Any direct experience on Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Barnet

[MeAmy]

Hi
May I know if you have any direct experience for QE School in Barnet? I know this is one of the best Grammar schools. But I would like to know about the school environment, teachers and other areas. I found reviews for QE School at Google which is very alarming. Any suggestions please? Thank you so much.

Try elevenplusexams.co.uk. Forum/regions/ Hertfordshire. There is so much pro the school information.

Never heard anything bad about it except that it's for very very bright boys and that it takes sports extremely seriously and that it weeds out boys after GCSE results, but they are open about that. A few of my daughter's primary friends went there. It's a fabulous school

This school is supposed to be the top state school in the nation. By "top" I mean the absolute "apex" of the whole bunch of top schools in the UK, academically speaking. It goes without saying, it is therefore, ridiculously hard to get in being insanely competitive.

I once drove past this school in the evening apparently after an examination session. There were hundreds and hundreds of boys, most with a parent/guardian beside. Many were ashen-faced and looked sad. There was one particular boy sobbing uncontrollably and loudly. My heart sank to the floor seeing this and his parent/guardian looking totally lost.

My present GP comes from this school. A fantastic medic who really knows his stuff!

It's basically like a top top private school, but FREE. Very difficult to get in, but the top boys in my daughter's prep got in

It's only for very smart kids though who can withstand the academic demands

Wow sounds fab, is what equivalent schools for girls are in the area, e.g. north London herts?

incredibly academic, pushes the boys very hard, gets amazing results. Tiger Mum central.

@321Tesla

There isn't a real equivalent but Henrietta Barnett in Barnet is top girls school.

Really. I know it and I wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole. Infact I didn’t. It’s highly highly selective and children are trained to pass the exam from a very young age. It’s extremely science focused and is not ethnically diverse

Just like the above poster said, HBS is a similar highly academic school for girls

I've heard from a teacher working at QE grammer that it is very hardcore academic - it gets excellent results and teaching is very good but the pastoral care is not so great; so maybe not one for a very sensitive child.

*grammar (oh the shame!)

If it's anything to go by, this 2016 Sunday Times magazine ‘League Table of Britain's Top 100 independent and state schools’ confirms Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet, as the “apex” of the nation’s top state schools – Position 8.

Jokes aside, this stellar performance by QE School – free - can seriously embarrass top public schools the likes of Eton, Winchester, Harrow, etc that parents have to spend up to £¼ million to attend.

State schools are highlighted in pink – a poster above is quite correct in saying Henrietta Barnett School in Hampstead, (London – Barnet), is the girls’ ‘equivalent’ top state girls’ school – Position 17. So parents who have designs for their kids to attend free top state schools, come to live in Barnet!

It's for a certain type of child - the highly academic child that picks things up at lightning speed and thrives under academic pressure and likes to be among other extremely bright kids. I know boys like that and have boys like that in my family (definitely not my own kid though who is a girl anyway and the polar opposite academically 😅which is why I didn't even let her sit the HBS assessment)

We went to view it a few years back on Open Evening. It wasn't a pleasant experience at all. Couldn't wait to get out, if I'm honest.

It takes a very special cohort of boys who are elite, tutored since they were practically born, and can withstand a VERY competitive atmosphere. It's not diverse in any way, shape or form, and the boys do not look happy.

Jokes aside, this stellar performance by QE School – free - can seriously embarrass top public schools the likes of Eton, Winchester, Harrow, etc that parents have to spend up to £¼ million to attend.

The biggest driver of the level of a school's output (results) is the level of its input (students). This result is not surprising to the extent that QE can select on only academic ability, as measured by the entrance exam, and is not limited by non-academic factors such as the ability to pay. I find it is more interesting that the top public schools can achieve similar results for a rather less academic group of boys.

What do you specifically want to know OP? My DS finished last year and due to go into yr2 of Uni in a week or two. The recent ofsted report was released two week ago have a read.

The only boy from DS's year to get in this year had no social life during primary. All his time was spent being tutored, doing practice papers, playing chess, practising his violin. He never came to parties or played with the other children out of school.

I would consider this a form of child abuse.

It's a myth that kids have no life at QE. It suits a certain type of boy and it has a very high percentage of south Asian boys which can make it somewhat monocultural. Academics are top notch but I dont think it's the school that exerts the oressure, it's the parents. This is a culture that highly values academic success. The school offers sports etc. we considered it for my ds but in the end went elsewhere. I didn't like that the school culled at sixth form and could veto what your ds wanted to do for A levels, plus no mixed sixth form.

Very valid point in the last post. It's the parents. All the children seem lovely.

The school offers so much extracurricular stuff, it's not all about academics. Though I love how maths is taught (much more incremental than I expected) and English in the first term of Year 7 has required some GCSE resources. My son adores the cooking classes, the extra MFL (it's French AND German, as well as Latin). They are taught how to structure single arguments from day 1, but then get given help in the shape of essay plans for history and geography. So it's a lot but the help is there, if needed. Schools trips have been good so far.

They have regular tests which identify gaps early and help is immediately available. The boys do need to be switched on at all times, but the periods are longer and fewer in number, so there is less running around between classrooms. There are also longer lunch breaks a few days a week, which allows them to do lots of clubs/activities. They have just banned computer use at lunch because boys were spending too much time working and the school encourages breaks.

My only gripe is there is a lot of wokery, but show me a school this isn't the case.

@happyinherts
Just stumbled upon your message as I went for QE Boys open day 2023 today and felt exactly the same specially about no genuine smiles on boys faces, it was kind of sad to watch and teachers didn’t seem welcoming.
Definitely, it isn’t just me who felt boys didn’t look happy at all.

QE was on top of our list as my son is extremely bright and working beyond his years. He goes to such an amazing academic focused primary school with superb pastoral care but after the visit today at QE, I am not sure if this school is any good for happiness of a child…

My friend got both her sons in by putting them into London private preps. Neither of her sons are sporty but they are extremely academic, speak 5 languages, and one sings at a well known choir while the other has won short story prizes in India.