WELLINGTON School has been delighted to welcome back rugby legend Brian Ashton (MBE) to work with the heads of all the different sections of sport across the school.

Brian led England Rugby to the 2007 Rugby World Cup final and was instrumental in the team's 2003 success. Brian’s routine involvement at Wellington is the first step along a journey of working with more people who can stretch and challenge the thinking of already talented staff; to challenge the way things are done and to create a positively different environment for staff and young people.

It is an example of how Wellington School is actively looking for innovation and placing the community at the centre of that journey.

Head of the school Alex Battison said: "To be able to really inspire others to flourish in a challenging world, broadening our own perspectives and learning from different people is something I feel is an important first step. Being in and around different thinkers and environments we are not used to changes our perspective, it enhances us, and it ultimately enables us to more positively affect others.

"Brian's experience spans coaching in New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and America, as well as working in Premier League football and more recently with the England women's set-up.”

*Ashton says: “My main strength is as a coach. I see my job as improving players’ individually, to do the technical work with them and also to establish the environment, the framework, in which the players operate.

Ashton’s philosophy is that the backs comprise three creative forces (the scrum-half, the fly-half and the inside-half) and four penetrative finishers (the outside centre, the two wingers and the full back).

He was appointed a Member of the Order of British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 Honours List.