Queen Ethelburga's College & Faculty, York

[marley007]

Anyone know anything about this school? Any experience of it? Impressions? Best and worst of QE? College or Faculty? Which is best and why? etc

[CooeeOnlyMe]

OP the school arouses strong feelings on MN. It also polices the forum and has allegedly threatened people with legal action if they say things the school doesn't agree with.

[downright]

[Boogers]

Actually, I'm genuinely interested. We have mailshots for Queen Ethelburga's and would love to know people's experiences. If the establishment didn't like discussion of anything that goes on there - curriculum, sports, facilities, pastoral, etc - it would put me off straight away.

[SunnySomer]

I find it off putting that they need to spend so much money on marketing. Promotional DVDs in the Sunday Times; we even got a DVD through the letterbox at our last home.
You would hope they would be able to sell themselves initially on reputation....

[Tiggeryoubastard]

The fact that most threads on this place are pulled, possibly due to legal threats should tell you something, OP. I personally would never send a child there.

[Kenlee]

They actually advertised in HK too...

I'm just off to get some popcorn and coke...Please hold my seat.

[Hoppinggreen]

A family member has a child there and w heave collected her for weekends quite a few times.
I would never send my child there

[NWgirls]

The ISI inspection report from an unannounced visit in March 2015 and an emergency(!) inspection in June 2015 are really worth reading:
www.isi.net/school/queen-ethelburga-s-college-6811
The school seems to have dealt with all the breaches according to the December report.

Google News is also a handy tool in this case.

This school's approach to reputation management (as evidenced on earlier threads, not least the legal angle) is so counterproductive that it has become a bit of an MN (education boards) legend and laughing stock for those of us who have seen a few episodes of this tragic comedy and are now grabbing the popcorn.

[Insert perfect legal disclaimer here - actually, perhaps MNHQ can cook up a boilerplate for use by all posters on QE threads?]

[LizardBreath]

Due to much advertising in horse and pony type magazines, I grew up dreaming of going here! Would love to know what the reality is actually like.

[PatronIcingBardStarred]

There're a couple of threads still standing despite legal threats I think, but they've been decimated with deletions and withdrawals. Might be worth an advanced search...

[happygardening]

There is a very large thread in the education section but with many deleted posts as legal action was threatened by the school against many of the posters who'd made comments the school were unhappy about. One of the regular posters on here, Talkinpeace, I think copied it all before there was this mass deletions and is keen that nothing further inflammatory is written on it that might force MNHQ to delete the whole thing.
IME it appears to be the only school that reacts like this to negative comments on MN.
And I think the equestrian bit has now gone or is being completely redeveloped.

[happygardening]

OP there are 100's of boarding schools in the U.K and 1000's of independent day schools. I would advise anyone looking at any school to always look very carefullyat two or three schools before making your choice.

[HostaFireandIce]

Oo, I love a QE thread!

[glamourousgranny42]

I used to work there. I don't anymore. Great escape.

[LottieDoubtie]

The advertising is certainly very glossy and all the children in the photographs seem to be having a lovely time.

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

We have mailshots for Queen Ethelburga's and would love to know people's experiences.

I would probably reflect on why a successful school might need to advertise itself quite as much as QE seem to need to do.

This thread or what's left of it might be some help. Some of it had to be redacted.

[Northernlurker]

I am local. My kids are state educated but if I was going private I would go for Bootham. QE is not a school I would EVER consider.

[JasperDamerel]

What Northernluker said. And if I wanted more of an old fashioned Mallory Towers style boarding school, I would go for Queen Margaret's.

[JudyCoolibar]

I would be immediately suspicious of any school that is as aggressive as QE in protecting its reputation.

[Justalittlebitblondie]

I am local - I wouldn't send my children there even if I had a full scholarship- draw your own conclusions

[WellErrr]

Due to much advertising in horse and pony type magazines, I grew up dreaming of going here!

Same! From what I've heard though I've changed my mind....!

[WellErrr]

And who was Queen Ethelburga??

[Needmoresleep]

The wonders of Google:

Queen Ethelburga was largely responsible for the introduction of Christianity to Northumbria. Ethelburga (also known as Aedilburh, Aethelburga or Tata) was a Kentish princess and the daughter of Ethelbert, the King of Kent.

King Edwin of Northumbria sought her hand in marriage and this was only granted on the condition that Ethelburga and her household be allowed to continue practising Christianity in Northumbria. It was also agreed that Edwin himself might consider converting to Christianity. So it was, through Ethelburga, that Christianity came to the north of England. To help convert the local Northumbrians, Ethelburga was accompanied by her chaplain, Paulinus. After Edwin's death in 633 she returned to Kent with Paulinus and founded the nunnery of Lyming, which she ruled until her death in 647.

[Needmoresleep]

Indeed I might suggest Ethelburga on the next baby naming thread. Sister to ....

[stubiff]

QE seems to have an (unhealthy?) appetite to get to the top of the league tables. Am guessing that they partly achieve this (allegedly) with a lot of Chinese and Russian students.
The facilities are very impressive but there is more to a school than just that.
For me it is 'one' school, but the Faculty and the College are treated separately, the former catering for a more vocational route (but obviously with bright pupils).

OP, if you're looking around York, then there are plenty of others - Bootham (our favourite at the moment), St Peters, Cundall Manor and The Mount. GSAL in Leeds, as well.
Ripon Grammar is an excellent state school with boarding.