WELLINGTON School is celebrating being a co-educational school for 50 years.

The first and only girl at the time joined the sixth-form at the school in the spring of 1972.

Ann Darby was joined by two further girls the following September. Less than a decade later there were enough girls in the school to warrant the opening of a girls’ boarding house (Beech House) and a girls’ day house (Prices) to be split into junior and senior sections.

Some of the school’s illustrious girls have gone on to occupy outstanding positions within the community. Some of these include the first female president of the Institute of Civil Engineers, Rachel Skinner, who was awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours 2022 list; Dr Kate Evans, award-winning behavioural ecologist and conservation biologist and founder and director of Elephants for Africa; group captain Toria McPhaden, who took over as station commander at RAF Northolt; and Megan Toon who was nominated for the UK Women of the Future Awards for her work at KPMG on ethical supply chains.

The school is marking the 50th anniversary with a gala dinner and dance on May 14. Tickets cost £65 and are available via www.

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