Studying at Wentworth College

Wentworth warmly welcomes international students from throughout the world.

What makes Wentworth College Unique?

Wentworth College is an academically focused small private school based in Gulf Harbour, Auckland, New Zealand. We offer the Cambridge International Exams (CIE) with international students benefiting from small classroom sizes, and a commitment to academic excellence. Over 95% of our students go on to University, either here in New Zealand or overseas. We have 260 students in total, and pre-covid pandemic, usually had around 30  International students from China, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, France and Germany. We have seen these students make commendable progress in their studies, and their language skills, thanks to our strong ESOL programme.

Cambridge Curriculum.

One of the reasons that International Students choose Wentworth College is because we offer the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE). These are one of the most internationally recognised qualifications, and so whether a student wishes to continue their education in New Zealand, or in their home country, or venture out to Europe or America, leading universities worldwide value and recognise the Cambridge qualifications. Many of our international students go on to study at prestigious universities around the world. Over 95% of Year 13 students gain University Entrance last year with CIE.

Wentworth College has been acknowledged as a leading global educator and awarded the status of Cambridge Centre of Excellence, which places us in the top 1% of 6,000 Cambridge schools worldwide.

Explore the subjects you can study here:

Year 10 & 11 – Cambridge IGCSE

Year 12 & 13 – Cambridge AS and ALevels

NOTE: We do offer NCEA English for our International students wishing to gain credits to enter New Zealand Universities if they do not wish to study Cambridge English as one of their subject options.

Beautiful Safe Location.

Situated at the end of the beautiful Whangaparaoa Peninsula, just 35 minutes north of Auckland, Wentworth is located in a truly beautiful part of New Zealand. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the community is extremely safe and affluent and residents enjoy a high standard of living. The beaches and parks are beautiful and clean and the waters are very safe to swim in. International students can enjoy the outdoor lifestyle and stunning scenery NZ has to offer right on their doorstep. Whangaparāoa is Māori for “Bay of Whales”, and pods of orca and dolphin are regularly spotted in the waters off the peninsula. Wentworth College is close enough to the city to be part of Auckland’s vibrant scene, yet far enough away to not be distracted by it. Gulf Harbour Ferry sails 12 times a day between the city and Gulf Harbour, and buses also go to the city or it is just 40 minutes by car.

ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) programme.

Our ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) programme continues to successfully support International Students in their English language development. Most of our International Students attend an ESOL lesson every day, in addition to their English lessons and for the remainder of their timetable, they are in mainstream classes doing their subject options. The ESOL lessons focus on reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Students arriving with little English soon become proficient, and the extra support and attention in these lessons enable better integration in to mainstream classes. Students are continually assessed so that we can record their English language progress, until it reaches a stage where the school decides that ESOL is no longer required for the individual. We follow the Cambridge ESOL programme which most students are already familiar with, as it is used world-wide, and our testing is in line with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Small Classroom Sizes.

Small classroom sizes allow our teachers to get to know your child’s goals and aspirations individually. At Wentworth College our junior classes are around 22 students and in the senior school they seldom exceed 15 students with usually less than 10 students in A2 classes. These small class numbers allow us to closely support individuals to make sure they reach their full potential.

Homestay Family.

We are extremely fortunate that we have some wonderful homestay families near to the school. Many of the homestay families have been hosting International Students for many years, and provide our students with a loving and stable home environment.

Golf Academy.

Many of our International Students come to us as part of Wentworth’s Golf Scholarship Programme.

Wentworth College is within walking distance of the Gulf Harbour Country Club which is one of the top 10 golf courses in New Zealand and home club to International Golfer, Lydia Ko. This prestigious Club offers a world class golf course where junior golfers can practice daily.

Students are able to balancing their academic progress with professional golf training and tournaments. We allow time off for competitions and students typically study in the morning only, freeing their afternoon for practice. Wentworth is proud of our golf scholarship students and provides a supportive environment encouraging both academic study and sporting success, recognising the commitment and dedication that is required to succeed in this field. Golf is also offered to students with higher handicaps who are interested in competing at inter-school competitions.

GOLF Scholarships.

Wentworth College / Gulf Harbour Country Club

Outstanding young golfers with a handicap of 10 or under are eligible to apply for these prestigious scholarships. If you wish to talk to us about the possibility of golf scholarship for your child, please phone Gail Clews in the College office on 09 424-3273 and arrange to come in and meet with the Principal.

Sailing Academy.

Within walking distance of Wentworth College is the beautiful Gulf Harbour Marina where the College has four Topaz and four 420 dinghies plus a RIB (rigid inflatable boat). Students can undertake a ‘Learn to Sail’ programme in the Topaz boats and then progress to racing in the 420 boats. The inter-schools racing regattas are a team event for which the 420 dinghies are used. We coach those wishing to try sailing for the first time through to advanced sailors. The only requirement is for students to be competent swimmers and enthusiastic. The College has secured the services of an experienced coach and practices are held straight after school on a Tuesday afternoon, until around 6pm.

Care and Support.

Wentworth College offers international students the highest standard of pastoral care. We appreciate how hard it can be to come to a new country with an unfamiliar language and culture, and this is why we offer an excellent level of care and support. We keep in regular contact with parents overseas to ensure they are kept up dated on their child’s progress, both academically and personally. If required, student support and guidance is available in the student’s own language. As signatories to the The Education (Pastoral Care of International students) Code of Practice 2016 Wentworth College takes our responsibilities towards the welfare of our students very seriously.

Buddy System.

All new international students are assigned a buddy on their first day at Wentworth College. The assigned buddy is responsible for giving the new student a tour of the school and introducing them to everyone in their Year level. The Buddy System helps students to integrate and make friends quickly.

Internet Access.

Wireless internet access (WIFI) is available in school and in our homestay parents’ homes. This allows students to maintain contact with their families at home as well as access the internet as needed for their studies.

Experience New Zealand.

Wentworth College offers international students the opportunity to experience weekends and holidays away, exploring New Zealand, having fun and learning about the Kiwi culture. Wentworth College works closely with Kiwiana Tours who organise and escort groups to all of New Zealand’s best attractions including Hobbiton, Queenstown and the Bay of Islands.