About the school

People say QES is a special place and we believe this is seen in the warmth of relationships and the highest of expectations at all levels, combined with our commitment to be one of the best schools in the country.

Our Context

Welcome to Queen Elizabeth School and Queen Elizabeth Studio School, two schools working together as one community to provide exceptional academic, vocational and technical education to all in our community.  As two schools, working together as one, our aim is to lie at the heart of our community, transforming the lives of the young people we serve, through our unrelenting focus on excellence of scholarship and care.

QES is a special place as it is filled with over 1500 inspirational young people and over 250 expert staff.  We have an unrelenting focus on excellence, based on positive and engaging relationships.  As one of the best schools in the country, we have served our community since 1591 and we treat the custodianship of our scholarship and care as a gift.  A gift that enables us to metamorphosise the life chances of all of our students.

QES has a fine tradition of “scholarship and care” dating back over 400 years, with our present popularity founded upon high quality teaching and learning, a broad and imaginative curriculum geared to individuals, excellent results, impressive standards of care and a reputation for a friendly, relaxed yet purposeful atmosphere.  Most significantly, we are founded on ten “Core Values” which underpin and inform the life and work of our community.  We are committed to a broad education in the deepest sense and with a strong emphasis on personal development supported by a diverse range of extra-curricular activities.  QES and QEStudio come together to allow us to provide a balance between academic, vocational and technical learning, giving our students the skills, qualifications and experiences to be the best in the country.

We believe in a Values-led Education:

• Respecting traditions & the past
• Working hard and doing your best
• Being decent to people
• Being friendly, polite and courteous
• Looking out for other people
• Getting involved
• Respecting the environment
• Thinking of others less fortunate
• Encouraging global citizenship
• Understanding life is about more than money or material things.

Whether it is speaking to parents on an Open Evening, helping a young person make decisions about their future or appointing staff, we use the language of these Values every day.

Along with our original mandate to provide ‘scholarship and care’, they are the basis for our educational philosophy; they allow us to speak about the profound and life changing effect that education can have, and subscribing to them enables us to share a common language and purpose.  They lead directly to the overall aim stated in our Sixth Form Contract:

“to develop young people who are independently minded critical thinkers who will leave QES with the ability to use both their intellect and their compassion in making decisions in the wider world.”

David Waugh
Executive Headteacher