Wellington College China (WCC) Governance: Ensuring collaborative, transparent school leadership
At WCC, we have a robust, multi-layered governance structure that provides strategic oversight and accountability across all our schools. It consists of three key components: the WCC Executive Board, the School Affairs Boards (SABs) and a series of sub-committees.
The WCC Executive Board serves as the top level of governance, approving group-wide policies and overseeing the Central Office. Each Wellington College China school then has its own SAB, which is responsible for its governance and strategic direction. The SAB handles critical tasks such as hiring and evaluating school leadership, setting the school’s development plan and evaluating its progress, as well as monitoring educational and financial performance.
To provide more specialised and in-depth governance, the SABs have delegated certain responsibilities to four sub-committees. These allow for deeper analysis and decision-making in their respective domains.
The Academic Sub-Committee (ASC)
The ASC plays a vital role in evaluating the academic performance of our schools. The ASC closely examines a range of data and evidence, including:
• Quality of teaching
• Pupil attainment and progress data
• Public examination results
• University destinations of graduates
The Facilities and Services Sub-Committee (FaSC)
The FaSC oversees the physical infrastructure and support services that enable our schools to thrive. Key duties include:
• Aligning capital expenditure plans with the educational needs of pupils
• Evaluating the quality and effectiveness of services such as catering, uniforms, and transport
• Approving long-term facilities maintenance and improvement plans
• Signing off on capital expenditure budgets for facilities and IT
• Ensuring that robust environmental health and safety measures are in place across all WCC campuses
The Finance and HR Sub-Committee (FiHRSC)
The Finance and HR Sub-Committee (FiHRSC) is tasked with safeguarding the financial sustainability of our schools, as well as overseeing the development and compensation of our staff. Specific responsibilities include:
• Approving annual operating budgets
• Overseeing the creation of multi-year budgets aligned to each school’s educational plans
• Ensuring staff salaries are competitive externally and equitable
The Safeguarding and Child Protection Sub-Committee (SCPSC)
The SCPSC operates across the group. It is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of safeguarding and child protection. Through this sub-committee we uphold our uncompromising commitment to the safety and wellbeing of every pupil in our care. The SCPSC’s key duties are to:
• Review safeguarding updates and reports from the schools
• Monitor the implementation of WCC’s safeguarding action plans
• Ensure all safeguarding training remains current and in line with best practice from the UK
A key strength of this model is the diverse composition of our boards and committees. We have a balance of full-time, paid employee governors and unpaid, non-executive governors. Appointments come from both Wellington College in Crowthorne and WCC. The full-time governors bring deep institutional knowledge and administrative expertise, while the non-executive governors provide a wider range of external expertise in areas such as school leadership, academics, finance, legal matters, HR and facilities management.
This blend of voices ensures transparency and accountability while also enabling a more collaborative approach to governance. It has also garnered recognition within the wider field of international education. Most recently, the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) named Wellington College International Hangzhou a Beacon School for its governance practices. It is the only school in China to hold this title. Such an achievement underscores our steadfast commitment to setting the standard for effective, modern school governance.
