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Queen's is a leading independent day school for girls between the ages of 11 and 18, occupying four large houses on Harley Street in central London. Our outstanding Prep School, for girls aged 4 to 11, is situated in a separate building, just around the corner on Portland Place.
Queen’s has been at the forefront of education for nearly 175 years. Established in 1848, Queen’s was the first British educational establishment to give academic qualifications to women. We are now one of the most high-achieving, diverse and forward-looking girls’ schools in London.
We live in extraordinary times where young women have many conflicting pressures on them, and a choice of many different paths they can take through life. This needs an extraordinary school, and we believe we have one at Queen’s. Ours is a community where success comes not from pressure, but from tolerance, kindness and respect. Supported by outstanding teaching and pastoral care, pupils learn not just their subjects, but to value themselves and each other, leaving with a clear sense of who they are and how they can make a difference.
Our academic results speak for themselves, but our pupils are our finest ambassadors.
The Art department at Queen's has an energetic and creative ethos, which is reflected in the wide range of disciplines offered; Painting, Drawing, Life Drawing, Printmaking, Photography, Construction, Sculpture and Installation.
The department places contextual studies as an integral element in all its courses with a strong emphasis placed upon contemporary female artists. We make the most of our central London location by taking pupils on a wide variety of trips and visits to galleries, museums and exhibitions.
Students are encouraged to aim high and reach their full creative potential through working to their own personal creative strengths. Experimentation, problem-solving, risk-taking and above all fostering a sense of fun and love for Art are all key values of the department.
Art and Design is taught to all years in the School with a large intake at GCSE and A-level. Many students go on to study Art at Foundation and Degree Level at prestigious Art schools including Leeds, Central St Martins and Kingston University.
Classics is a lively department which achieves top results in Latin at GCSE and A-Level. Many of our A-Level students continue the subject at university. While expecting a rigorous approach to the language, we emphasise the cultural and historical context of the subject and introduce literary appreciation from an early stage.
We begin with Greek mythology and history in Year 7, before moving on to the Cambridge Latin Course in Year 8. We give our pupils the opportunity to act the scenes and enact events, in particular, the elections at Pompeii. Queen's has a long tradition of performance in the original language. Trips are offered to Greece and Italy, as well as to sites of interest in England.
Here at Queen's, we teach Computer Science as a separate subject for Years 7, 8 and 9 (Key Stage 3) . Our Key Stage 3 courses are an exciting mixture of the highly creative and dynamic aspects of IT, as well as Computer Science. Web design, graphics and animation using Fireworks and Flash are taught alongside computational thinking and coding.
While many schools focus on just Computer Science topics, we believe developing design and graphics skills play an important part in the curriculum, as well as being valuable skills for the future.
The IGCSE Cambridge Computer Science course is offered as an option for Year 10, with a healthy number of pupils signing up each year. The course covers; problem-solving, computational thinking, programming, data representation, hardware and software, the internet and cybersecurity. The department runs a range of extra-curricular clubs including a graphics-based photography workshop and coding clubs using Python, Small Basic and vb.net.
The Drama department is a vibrant hub of creative activity offering Edexcel GCSE Drama, and A-Level Drama and Theatre. Participating in the dramatic experience provides opportunities for pupils to cooperate, listen to and accept the viewpoints and contributions of others.
The curriculum includes the study of influential Drama practitioners such as Stanislavski, Artaud, Grotowski and Brecht. It embraces classical theatre and draws upon contemporary issues and material that young people can relate to in the modern world.
The examination courses contain practical work and in-depth written analysis, meaning it is a challenging and demanding discipline both intellectually and artistically. It is a highly popular option choice, particularly at GCSE, where on average there are over 20 pupils in each cohort. There is a focus on the study of set texts, examining the script from the point of view of designer, director, writer and actor.
All Key Stage 3 pupils study the subject for a double lesson each week. Creating a devised piece of work hones skills in team building, decision-making, problem solving and leadership. The Drama department has a well-established tradition of co-curricular events. The College musical is an inclusive and exhilarating piece of theatre whereby all year groups can participate and enjoy the rich rewards of the drama experience.
Past productions have included ‘The Sound of Music', ‘Into the Woods', ‘Little Shop of Horrors' and most recently Disney's ‘Beauty and the Beast'. Pupils also stage classical and modern plays such as ‘Jane Eyre', ‘Love and Hate: Tales from the Bard', ‘The Crucible', ‘Unman, Wittering and Zigo', and the pantomime ‘Cinderella'.
The department also benefits greatly from the school's central London location, which means we can take pupils on a wide variety of theatre trips. We also offer individual lessons in preparation for Trinity Guildhall Speech and Drama exams.
The study of literature is at the heart of the English department here at Queen's. Pupils are exposed to a broad range of modern and heritage texts of all genres, and are encouraged to develop personal viewpoints through discussion and written responses.
From Class 3 (Year 7), pupils study a selection of prose, poetry and drama (including Shakespeare), with an emphasis on creative tasks as well as the development of literary analysis. Pupils also partake in the English Speaking Board examination in Class 3 and Class 1 (Year 9) to refine their speaking and listening skills. We follow the IGCSE and achieve outstanding results in both Language and Literature. English Literature is also an extremely popular A-level subject, with many students choosing to continue the subject at university.
In addition to academic success, the department offers a diverse and intellectually rigorous programme of extra-curricular activities, from short story competitions to theatre and museum trips.
Geography at Queen's gets to the heart of what it means to be a citizen of our changing world today. Students are encouraged to question assumptions and grapple with challenging concepts to understand our dynamic and changing world.
We explore pressing global challenges such as disaster preparedness, population growth, resource exploitation, the climate crisis and environmental change.
Geography is taught to all our pupils in the School, using an enquiry-based approach. In the Junior College, the Geography IGCSE is a popular and engaging option, with many students continuing to study the subject at A-level. Our students secure good results in these exams and Geography remains a popular university choice amongst our Seniors.
We offer field trips for a range of different age groups, with Seniors visiting the Lake District or Snowdonia for their field studies and enrichment trips running to countries such as Iceland and Italy.
Queen's History department focuses on fostering interest, enthusiasm and understanding of the past and providing the historical knowledge and skills to understand the present.
History is taught to all our students from Years 7 to 9. In the first three years, we aim to convey the excitement and fascination of studying past cultures and to provide a coherent and interesting narrative of key events in Britain, Europe and the world. Many pupils then choose to study History at GCSE, where we follow the CIE IGCSE syllabus, offering a popular modern world option. Our results at GCSE are excellent.
In addition, we offer a popular and challenging A-level course, with high standards achieved and many Sixth Formers choosing to continue the subject at university. We seek throughout to equip our students with the knowledge and skills to understand, interpret and contextualise a fast-changing and increasingly complex world.
Trips are an important part of our curriculum ranging from day trips to Canterbury and Hatfield, to international residential visits to the First World War battlefields, Berlin and New York.
Queen's Mathematics department encourages all pupils to develop a positive attitude to the study of the subject. We aim to equip students with the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to apply a range of mathematical concepts to situations which may arise both inside the school and in the world beyond.
Pupils are set according to ability from the end of their first term in Class 3 upwards, allowing lower sets to benefit from a slower pace of working and smaller class sizes. All sets follow the same course leading to them sitting the Edexcel IGCSE (9-1) examination where we enjoy much success. Additionally, all pupils are offered opportunities for enrichment through problem-solving and many participate in various national competitions including the UKMT Maths Challenges.
A popular choice at A-Level, with some students also opting to study Further Mathematics, our students have an impressive record of success and progress on to a wide variety of courses at university which illustrate their awareness of the use of mathematics in other disciplines.
Queen's has a long-standing tradition of valuing the study of modern languages. Now, with over thirty different languages spoken by members of our school community, many of our pupils already enjoy learning languages in order to communicate widely with a diverse audience. Our role is to instil an appreciation of diverse cultures, as well as an ability to apply transferable skills to learn any language that they might need in the future.
Our pupils not only study French alongside either Spanish, Italian or Mandarin, but are also introduced to Linguistics in a module in Year 7, and take part in the United Kingdom Linguistics Olympiad in the Junior and Senior College (Years 10-13). Their study of language is contextualised within the cultural framework, whether in the classroom or on cross-curricular trips to London's theatres, the National Gallery, Chinatown or the Victoria and Albert Museum. Pupils enjoy exploring language and culture through taking part in regional and national ventures, including: the Translation Bee, Poetry in Translation Competition, Hispanic and French Theatre Festivals and a Spanish Debating Competition.
Pupils are encouraged to take further risks with their language learning and participate in the exchanges and homestays on offer from Class 2 (Year 8) up until A-level. Our linguists are sufficiently adventurous and resilient that all of our A-level students spend between 1-3 weeks independently in France, Spain or Italy doing work experience, attending a language school or participating in an exchange.
Equally, it is satisfying that several of our linguists are confident enough to go on to study new languages at university, such as Turkish or Portuguese. The UK needs more intrepid linguists such as those at Queen's!
Queen's is filled with music-making. On any visit, you can expect to hear pupils participating in one of our four choirs, the orchestra or one of our many chamber ensembles.
All pupils have compulsory weekly Music lessons in their first three years at the College. They learn to work independently, in pairs and as part of groups to complete a wide range of performance, composition and listening tasks throughout the year. Topics range from a collaborative singing project for all pupils when they join in Year 7, to Film Music, Chinese Music and Jazz & Blues. GCSE Music is a popular choice once pupils reach Year 10 and many continue to study the subject at A-Level, refining their skills and excelling as performers, composers and analysts. In recent years, pupils have received offers from the prestigious London Music Colleges, with others choosing to study Music at British and American universities, before successfully pursuing a musical career.
Almost half of the pupils at Queen's have individual music lessons and we have an outstanding team of fourteen specialist visiting music teachers who offer exceptional one-to-one instrumental, vocal and theory tuition. There is typically one Music Scholar per year; Music Scholars are supported and challenged through an extensive range of performance opportunities, including masterclasses and concerto performances.
The Politics department here at Queen's focuses on contemporary political issues in the UK and USA, in order to equip students for their role as active citizens in a fast-changing and complex political world.
Politics is a popular A-level subject, with pupils achieving excellent results and many often choosing to continue the subject in some form at university level. The course focuses first on the politics and government of the UK, before exploring the key ideologies and political thinkers who underpin the ideas and values of the main political parties in this country. The selected non-core ideology that students study is feminism, which has always proven to be a popular option. In the second year, we teach a comparative course on politics in the USA.
A wide range of resources are used to promote knowledge and understanding of current political events and trips range from the Houses of Parliament to university lectures and a planned trip to Washington D.C.
Our Physical Education department encourages pupils, through equality of opportunity, to develop their skills in a range of sporting activities.
PE is taught to all pupils throughout the College from Class 3 to II Seniors (Year 7 to 13). Pupils in Classes 3, 2 and 1 have one weekly PE lesson in our on-site gymnasium where they experience sports such as badminton, fitness training, gymnastics and handball. They also receive one dance lesson a week, where they cover a range of dance styles and work towards a performance piece at the Dance Show later in the year. Alongside this, every year group has a weekly Games Afternoon where they travel the short journey to Paddington Recreation Ground to use their extensive facilities for sports such as netball, football, hockey, tennis, rounders and athletics. The older students have the opportunity to receive training from external instructors in taekwondo and attend sessions at a local fitness centre. Extra-curricular sports are very popular at Queen's; we offer a broad range of activities before, during and after school and have a very busy fixture timetable where we use Regent's Park for training and home matches.
We also offer GCSE Dance; this has produced some excellent results. All dance students, regardless of their year group, have the opportunity to perform in our fantastic annual Dance Show.
The Philosophy, Theology and Ethics department at Queen's encourages our pupils to think deeply about big questions and to explore our own preconceptions.. We provide our pupils with the tools for rational, academic debate and value a spirit of open-mindedness, enquiry and tolerance.
Philosophy, Theology and Ethics is taught to all pupils in Year 7-9 covering five of the main world religions and humanism. GCSE and A-level Religious Studies courses include philosophy and ethics papers, as well as a study of religion in society. Both are popular options with a long track record of excellent examination results. We make extensive use of what London has to offer in terms of religious exhibitions, buildings, public lectures and conferences.
We organise trips to places of worship where our pupils meet members of different faiths and engage in inter-faith dialogue. There is, for instance, a biennial residential trip to Amsterdam for GCSE students which alternates with A-level trips to places such as Berlin and Krakow.
The department has close links to King's College, London and Oxford University. Many of our pupils choose to study a related subject at university.
Science is the study of the nature of the Universe and how it works. Our Science department here at Queen's prides itself on helping students open their eyes to nature's wonders and encouraging them to question and challenge some of the most important questions that humans encounter.
Science is a core curriculum subject. In Year 7 students follow an in-house science course which builds on the work students have completed in Key Stage 2 and introduces new ideas about the biological, chemical and physical world. This learning journey continues in Year 8, where students are taught by subject specialists, who equip pupils with the skills to find things out for themselves and continue their development into scientists. We then begin the separate Science GCSE pathway in Year 9, where pupils must choose at least two Science subjects, giving students plenty of time to deepen their knowledge and understanding, as well as explore ideas beyond the requirements of the syllabus.
Learning away from the classroom is an important aspect of the work that we do. Our location gives us easy access to learned societies and university departments, as well as the wealth of medical institutions in Harley Street. Students also participate in trips to the London Zoo and The Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew as well as many other museums and research institutions.
The sciences are popular subjects at A-Level, with many students choosing to continue further study at university in the fields of medical, pure and applied sciences.
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