Queen's College London

[doooer101]

Always shocked about the lack of comments from current parents' with DD at QCL and then realised that I was part of the problem. I hope I encourage other parents to come forward and to share their experiences too, even if different from mine and my DD.

For those who are thinking about QCL in the future, my DD attends and is very happy. Small cohort of diverse girls from a range of backgrounds and areas of London who all interact very nicely. No known bullying from girls or teachers. Any small issues are dealt with quite swiftly by staff.

Very supportive head teacher in a nice part of the city Could not ask for more. Great for Art and Drama, languages and general academics. All results are improving year on year.

We chose QCL as it came across as an intimate small school; and it is. Every girl is known and as a result my DD's confidence has really increased.

My DD has had some very very supportive teachers who have gone above and beyond and we are really grateful.

Great experiences, trips abroad (in the pre covid world) and central enough to access great culture all over London with relative ease

Negative parts no school sports grounds so if your daughter is into sports then this may not be ideal although they do have access to Paddington Rec which is very well facilitated. Still able to complete with other schools in London

Would prefer if girls wore uniform all the way until yr 11 but the older girls love this. almost like a rights of passage.

Lunches not great according to DD as they encourage healthy eating (good IMO but not according to DD as eerything they like disappears!)

Staff turnover in last couple of years not great which happens a lot in London Schools - so not unique to QCL.

Overall it is a lovely little school and I really hope that more of you consider this for your DD in the future.

Are you a current or former parent with DD at Queens? Or have you visited? I would be really interested to know.

doooer101 - AKA A-no-Z-mum

Former pupil! So just giving you a little bump ;)

I am a former pupil too. Loved it there!

We are applying for DD for next sept, so really helpful to see this - thank you.
It's a shame about the lack of outdoor space,

@MajesticWhine

We are applying for DD for next sept, so really helpful to see this - thank you. It's a shame about the lack of outdoor space,

Not a problem when there is the beautiful Regents Park on the doorstep for all PE (and there is outdoor space on site in the form of courtyards type space etc.)

Former pupil here and was very happy there, although I went way back when even Year 7s didn’t wear uniform, ha ha!

@ChloeDecker 😀. I joined in Year 9 or Class 1 and can remember the freedom of being able to wear jeans every day. After a while, I missed my old uniform as I couldn’t decide what to wear each day!

@Delta1 @HuntingtonHaven18 Many thanks for your bumps

@MajesticWhine yes regents park not too far and also Paddington Rec is not far the whole year do PE together and travel by coach. it works well. Good luck.

Any current or very recent parents?

Really nice to hear such great things about Queen's college. Would be good to hear more about the Prep school too, as my DD has just been offered a 7+ place for September.
I can see that there is great provision for drama, dance and music, however I wonder if there is much emphasis on STEM subjects. Is there a predominant area of London that students travel from? Looking more for weekend playdates etc

I’m interested to know how competitive QCL is for 11+ entry.

My girls are both very happy at QCL. The thing that I think they do incredibly well is the pastoral care as it does not feel like a pressure cooker unlike other schools we visited. The academic outputs are well in line with other similar schools and better than some of the more well known other choices. They had a rescue dog there on the day of the interviews so that the children had something else to think about which I thought was a good example of the ethos there. The head is wonderful and teaches all of the new arrivals so that he gets to know them. There is little outside space however there is lots of focus on sports and the school has access to Paddington Recreation ground and an England International as the head of sports. They also have a mentoring system with the older girls who lead lots of the clubs and activities. My daughters are quite different and this school feels like a good fit for both of them. The school has managed to adapt to the online learning environment well and are careful to think about the amount of screen time that the girls have. A new initiative for example is a reading group on a Friday afternoon with this in mind and a recent adjustment to the timetable to allow them to get out for fresh air at lunch time. I would definitely recommend the school to anyone making that choice now.

My daughter joined QCL last year. We visited the school several times in the run up to the 11+ and before making the agonising final decision. Every time we were impressed by the girls and the infectious enthusiasm of the Principal and the staff.

I was a bit worried most of the girls would be from other "financial planets", instead there is quite a social spread and an increasing number of bursaries. There is a good mix of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds, which is what one wants for a London girl, I suppose.
The Principal is great and sets the tone of the overall school. The school is small but vibrant and fun, however it is also demanding and has high academic expectations. GCSE results are excellent and improve year on year. A Levels too, and the 11+ intake has become far more selective since the new Principal joined.
I was particularly interested in Languages , the department is strong with a good choice and many pupils are bilingual. I was surprised that my daughter who has never liked sciences because they were not taught well at our local Primary, she now loves them. Same with History and Maths.
Even during the Autumn term there was a good range of “distanced” afterschool clubs, and sports is done at Paddington Rec and on the school premises. The new Principal has also increased efforts to raise the sports profile of the school, by appointing as Director of Sports a member of the Rugby World Cup winning England team.

The stretch programme of lectures by external speakers is stimulating, and I managed to convince my reluctant DD to attend a few. Strangely, she was pleased at the end.
The Online distanced learning during lockdown was faultless. DD attended all lessons and delivered all work. She never complained and did all by herself. So big cheers for that! As I had no time to support her.

The school is nurturing, working on building resilience and preparing well-rounded pupils. For example, a week a year they run “Failure week”. Principal, staff and children alike share their “unsuccessful moments” to foster understanding that failing is part of life, you are allowed to fail , but you can still learn from this. I found it great! And a much needed lesson for teen girls.

If you are looking for some miniature university (and I’ve seen quite a few) for your 12 years old DD, then QCL is not for you. If you, instead, are looking for a medium-sized school with a good working ethos, academic aspirations and a sound curriculum, then QCL is your school.

Of course, we’d have liked a big green garden and a swimming pool. But one can’t have all in life!

hey there! i just wanted to ask if you have any qcl pe kit for older girls which you’re liking do donate/sell?

thank you!