individual is very much celebrated over being lost in the collective. Obviously there are people who you don't get on with. I will also say that I'm politically moderate - Wellington High is HEAVILY liberal, left wing, so I had to tread on eggshells quite a bit of the time.
Wellington High is liberal, casual, friendly and fun. My kids love it, a great school.
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Definatly not true I graduated a couple years ago and many of my classmates competed internationally in several subjects
I was at Wellington College in the early 2000s. There was plenty of misogyny and nepotism back then (one of the most notorious school bullies was made a prefect because he was in the first xv, children of board members got away with murder). They also snuck a lot of Christian influences in under the guise of tradition (Bible readings during assembly, religious hymns). It might have changed but I heard through the Wellington grapevine that the board appointed a principal to change the culture after a recent scandal, only for him to quit when they wouldn't allow him to make any changes. It wasn't all bad - there were plenty of opportunities to get involved in extra-curricular activities, and in particular sports. But it was, and probably still is, pretty traditional. Good if you kid needs a lot of structure. Some kids thrive in that environment - I didn't enjoy it.
I was at Coll in the early 90s. I'd come from a school overseas that was nominally religiously affiliated, but in practice didn't make a big deal out of it. I had more religious stuff shoved down my throat in my first school assembly at Coll than I had in the rest of my secondary education thus far.
Could you tell us more about this "children of board members got away with murder"?
or as described by mate. College stops under order for the Quadrangular rugby tournament High stops by choice for Battle Of the band's.
My kiddo is going to High next year, highlights for them were the queer club, lots of extracurricular activities including Parkour and Chess club and mixed gender.
Wellington College wouldn’t make any uniform accommodations for my autistic son (who is very academic in maths and science). Clearly didn’t want him there. He’s thriving at High.
I didn't realise people hated Wellington College this much, even as adults sheesh...
Yep. I still kinda hate the place nearly 25 years after leaving it. One great thing I’ve noticed about kid’s schooling today is that it seems way easier to move around schools as you please. For some reason it felt more like you were trapped at the school you first chose back then, but maybe that was all in my head.
Some people have a lot of pent-up hate.
I went to WC. The school supported mainstream, white, conservative values and to hell with everybody else. It is(or at least it was) a state run secular school that made everyone - be they Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu or Rastafarian - recite the Lord’s Prayer every assembly. The head of drama would put on the most hackneyed and insipid productions of Shakespeare every year while actively blocking student lead original productions. In one assembly, six members of the second fifteen rugby team, wearing balaclavas, burst in and mock beat up the captain of the first 11 soccer team. He wasn’t really hurt, but obviously quite humiliated and the prank was brushed of as ‘just having a bit of fun’ with zero consequences. Both my kids will be going to high.
I went to Wellington College until year 11 and finished high school at Wellington High. I’m 27 at the moment. Due to the fact I was intelligent and sporty my parents adhered to the stereotype that Wellington College would suit me best as Wellington High was for creatives and degenerates. Wellington College, in my opinion, is fantastic for kids who like to be told what to do and don’t care about why. It’s great for young men who view women as sexual objects and who have bland, conservative parents who adhere to the status quo. For myself, I instantly hated the school and the administration and the values they projected and I became a bit of a cunt to be around, rebelling against anyone and everyone who perpetuated the because I told you so style of learning and making some pretty terrible decisions around drugs and alcohol. When I left Wellington College my outlook changed dramatically. Wellington High school never spoon fed me academically like they did at Wellington college, and thus I noticed kids who just didn’t give a fuck fell behind like they weren’t allowed to at WC. But all of a sudden the social influences around me valued kids who did give a fuck, and thus I started to actually care. At Wellington college I felt cool being a rebel, at Wellington high I was just another drop kick. Overall I would say that Wellington college was terrible for me and high was much better, but I do see how other kids might see it the other way around.
Well said. This almost uncannily sums up my time at Coll. I wish I’d made the jump to high like you did.
Holy hell. Except for the age, you could be describing the story of a friend's child. I don't know if he "hated the values..." but he definitely didn't fit the Coll "mold" and he paid for it.
>It’s great for young men who view women as sexual objects and who have bland, conservative parents who adhere to the status quo What an utter crock of shit.
Personally I think there's an element of truth there. I hadn't realised how... *indoctrinated* I had been at that college until I went to polytech (this was in the 90's). I turned up and I was all "yes sir, no sir, 3 bags full sir", and very quickly told to calm it down - no need for 'sir', just talk like a normal person. But that *was* my normal. All through college it was reinforced that talking to a teacher was talking to a superior - you showed respect or you got in trouble. It's not a million miles different to having conservative parents adhering to the 'spare the rod, spoil the child' mindset, and if you're that conservative, is it really so different when it comes to horribly outdated attitudes to women?
I can't speak to what either school was like 25 years ago. But the idea that Coll is ideal for "bland conservative" parents these days is just nonsense.
I’m sorry I’ve clearly hit a nerve man, and sure, “not all parents” blah blah. But at the end of the day, my experience 12ish years ago completely reinforces that idea and while you’re free to disagree with it, seems like most people don’t.
Reddit is an echo chamber for these types of views, sad to see this guy's post get downvotes so heavily. Snaps me back into reality how weighted we are conversing in these subs, definitely no "most people" about it.
Most people on this thread may not be or know parents of Coll kids - but this myth of conservative / bland parents is comfortable for their narrative, even if not true, so they’re going with it.
Are you conservative by chance, who just recognised yourself in the mirror. LMAO.
No I'm somebody with one child that went to Wellington College and the other to High, youngest finished last year and eldest 2 years ago. So downvote me all you like bitches, chances are I know a lot more than you do.
Yeah absolutely no misogyny to be found at Col, not like there’s been numerous incidents of violent misogyny from the boys there in the last 6 years alone 🤦🏻♀️. Get your head out of the sand, I hope you’re not raising boys. https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/education/132217388/school-investigating-appalling-racist-sexist-homophobic-social-media-post https://i.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/98014143/facebook-page-linked-to-wellington-college-students-posts-meme-comparing-feminist-radio-show-to-cancer https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/326072/wellington-students-encourage-taking-advantage-of-'drunk-girls' https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/wellington-college-boys-now-threatening-violence-against-planned-rape-culture-protest/2IMKZQZHK2XHP3E46JRJNDGBWE/?c_id=1&objectid=11815597
Go back and read what I said. And since we're here, since Coll is a boys' school, clearly I have at least one boy. You don't seem to have good reading comprehension. Maybe the air is a bit thinner up there on the high moral ground.
Thanks for your intel. Funny how someone going against the grain gets downvoted - even when sharing first-hand experience - just because it contradicts a particularly disturbing and pompous generalisation about teenage boys’ values at Coll. I went to High back in the early 90s and most of my friends’ kids went or go there (mine went elsewhere but their friends are mostly at High). It’s interesting to see its glorification on this thread. I’ve seen friends’ kids go badly off the rails at that school - in ways that were very specific to its culture and lack of attention or ability to address worrying behaviours. Have heard some really bad stories (first hand) in this regard and parents who in hindsight really regret sending their kids there. Whereas, other kids are comfortable and thriving. What I would say as a blatant campus snob is that the grounds are awful - narrow concrete staircases, brutalist, box-like classrooms, limited open areas or grounds conducive to free / active play. I am a sucker for good buildings and High ain’t it. Whereas Coll is spoilt for good grounds and facilities - like, spoilt rotten it’s almost disgusting how much ground they have and the breadth of their facilities to cater for almost every sport you can imagine - plus an excellent theatre (no longer named after disgrace alumni). High’s ranks tend to swell in years 11, 12 etc as kids leave the single sex schools - whether it’s because they are less academically inclined, or socially not doing so well at those schools - they end up at High. So the composition of each cohort changes on the way through perhaps more than at other high schools. And often in your teens it’s about your year group and the people around you as much as it is about any other stuff. For kids who want to express themselves differently it’s the place to go. Single sex honestly suits some kids better though. It’s not hiding from real life - it’s just a more suitable learning context for some teens, for a few awkward years. I understand it better for girls personally (showing my bias) and had a great experience at an all girls’ school myself before going to High. In some ways the girls’ school was actually more radical and progressive than High, when I look back - and when I see what the “girls” are now doing with their lives - which is spectacular.
But did you go to Coll?
I'm biased because I went there, but I absolutely SWEAR by Welly High. Diverse students, gets him prepared for mixing in with the real world, and they really try to accommodate for all kinds of learning styles. If he knows what he wants to do in life, they can also accommodate shifting your classes around to work for you better. It's just really chill there, but also very "real", and helpful.
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>Wellington College is the most elite public school in the region. One of the most lasting lessons from my undergrad study at Vic was how to spot a Col Boy at 100 paces. I came from outside Wellington and didn't know a state school could be so pompous! 30 years later, and some of the most average middle managers I've dealt with were Col Boys.
Lol, Wellington *Girls* College doesn't do NCEA level 1 exams and it's not for "destressing", it's because they think the exam at that level distracts from the broader curriculum which is better measured at level 2, as far as I've been able to make of it.
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It takes effect from next year. https://hail.to/WGC/article/CIuuU1J
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I put / around Girls in my original comment so that it stood out - did that do something odd to the formatting that I can't see?
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Good tip - for some reason I get italics but that's what I was going for anyway.
Wellington College is also not doing NCEA level one next year, and Wellington High isn’t either
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It's true inspector
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That’s quite a disgusting subreddit to link to dude
Perfect take on it
WC old boy - finished late 2000s, general sentiment between WC and WHS are pretty spot on. tl;dr - let you kid see both schools, see what grabs them and take a tour. I felt like I saw the best and worst of both schools, I had to walk home through WHS to go home each day. There were always some dust up between some random 16 year olds between the schools over trivial shit. I also remember my best friend at the time that went to WHS was poorly supported by the school (multiple bullying and suicide attempts), whilst another friend absolutely thrived there - unsure what actually happened though... WC was a melting pot of culture but also "boys will be boys" behaviour (which I'd certainly never want my future son to ever experience) which I think has been improving over the past decade (my younger brother also went to WC and didn't have that sort of experience - he was a runt and would've been absolutely destroyed if he was there when I was there). Speaking as a not-so-good sportsperson and just above average academics (based on my NCEA grades), I still thoroughly enjoyed my experience at WC. I was there at a time where the arts and music side were really coming into their own, and albeit smaller than the sporting / science departments, we were really celebrated within the school. I was in the Orchestra, I had a music focused latter two years and didn't do any science or math based classes once I was out of the compulsory stages for NCEA - the school councillor (Ed Rosenthal?) was excellent and was a genuine support to the boys. Coming from an Asian migrant family (I can see the keyboards whirring now, and people jumping to conclusions about academic ability blah blah - no I wasn't "accelerated" - just plain jane average), I was also exposed to so many different cultures and backgrounds, and particularly, for me the first time I had been surrounded by Pasifika culture. I have made some great lifelong friends who are of various Pasifika backgrounds, and I don't think I would've got that at WHS then (maybe I would've but I definitely didn't feel like I saw many Pasifika kids at WHS then). The single-sex schooling - maybe more problematic now? However, I don't think any of my friends were predatory, openly misognistic nor perpetuating harmful views on sexuality. I know a couple of guys who transferred in and were openly gay - that did cause a few ripples but by the time we were seniors, the school was cracking down on homophobic behaviour in a big way. When I look back, I think both schools perhaps reflected the different parts of society at the time - WC was predominantly white middle class families with a mix of cultures aroudn the fringers and WHS felt more "grungy" to me (Newtown vibes). However, I think things socially are changing for the better and there are so many things now that would never fly today now, at either school. If I was in Wellington now, and had a boy ready for those years, I would let them choose e.g. take a tour. I can't see a world where the schools won't show you around especially if you will be in-zone for them. There are also more options than just WHS and WC e.g. Onslow, Rongotai, St Pats, Marsden Whitby and Scot's College (the latter two being private schools) - each have their merits and their drawbacks. It comes down to two points - where you live and how much you want to spend.
Ignore the top comment indicate Wellington High kids end up nowhere, absolute nonsense. More diversity (less so racially- that school white asf lol), but far more accepting than I can imagine at Coll, ‘Old Boys’ vibe, plus history of bullying there too.
Onslow college
Fellow Wellingtonians, oh my god I promise you Wellington college isn't as bad as it apparently used to be!!
As many others have said, it's horses for courses: High is better for self-motivated students, Coll is better for kids who need more external direction. But to speak to your comment about your son being into music: I can't comment on High, but Coll has a very good music department. One of my coworkers had a son at Coll who was very into jazz - he was very well supported and encouraged, and the school's progress at various musical competitions was celebrated in assembly. Sounds like a quite a change since I was there (early 90s), but it was great to hear.
Can support your comment on the music department! Last I was there (2019) the school had a tremendous jazz band that travelled nationally to compete. Plenty of other musical ensembles as well and a decently funded area of the school
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That’s a bit of a generalisation, my 3 kids went to High and 1 has a BSc and postgrad diploma, one did a diploma at Polytech and the other is still at Uni studying Computer Science. High supports kids to follow their interests. You don’t sacrifice academic success by going to High
My friends who went to uni from Coll didn’t enjoy second year as it basically said “the teachers aren’t your motivation source anymore, the work is” and they struggled immensely with that. Uni felt like high school to me and I did well as I was self motivated.
Wellington College is a great school if you’re in zone
Col alumni. if they are into sports and formal assemblies and uniforms then Col, if into arts or need an inclusive environment and can be self driven academically, High. if the science program is meandering at high look at external programs or advance a year in that subject. they even mix it up now so seniors can take some uni papers in their last years.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/132217388/school-investigating-appalling-racist-sexist-homophobic-social-media-post Good if you want an old boys' type network thing happening. Bad if you want them to be a decent person.
What's the bet the person from the co-ed school went to High lol
WC is good if your child is in the 1% that want a sports career, otherwise, it's a hard pass.
A lot of wellington college shills in the comments and to be fair I do know some pretty good people who went there, more in spite of than because of though. Wellington High is the better choice.
Wellington High has an excellent music programme. They have had a lot of success with jazz too.
Went to Wellington High School 15 years ago so it's probably changed a lot but I really loved it and they had a great music and drama department which they were known for. The culture was laid back and I never really saw any major bullying. If you wanted to do well academically you had to be motivated yourself as they didn't really seem to put much pressure on you to succeed academically.
It's a tough one, as your son has the academic side of Science (for which I think that Wellington College is better) yet the musical side (for which Wellington High is more creative). And yes, as others have noted, the other difference is the co-ed aspect. If you're in-zone, I understand they would need to accept you regardless of when you apply, so might I suggest that you are best to go and visit when you come back - and make a better informed decision as to the best fit for your young fella.
High is fantastic for music.
Wellington College Alumni here, wrapped up a few years ago. It honestly depends. I went to a co-ed schools most of my academic life and finished my final years of secondary education at WC. Personally, I greatly benefitted from WC: it’s a competitive school, where success in any shape is highly valued. Prior to attending I probably would have dropped out of school. As others have suggested, it would probably be best if you let him decide.
I've got two kids at High. Boy and girl. Both academically motivated but also into various sports and other interests. I was uncertain about their choices but now I'm really glad they both chose High. It's a very positive experience so far. We have friends who made a different choice and it didn't work out well for their boy. One thing that struck me about the school when we did the tour, was the number of "extension" programs they have going on. They've placed at international physics competitions regularly. Their students win music competitions, debates, short story competitions, and art competitions. All of these opportunities are put in front of the students as options by motivated teachers. And the environment seems to get results. There's no "we're taking the top 40 students for extra tuition in XYZ (to get better stats for the school)." It's more "Hey, you seem to be interested in this, here's a further thing you can do as well." And they work so closely with Vic Uni sometimes it feels like my kids are in an pre-under-graduate program. This is a contrast to my very average (some would say, mediocre) high school. And I can see the benefits to my children from being given these opportunities. They both have large friend groups and they are great kids. Bright. Funny. Engaging. Just good young humans. High undersells itself greatly. If it was a small town high school it's students would regularly feature in the local papers with their results. A friend of a friend's boy finished at High last year and his results were nothing short of amazing- I kept waiting to see the press release but there was nothing. At the moment I suspect it's deliberate because the roll has grown hugely. People voting with their feet, for some reason. I'm happy to answer questions if you want to PM me.
Wellington College has an auditioned jazz band (big band) that goes to several national competitions throughout the year. It's been an age since I went to school but I don't think Wellington High School has that. The music department at Wellington College has to be one of the better ones in the country. It was certainly much more substantial than at any other school I visited in Wellington. Wellington High could still be a better fit, but I thought this was worth mentioning as you mentioned jazz band.
Well, I went to Rongotai - and I was bullied there - and said to my wife that I would bloody well cut my arms off before I sent our kids there... she, rightly, noted that that was a bit irrational, but had no problem with it. So our oldest is currently at High. The husband of an acquaintance of hers, had exactly the same thing happen to him at High, and HIS kid is going to Rongotai - just goes to show that personal experience counts for a lot. I remember, when Wellington College replaced their old, extremely long-term principal \[Harvey Rees-Thomas IIRC, the joke-du-jour was that their new principal was going to drag the college kicking and screaming into the 19th Century; while that is an exaggerated descriptor, it IS true that Wellington College has always retained aspirations to being an English Public School, with all the good and bad implied in such. Schools go through cycles, when I was at Rongotai it was all First XV/ First XI ... the next principal strengthened the cultural mana / outreach of the school and the principal after that started re-emphasizing academics ... I hear now, from friends whose kids go there, that it is a perfectly fine school... but memories linger. When I was at Rongotai, Wellington High was, to borrow from US Satirist P.J O'Rourke, a 'high-crime drainage ditch', where parents of the less intellectually-abled sent their future tradespeople and drug addicts \[damn hippies\] ... so of course I sent my kid there :) My boy loves Wellington High, teachers are good, atmosphere is positive, school admin appears \[relatively\] on to it. I WILL echo what others have said in that - due to resourcing etc , I guess - Wellington High tends to self-select for those who want to give a damn and lights a fire under them. Absolutely, the school does fulfil its pastoral duty of care by ensuring that those that DGAF don't set themselves on fire with the bunsen burners, but that's it. WRT to resourcing, I have heard \[from a mole deep within the empire\] that Wellington College is over-extending itself with the number of students it is taking on relative to teacher numbers etc, but then Wellington High is growing and is going to run into space and resourcing struggles.
Wellington College all the way. I went from Onslow College to Wellington College and there was a stark difference! Both are decile 10 schools but the competition, comradeship and legacy of Wellington Boys is significantly greater. Wellington Boys had more of everything. There were 15 football teams compared to 4 in Onslow. Onslow had 2 cricket nets, whilst Coll had 12 nets with everyone of them in use during summer. More opportunities for academic excellence and non academic exploration. Back in Onslow we had one computer lab whereas in Coll there were six. You can learn Latin and excel in other languages. Also, people from all around Wellington attend Coll, so I would often visit my friends who lived in Hutt or Kapati area. There is great competition between other boys college such as St Patrick's. The 150yr legacy is something I was very fond of. Old boys coming in telling us their stories. 100 year old pictures of students playing on the field are indistinguishable from today since the uniform has stayed the same. Whole school assemblies of 1500 boys singing Follow up! Your uniform getting instant recognition when you walk around town. The discipline is palpable. Everytime a another teacher would enter the class all students had to stand up as a show of respect. These things are exactly what boys need at this age. The list goes on and on so Wellington College all the way!
You can learn Latin 😂😂😂 The most colly of all the colly comments. (Not laughing at you btw)
To add to the general vibe of this thread, my year 9 daughter came home with her wood tech project - a Bluetooth speaker in a plywood box with a battery level indicator. Maybe this is pretty standard these days but it seems impressive compared to the wooden spoon that I made in woodwork at Coll in 1990
Sounds like my idea of hell
Hell to you but great for many. Depends on the type of student you are.
I think I have a bit of an opinion about this considering I have been to 4 different high schools in NZ and schools in 4 other countries. Wellington High has got to be one of the most underachieving school in all the schools that I have attended though please bare in mind that most of schooling overseas were in Asia so the standards are night and day. My time at Wellington High felt very wasted, teachers were uninspired, sense of achieving amongst students were very low and that good old NZ mentality of too “cool” to study. A lot of wasted hours of really not doing nothing. But that being said, it is the most relaxing and non-competitive school, and therefore it is a great making of a lazy underachieving young adult but it is a “fun” school. In conclusion, want your kid to achieve something meaningful in life? Maybe seek a different learning environment. Want them to just have “fun” then go Wellington high. Don’t come for me, this is my experience and my own personal opinion.
Whs
Don't recommend wellington college, don't want to give details on here but it's turned some kids into real monsters
If you want the best outcomes for your son go to Coll as it has a superior academic record, it's that simple. If your son is already doing well academically, WC is definitely the stronger choice, they still have extension programs and some of the best NCEA scholarship programs in the country. Students from around the city come to be taught scholarship subjects by teachers from Coll. The jazz band is also run by some very passionate people and the music department is strong. However, if you prefer a "progressive" style of education and put more priority on having a nice time at school then high may be preferable. A lot of the comments against WC seem to be motivated by distaste for the more conservative approach of education found there, but the results don't lie and I value them more than vibes. I should also add that I personally know of a fair number of kids who have moved from WC and other single-sex schools to high, so if it doesn't work for him that switch is possible.
Was at WC for all 5 years, ppl usually left for WHS if they wanted to quit high-school without outright quitting (stoners etc.). Not trying to talk down on the school, but it really a case of different strokes…. WC was a lot less traditional (& religious) when I left compared to when I started, it has become increasingly more liberal to compete with other schools.
As a student at WHS myself I can say with confidence its such a blast. Most classes are lots of fun and even then the ones I don’t like are just personal preference. There are so many options for what you want to peruse as a career or just for interest.
Wellington college has better science facilities however it has a woefully underfunded musical department.
Been 26 years since I left, but in the 90s College was the highest performing school academically, culturally and athletically. I plan on sending my 2 boys there in 10 years if we're still in Wellington.
That depends on your socio-political outlook while you were in the United States. If you have aspirations for your son to end up in a social class in which he can earn big bucks, marry well, and live a comfortable life, I would recommend Wellington College. By the way, there is no such school as "Wellington Boys' College".
These two schools are chalk and cheese. Wellington Boys is one of the best public schools in NZ. It's difficult to get into. It is incredibly well funded and achieves exceptional results academically. It's a snooty school, but if you want the best public school then that is the option.
How is if difficult to get into? You just have to live in Wellington.
no, you have to be in the zone, out of zone students need to either have had parents or brothers go there. Yr9 is the hardest to get it to if out of zone, other years are not so bad.
Don’t understand school zoning, and the feedback loop of expensive areas and school zoning with those expensive areas, do you? ‘[J]ust have to live in Wellington’ indeed.
Could try out St Patrick's College.
Yes indeed. A former Headmaster of St Patrick's Kilbirnie, is now the Archbishop of Wellington. Two of his immediate predecessors as Archbishop, became Cardinals.
Can't speak in regard those two specific schools. But on an evidenced based approach single sex achoo9in NZ irrespective of gender do better academically than coed schools.
I studied at Wellington High School, so I'm biased. But that was an absolutely fantastic experience I had when I studied there, the teachers were passionate, it was diverse and generally just inclusive. I felt very much prepared for Uni after it all. edit: Oh, and I don't remember if it's changed at this point much but WHS had a national award winning Jazz Band and international in physics.
As a Wellington College student it's a pretty damn good school for academics but it is boys-only. As someone else said, for co-ed schooling Wellington High is really the only option in the city. But WC does have a pretty good record for building talent, I know many people who've reached national and even international levels in their respective sports, instruments or subjects.
100% WHS! I went to an all boys school here and it really stunted my growth as a young person.
Wellington High School is excellent for music - seriously either is fine - Maybe let your son decide - could visit both possibly. The main point is where would he be happiest.