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Queen Elizabeth School

Free School Meals

As QES is a Cumbrian school, all parents wishing to apply for Free School Meals, regardless of what county you live in, should make the application through Westmorland & Furness Council.

Your child will get free school meals if you receive any of the following:

If your child is eligible for and has been registered to receive free school meals between 1 April 2018 and the end of the rollout of Universal Credits (currently expected to be March 2024), they will remain eligible until they finish the phase of schooling (primary or secondary) they are in at the end of Universal Credits rollout. This is regardless of any change to your circumstances.

Please click the button below for the application form.

Application Form

Our Library

At QES we are very fortunate to have a Library for Years 7 to 11 and a dedicated Sixth Form Library.

Our Libraries

The QE Schools’ libraries sit at the heart of our school community – welcoming, inclusive spaces where every student can discover the joy of reading, develop research skills, and find support for their learning. Whether choosing a new favourite novel, studying for exams, or taking part in one of our reading groups, students are encouraged to explore, question and grow.

Throughout the year, the library hosts author visits, reading challenges, book clubs and literary events that inspire a lifelong love of reading. We regularly add new books to our collection and work closely with departments across the school to support the curriculum and promote independent learning.

In addition to this the QE Canon is an entitlement for all pupils that gives our students the best opportunity to be exposed to a rich, ambitious and diverse range of texts that develop vocabulary, knowledge and confidence. Reading is one of the strongest predictors of academic success. Pupils who read widely and regularly develop stronger vocabulary, deeper knowledge, greater empathy and improved confidence across all subjects. 

For further information on the QE Canon and reading at QES, including the book lists, please click the link opposite.

Click here for more information
on the QE Canon

The Main Library

The Main Library is a vibrant learning hub that hosts joint English and Library lessons for students in Years 7–10, while also supporting research and independent learning across all subject areas for students of every year group.

Open before school, during break and lunchtime, and after school, the library provides a welcoming space for everyone. Students can complete homework, carry out research using our computers, enjoy a quiet place to study, or simply relax with a magazine or a good book. Whether they’re discovering a new favourite author, working on a project, or reading for pleasure, the library offers an inspiring environment where learning and curiosity thrive.

Main Library opening hours: Monday-Thursday 8.30am – 4.00pm and Friday 8.30am – 3.30pm

The Sixth Form Library

Designed to support the demands of advanced study, the Sixth Form Library provides a calm, welcoming environment where students can focus, research, and work independently. With dedicated study spaces, computers, and access to a wide range of academic books, journals, magazines, and digital resources including JSTOR, it is an essential hub for sixth form learning.

Alongside its extensive study resources, the library features a carefully curated collection of contemporary and classic fiction. From award-winning modern novels to literary classics, the collection encourages students to read widely for pleasure, broaden their perspectives, and explore ideas beyond the curriculum. Reading fiction not only offers an opportunity to relax and unwind but also develops empathy, critical thinking, cultural awareness, and analytical skills that benefit students across all subjects.

The library plays a key role in developing the research and information literacy skills that underpin success in post-16 education. Students are supported by the librarian in locating, evaluating, and using high-quality sources, as well as mastering essential academic skills such as referencing, citation, and bibliography writing. These skills are invaluable for projects such as the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and prepare students for the expectations of higher education.

Activities and Events

Our libraries are more than rooms filled with books – they are dynamic spaces designed to foster curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong love for reading and learning. Throughout the year, we offer a wide range of activities for students across all key stages.

At the heart of the library calendar are our award-shadowing groups. Students get directly involved with major national literary prizes by reading, reviewing, and debating the shortlist contenders for the Carnegie Medal for Writing, the Spellbinding Book Award, The Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize (nonfiction science), and the Excelsior Award (graphic novels and comics). Each year, selected students attend the Spellbinding Book Award ceremony, giving them the rare opportunity to meet shortlisted authors in person and hear firsthand what inspires their writing.

All students are encouraged to tackle termly challenges tied to the QE Canon and dive into major annual events like World Book Day and National Poetry Day, packed with school-wide competitions. For those wanting hands-on leadership experience, our Student Librarian program lets students take ownership of the space – curating eye-catching displays, managing stock, and supporting younger readers.

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Author Events

We also very much enjoy hosting author events.

Throughout the year, the library welcomes a range of inspiring authors, illustrators, and storytellers who share their experiences, creative journeys, and insights into the world of books. These visits provide students with the opportunity to meet published writers, discover new authors, and gain a deeper understanding of the ideas and imagination behind the books they read.

Author events encourage students to develop their own creativity, ask questions, and see reading and writing as exciting, achievable, and rewarding pursuits. They are a valuable part of our commitment to promoting a lifelong love of reading across the school.

In recent years we have welcomed the following authors to school: Cressida Cowell, Amy Bateman, Tom Palmer Helen Rutter, Josh Silver and Matt Goodfellow. Each author providing whole year group assemblies alongside smaller group creative writing sessions. This approach ensures as many students as possible have access to the authors.

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The Library Portal: Accessit

Click on the Accessit icon to the right to find our library portal for the latest library news; to search our extensive resources; to read or write book reviews; create reading lists and find our recommended reading suggestions.

Click here to enter
the library portal

Opening Hours

Our opening hours are Monday to Thursday: 8.30am – 4.00pm
and Friday: 8.30am – 3.30pm.

Print and Digital Resources

The following resources are available for students:

  • A wide range of up-to-date fiction, with classics as well as contemporary novels for all ages and abilities
  • E and Audio books
  • Non-fiction books across a range of subjects and including popular autobiographies
  • Text books supporting subjects in school
  • Comics, graphic novels, manga
  • Newspapers, magazines, journals
  • DVDs
  • E Readers to loan
  • Audio book devices to loan
  • Digital resources including JSTOR; Hodder Review magazine archive; Issues Online; History Today; EMagazine; Philosophy Now; Babel. Find further details on our digital resources on the Library homepage.

Library resources are searchable via the Library homepage from anywhere with an internet connection. Students can log in to their personal account where they can view and manage their loans, returns, reservations, personal reading lists and past loans, from any internet enabled device. They can also recommend, request, and contact the Librarian via their account.

Reading Recommendations

If you are struggling to find a book to enjoy, don’t worry! The right book is out there, you just haven’t found it yet! Drop in the Library, or email us at library@lunesdaletrust.co.uk, to see one of the librarians who will point you to the types of books you might like, and show you books that other students with similar interests have enjoyed.

Acknowledge & Close

Open Evening for Year 7 Entry for September 2027

We will be holding an Open Evening for Year 7 Entry for September 2027 on Tuesday 22 September 5pm – 8pm.

Please complete the form here to register