Queen Anne’s School Caversham

[SD1779]

Dear all,

My daughter has obtained a place at QA, she is a happy go lucky young girl but is shy in the school environment. We are hoping that the mix of academic and pastoral care will help her to become more confident at school and flourish as she grows older.

If anyone has any reviews or experience with the school, particularly how the girls are developed and the pastoral support provided to them please let me know.

Many thanks

[Homez]

@Here4 - Girls were set for mathematics from year 7, with a further set created in year 8. She enjoys all her STEM subjects, and speaks highly of her teachers. Academically, she seems to be progressing very well.
Am surprised to see posts referencing girls looking ‘miserable’ and cliquey boarding houses - that’s certainly not our experience. I think open days can be onerous for many pupils, no matter which school you visit, and every girl we spoke to during our own visits to the school, was friendly and engaging.
As for Chinese students - that is a general theme for every UK boarding school. It’s certainly not an issue for our daughter, or any of her boarding friends. They are very much one big happy family - and she is enjoying her time there very much.

[TizerorFizz]

@Findanotherpassword1

No. Food can be great at some schools. Both my DDs enthused about food at Queenswood School. My DD2 moved to a school in Ascot for 6th form where the food was nowhere near as good. Must be a Berkshire problem!

[Pinkyxx]

I visited QAS when looking for a school for my daughter and got a very uncomfortable feeling in the boarding houses. They were not welcoming at all, nor was the quality of the accommodation up to much IMO. I also worried about the long bus journey every day. Wasn't impressed by the Head's presentation to prospective parents at all. Lot of gimmick talk, little substance especially academically. Overwhelming the girls I saw looked miserable, disengaged. When I contrasted QAS with other schools it really did come up short. My daughter is 2 years into her new school now, as a day girl. The majority of students are boarders however they integrate remarkably well and the support is outstanding both academically & pastorally.

[Findanotherpassword1]

My daughter boarded and loved her first year at the school having made two good friends. However she was ostracised by these girls after the first year and then we began to see the cracks. We asked the school for help but no practical steps were taken and she just became miserable and seriously depressed. And I have to also mention that a couple of the other girls looked pretty miserable. We had no choice but to remove her. There is very little mixing with the non boarders and when we looked round the school and asked questions about the ratio of Chinese to non Chinese boarders were not given any hard or fast answers. This shouldn’t matter but the Chinese students do not mix so it reduces the number of friends you can make. The boarding school is very cliquey and little is done to make it less so. In the process of trying to decide whether to remove my daughter I private messaged a few mums here on mums et who had also removed their girls because they were so unhappy at the school. I think it will take my daughter some time to recover from the phycological trauma

my daughter did however like her academic teachers and I did feel they tried their best with her and were always easy to contact.

she didn’t like the food (we found it pretty horrible when offered the posher stuff they give to parents) but I think most schools have pretty awful food

[Here4]

@Homez can you please share how the school is supporting your daughter in Maths? Our daughter is gifted in Maths as well. And we have been looking for schools which will be able to support her well. Right now she is being very well supported in her primary school. We are local to the area.
Also, how are the sciences in the school? Our daughter is very keen on Stem subjects.
Thanks.

[SwanHK]

My niece from HK joined Queen Anne year 10 at the beginning of this school year. I would like to share few points.

1. The food is awful as comment by my niece, she will take cup noodle instead of school meal in the evening
   

1. For students who struggle with academics, there is no support from the teachers. Some teachers are very disorganized in teaching, many causal talks during the lessons. Occasionally there is no replacement teacher when the teacher has been sick for few weeks.
   

I am quite surprised about the teaching quality of such a private school.

[Homez]

@Zodlebud

I went to see QAs last autumn on the back of their great exam results and looking for a school with Monday to Friday boarding. It was no doubt a great school BUT I asked a few awkward questions and wasn't happy with the answers I had back. My questions were more focussed on boarding though and if we lived close enough to the school for DD to be a day girl then it would definitely have been a contender.

1) The current Year 8 is very small in comparison to other year groups (by about a third according to my guides). This is because the international girls never came during covid, mainly the Chinese. I was surprised they hadn't taken on more day girls to backfill the gap like at several other schools I have visited. I guess a significant number may come in Year 9 but it did feel a little unnerving for the school to have such a significant difference in numbers in a year group and how reliant they must be on international boarding fees.

2) I got the distinct impression that the boarders and day girls really don't mix too much, despite the best efforts of the school. There was a definite divide.

3) Not sure if it was just a personal taste thing, but every single boarder I spoke to wasn't that over enamoured by the food, to the extent that they mostly seemed to eat freeze dried noodles in the evenings. Now I'm all for an evening snack - toast, a biscuit, some occasional noodles, but this was EVERY night because they didn't like the food being served by the school.

4) The Chinese contingent dominates the boarding houses (year 8 aside). Don't get me wrong, I think international students are a fabulous benefit to boarding schools but I did worry about my DD being one of only a minority in a boarding house.

5) Year 10 top set maths class (as informed by my guide when we went past the classroom) was formed entirely of Chinese students. I do wonder how much of the great results from this school are as a result of the Chinese work ethic and how much is down to the school. It would be interesting to see exam results split between boarders and day girls.

I am not knocking the school as my only experience was from an open day, but I saw and heard enough for me to be put off from a boarding perspective. Like any school ask the difficult questions.

Another school we visited and really liked doesn't split their GCSE results by subject. Even current parents don't know. I asked three times for the information and they said they would provide but they didn't. A bit of insider information told me that the children are excelling in some of the more creative subjects but the English and Maths results are lower then they would like. So they hide them in amongst all the other subjects and only give headline figures. We didn't apply as I couldn't get my head around why they wouldn't be honest with me, even if they didn't want to put it in writing.

Wow...our daughter is at QA, and that is far removed from our experience. Yes the current year 8 is smaller than pre-covid years - as most of the international students join at year 7, and the UK contingent is smaller at this point. Year 9 has another significant intake for girls from other home-county preps such as Godstowe.
Our daughter is gifted at Maths, and we turned down highly selective schools in favor of QA...so we certainly have no qualms there. There is a broader intake - so naturally this would be reflected in any results analysis - which we didn't even bother requesting.
There is also a huge extra-curricular focus, which is ideal for those who wish to indulge their passion for art or music etc..
We have been hugely impressed with the academic rigor and support that has been provided this far.
As for food - our daughter and her boarding friends all love the food, and are certainly not eating pot noodles for tea. There has been a bit of a campaign waged by a seemingly small group of day parents. Usually complaining that their children are not being fed sufficient quantities of 'sushi and suchlike' for afternoon tea...or complaining about the 'unhealthy' consumption of bread. The catering team just cannot win...our daughter and her friends love the bakery treats that are regularly on offer, and it annoys them when parents try to curtail these 'treats'. They are extremely active and have a healthy approach to food...but there are some parents who seem to want to police every morsel their child consumes. Every school has this problem in my experience...and particularly more so with girls!

[happybutsnappy]

I thought I would put an update on here for any parents who were still wondering about QAS. My daughter had started as a boarder in year 7, but by Feb (just before Covid) she wanted to board. She obviously didn’t board for very long, but started boarding properly last summer. She loves the school and seems very happy. She has a lot of friends who both board and are day girls. I definitely have not seen any divide. Academically they are on top of her. She let a few things slip during Covid and they are supporting her to catch up. From her reports, it is very obvious the staff know her well. Not every teacher she has is an outstanding teacher (in my eyes), but I do not think you would get that in any school.

[Zodlebud]

That would make sense @Zippppp in terms of the very small year group. It sounds like your daughter is very happy and, like I said, if I was looking for a day place then it would be a school I would definitely consider. Just something felt "off" from the boarding point of view.

[Zippppp]

I can't comment on many of these points as my DD is a day girl. However, I can tell you that she likes the food and she is in a friendship group of around six girls and two of these are boarders, one full and one weekly, so I think that day and boarding must mix.
I was told when I asked, that the reason for the small intake was that when the international girls didn't come, they didn't lower their academic level in order to fill places as they wanted to maintain the academic standards.

[Zodlebud]

I went to see QAs last autumn on the back of their great exam results and looking for a school with Monday to Friday boarding. It was no doubt a great school BUT I asked a few awkward questions and wasn't happy with the answers I had back. My questions were more focussed on boarding though and if we lived close enough to the school for DD to be a day girl then it would definitely have been a contender.

1. The current Year 8 is very small in comparison to other year groups (by about a third according to my guides). This is because the international girls never came during covid, mainly the Chinese. I was surprised they hadn't taken on more day girls to backfill the gap like at several other schools I have visited. I guess a significant number may come in Year 9 but it did feel a little unnerving for the school to have such a significant difference in numbers in a year group and how reliant they must be on international boarding fees.
   
   
2. I got the distinct impression that the boarders and day girls really don't mix too much, despite the best efforts of the school. There was a definite divide.
   
   
3. Not sure if it was just a personal taste thing, but every single boarder I spoke to wasn't that over enamoured by the food, to the extent that they mostly seemed to eat freeze dried noodles in the evenings. Now I'm all for an evening snack - toast, a biscuit, some occasional noodles, but this was EVERY night because they didn't like the food being served by the school.
   
   
4. The Chinese contingent dominates the boarding houses (year 8 aside). Don't get me wrong, I think international students are a fabulous benefit to boarding schools but I did worry about my DD being one of only a minority in a boarding house.
   
   
5. Year 10 top set maths class (as informed by my guide when we went past the classroom) was formed entirely of Chinese students. I do wonder how much of the great results from this school are as a result of the Chinese work ethic and how much is down to the school. It would be interesting to see exam results split between boarders and day girls.
   
   I am not knocking the school as my only experience was from an open day, but I saw and heard enough for me to be put off from a boarding perspective. Like any school ask the difficult questions.
   
   Another school we visited and really liked doesn't split their GCSE results by subject. Even current parents don't know. I asked three times for the information and they said they would provide but they didn't. A bit of insider information told me that the children are excelling in some of the more creative subjects but the English and Maths results are lower then they would like. So they hide them in amongst all the other subjects and only give headline figures. We didn't apply as I couldn't get my head around why they wouldn't be honest with me, even if they didn't want to put it in writing.

[BlackCatBlueEyes]

Hi Zippp,
I have sent you a message.

[Zippppp]

Hi, I did send my DD to QA in the end. She is a day girl and absolutely loves it. Best decision ever and can't speak more highly of the school. She's the happiest she's ever been (in terms of school). You're welcome to DM me if you have any questions.

[BlackCatBlueEyes]

Hi,

Did you send your DD to QA in the end?

[Jammyfunky]

Any more feedback on how your daughters are doing at QAS now that the Autumn term is out of the way? I am also wondering whether to send my DD there for Y7 in September as a day girl (place offered).....

[happybutsnappy]

My daughter started this year as a day girl. She seems super happy so far. The days are long, but I think that has built up her resilience. She gets the bus at 7.15 and gets home at 7.10 and 5.15 depending on the day. My daughter is not sporty, but is still getting the opportunities. There seems to be so much on offer, which makes it easier for your daughter to find what she really likes.

[Mumto2two]

Thanks for sharing your experience mumsie, it’s sad when that optimism gives way to something so disappointing. I hope your daughter is much happier now.

[mumsiedarlingrevolta]

@Mumto2two

DD was commuting over an hour a day each way. Ended up at least 12-13 hours a week because traffic everywhere surrounding very congested in the direction DD needed to travel.

It just made for very long days.

The other problem is that it also means her class mates were very spread out and socialising and meeting up at weekends was also very challenging. It depends a bit where you are coming from-but as they get older think parties etc

It just wasn't right for DD is a million little ways despite huge optimism in the beginning.

You can always try and see how it suits your DD-no one will know that but her. Like @McPeony we gave it 2 years. My only regret is not moving her sooner. So if it isn't right you aren't stuck.

I hope it works out for your DD wherever she goes.

[Mumto2two]

Thanks for explaining that mumsie. Our biggest concern is still very much about the journey time and length of day, so the scenario you describe is exactly what we are not hoping for! Catching a bus at 6.30 would not be great I have to say. Our daughter is really not what you’d call robust at all, and the one thing she would struggle with, is lack of family time and little sleep! It’s such a shame as we love everything else we’d seen, that’s why we were looking at doing 2 days flexi board, and apparently they now have an earlier finish on Wednesdays as well as Fridays, which I think was very much welcomed by girls and parents alike. In terms of academics, we got the impression it was not too pushy which we liked, but not sure if that’s true or not!

[ittakes2]

One of my daughter's best friends goes there - I have known her since she was 4 and I have really noticed a positive change in her since she started at QAs - she seems happier and more engaging so I have been surprised by some of these posts. She came from a small private school so in some ways the environment is similar but I think she enjoys the lessons more at QAs. She catches a bus at 6.38am and gets home around 7pm - but she tells me she enjoys school and has now opted to flexiboard. She is not sporty and while I would not describe her as confident because she is not very talkative - I would describe her as robust and self sufficient so I am not sure if that is why.

[mumsiedarlingrevolta]

@Mumto2two she was.

My heart did sink as I read you post-the long bus journeys meant very long and exhausting days for her. She was getting home so late she was getting none of the benefits of family life and wasn't part of boarding life.

My experience-with my daughter as a day girl and a very good friend's daughter at the same time who was a boarder- was that the day and boarders did not mix well. My friend decided against sending her other DD there because of the environment. Agree with @McPeony that in DD experience boarders very cliquey. My other experience of my DS boarding school is that they did this integration much better-day and and boarders in the same house with a day room for day boys.

I will also agree a huge amount depends on your DD cohort. Unfortunately DD's was very sharp elbowed and every girl for herself sort of attitude. DD did not feel much support- she was a bit crushed by it.

Think I best stop here...

I will say again in fairness that no school suits everyone.
My experience, and my friend's, seems very similar to that of @McPeony. A lot of girls did leave but these things do seem to run in cycles. It was a couple of years ago. I want to be fair but honest.

[Mumto2two]

That’s interesting mumsie, our daughter is neither robust nor sporty, and our HT recommended the school as he felt it would be a good choice in terms of building confidence! Was your daughter a day girl too?

[mumsiedarlingrevolta]

My DD also had a very unhappy time there and we moved her-best thing we ever did.

It was a few years ago. I have seen a few of these threads and I don't like to post bashing schools.

No school will suit everyone and that's ok-you just need to look carefully at the feel of the school-not the facilities but the behind the scenes ethos.

In my experience QAS suits a very robust, confident, sporty girl.
The girls did seem to grow up very quickly.

I've actually typed and deleted most of my post. Am happy to chat re dm.

But I will say if it's wrong don't be afraid to move. Sometimes we focus so much on getting in we lose sight of what it will be like when our DC are there.

Good luck to you all for your DD's.

[Zippppp]

Hi,
We have been looking at this school and really like it so far. We have friends who have daughters there as day girls and say they are really happy with it. It's interesting to hear other views though.
@McPeony Did your daughter leave recently? I just wondered if it was a while ago or recently as you said it might have changed?

[Mumto2two]

Our daughter has received a reserved day place offer following recent assessment, so we are keen to hear any feedback there is out there before we make a decision.
I have heard quite positive feedback from the day camp so far, which is promising. There seemed to be quite a lot of girls at the assessment day, far more than we expected. I presume the initial assessment day, is their main selection point, and Common Entrance is more for setting info etc? Hope your daughter is still enjoying it findanotherpassword.