Queen Ethelburga’s Exam Results

[Eccupredkite]

Hi, I’m new to the forum so please bear with me. Our eldest child is in year 4 and we have been looking round secondary schools. We are looking at both state and private. We live in north Leeds and have looked at GSAL, Ashville, Gateway’s and Queen Ethelburga’s we are still to look round Woodhouse Grove & Bradford grammar and the two local state schools.
QE was a wild card as it is the furthest away however we were very impressed with it, we loved the facilities and both the staff and pupils gave the impression that it was very nurturing (this is high on our priority list). I have noted the exams result % for all the schools for both GSCE & A-Level and QE’s results are way higher than all of the other school, I’m looking for help in understanding the results ie are they a true reflection - selective intake, small class sizes, great teaching or are the less ‘academic’ children not taking the exams? I would really love someone to provide an insight into the statistics, thanks

Do they still have 2 schools with the more academic in one and the less academic in the other? That was the model last time I looked and that inevitably does something odd to the results.

They also have shut down MN threads in the past with legal threats unless you agree to delete posts.

I'm not sure that's something I'd be looking for in a school.

OP, Ethelburga's have two different exam centres - can't remember what they are called - and this means that the results should be looked at very carefully. You would need to see them for both exam centres in order to make a judgement.

Justajot is also correct about previous threads. You might want to read through the ones which have a number of redactions on them. People are very cautious about expressing an opinion regarding QEs.

Isn't it the one that has boarding for five-year-olds? I'd seriously wonder what kind of school would think that this was a nice thing for kids.

My stepson nearly went there. I asked on another forum and didn’t get good replies. Two responses were from ex teachers from there too! They’ve also sent booklets and emails for the past 15 years selling the school, which you’d think they wouldn’t do if it was so good. I just found it all a bit suspicious. (But it would’ve been my dream to go as a little horsey girl!)

I head they'd cut down on the horses, not sure though.

OP the school does not have a happy history with regular posters on the education boards of MN. A number of years ago it threatened legal action against many of us if we didn't delete our comments. Over the years many schools have been criticised by posters on here, often very big names, but they accept that everyone is entitled their own opinion, and that there is no school that is a perfect fit for every child.
My DS's spent much of their education in the independent sector DS2 fro 7-18 yrs old. They are different characters so I've looked at lots of schools all out friends sent their DC's to independent schools so I know what their experiences are and Im just nosey! Over the years I've learnt a lot. Frankly facilities don't mean much its easy to have you opinion of somewhere swayed by Olympic rowing lakes and Medieval manuscripts but as one father said at the end of a tour many years ago of one of the most famous schools in the world "For 32K (now £42) a year they're going to have an Olympic sized swimming and books going back to the 13th century but what I want to know is what is the ethos that underpins this place?"

Secondly you have to understand that amazing results are achieved by very carefully selecting pupils in the first place, chucking out those who aren't achieving or possibly in the case of QE creating 2 schools and by taking super bright children from abroad (usually Asia).
If I was you I'd search the school of MN and I think you'll find some interesting comments, as said above including from ex members of staff. Its always worth going to have a look but you should also try and look at similar schools so that you can make a considered decision.

Should have added that the school might have a glowing iSI report but they're not worth the paper they are written on. DS's prep was unrecognisable from the ISI report including the bit which said that all parents who'd returned the questionnaire were very positive about the school; I know that at least 6 parents were not even positive about let alone very positive about it.

Hi OP
The FinancialTimes on line has an article by Alice Ross today. It mentioned QE York particularly, and not very favourably, as well a discussing the UK boarding schools situation generally at the moment.
I'm not sure how to send the link tho, sorry

The answer to the results thing is very simple. Look at the website under ‘College’ and ‘Faculty’.

The results are the academically selective ‘school ‘, the College.

We looked at QE and also asked about it on here - they're all for show. GSAL or Ashville are much better options in my opinion. No way would I send my child to QE.

www.ft.com/content/98ed81ac-f529-11e9-a79c-bc9acae3b654 Here is the Financial Times article.

Good God!!!!

Though the pace has slowed recently, the arms race between modernising boarding schools has been a contributing factor in annual fees rising faster than inflation. Since 2010, fee increases have averaged 3.9 per cent a year at private schools. Between 2000 and 2010 they averaged 6.6 per cent.

How on earth does anyone afford boarding?

Unfortunately your link is behind a paywall @Kokeshi123
Could you C&P any of the article for us?

My DD went to a school where the ICT teacher had put his own DD through QE. He said, allegedly, that the Facutly and College kids were, allegedly, tauight in the same alleged classroom by the same alleged teacher. Of course, he could have been making all this up and I might have misheard.

We did get an awful lot of marketing brochures though. The best letter we received said that the QE would pay your legal bills for 3 years after leaving the school no matter the crime. I showed this to my NDN who works in CiD and she was horrified.

Have a very good look at Ashville. We would have sent DD there if we lived closer to Harrogate.

I will not C&P the whole article, but the general feeling is that QE has invested in very swanky facilities (en-suite bathrooms!?!), and has set its cap at the overseas market. That's not necessary "bad" of course, but it depends what you want! I wouldn't want that.

Hi
Re the FT article:
If you Google 'The UK boarding school identity crisis' the article will come up and you can click onto it and it should all come through on screen - it's free etc. Date says 10 hrs ago

Since this statement is correct, although QEs lawyers will not like it I will still post it here.
If you are not at a B or higher at the end of year 12 at QE then you are not allowed to take the A level and must instead transfer to the BTEC in a year. Obviously this has a not inconsiderable effect on their A level results. Neither GSAL or Ashville do this, obviously Gateways has no track record with regard to boys and formal exams.
In addition although external facilities appear great at QE large numbers of science lessons don’t happen in labs, because there aren’t enough, and text books are in short supply. Lovely fountains and sculptures though.

I am not aware of any school other than QE which divides its year groups into two by ability, and then has them reported in league tables as separate schools

I know families who have been extremely happy with both pastoral care and results from Ashville. I don't know much about the other schools on your list

Oh I love a QE thread.

Only school state or private who has sent marketing DVDs (yes more than one) to us when we've never expressed any interest. Desperate much?

My friend took LSD in a boarding house at Ashville many moons ago. I was amazed at how little weekend supervision there was when I visited her there.
I’m sure that changed.

I am not aware of any school other than QE which divides its year groups into two by ability, and then has them reported in league tables as separate schools
Me neither.

It goes without saying if you divide your cohort in two and then have one highly selective then your results on paper will look better.

They are quite paranoid regarding people discussing the school and in recent job adverts had disciplinary statements in the advert about people speaking negatively of the school etc. I can't remember the wording but it was most unlike any advert for a school I've seen.

It’s a fascinating school. I would like to know a lot more about it and would love to visit.

I have read many things from unofficial sources but I am sure these things are all unreliable and not substantiated.