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Our view
A strong sense of purpose pervades this all-girls day and boarding school in picturesque Berkshire. Super-friendly girls exude confidence not arrogance, happy in their own skin and enthusiastically throwing themselves into endless opportunities. All bases are covered, so whatever a pupil’s passion, from sport to drama, music to modern languages, this school is brilliant at everything. It’s a sure-fire alternative to the higher-pressure London scene, and we can see why urbanites are flocking here. Kind Hearts, Fierce Minds, Strong Spirits is the school’s motto – and we really got the sense that girls here were genuinely living by this mighty triumvirate.
Where?
This is prime commuter-belt territory; 35 acres of Berkshire real estate, just 22 minutes to Oxford by train and 20 minutes to London Paddington via the super-fast Elizabeth Line – a real boon for international boarders who love exploring the capital on weekends. The school has been on the same site since 1894 (in fact, it’s been around a lot longer – it was founded by the Grey Coat Hospital Foundation in Westminster in 1689, and still retains links with Westminster Abbey). Set in an ivy-clad Victorian mansion, it’s a little austere from the outside but achingly up-to-the-minute on the inside – think Scandi-style chic. There are also a couple of wonderful sixth form workspaces, one set up as a mini theatre complete with stage and drop-down velvet seats, the other designed as a mini Central Park with old-fashioned street lighting and park benches. Bonus points for the tremendous views over the beautifully manicured lawns, stretching down to a wide spread of playing fields. The sense of space is palpable and the 20 or so dogs on site make Queen Anne’s a proper country home from home.
Head
Queen Anne’s is Elaine Purves’ fourth headship, so she arrived here in 2022 as something of a seasoned professional. With a quiet confidence and a unique ability to blend in and stand out all at once, she very much embodies the fusion of tradition and innovation that this school is all about. She’s passionate about meeting every pupil’s ‘emerging need’. ‘We give every student the opportunity to find something they’ll love’, she tells us – ‘and it’s our role to help them develop it’. As well as upgrading facilities and giving the interiors a new lick of paint, she’s appointed two new deputy heads and a new director of performing arts, one of whom has introduced the brilliant idea of kicking off term with an adventure activity trip. This year the lower school went to Bristol Wave and the seniors to Wales to go zip lining.
Her gentle manner makes her approachable and very well liked – girls we met commented on how involved she is, supporting almost every sports fixture, drama show and music concert, driving to dance recitals in central Reading, popping up unexpectedly for coffee and croissants to celebrate the end of mocks, and even turning up on DofE expeditions with cake. For her part, she just loves to see the girls flourishing.
Admissions
Queen Anne’s is selective but not aggressively so, which means there’s a good mix of ability on arrival. Most pupils join at 11+, but you can bag a deferred place at 13+. You can register any time up until the first weekend of October the year before entry; prospective pupils are interviewed in groups and sit written papers in English and take online maths and CEM assessments (which gives a benchmark of a student's potential and academics) – academic scholarships are awarded based on these, with separate scholarship days for drama, dance and art. Queen Anne’s looks not only for academic results but also at what the girls have to offer; the interview process celebrates creative thinking and exploring questions which definitely challenge conventional thought patterns. The head will sometimes ask girls to bring in something they’re proud of as a conversation starter. Places are offered subject to CE results – and taster days and boarding weekends give everyone the chance to get to know the school before accepting their spot. New sixth-form entrants need a minimum of six GCSE grade 6s.
Academics and university destinations
Exam results are important, but this is no pressure cooker. The Queen Anne’s ethos is centred on the significance of introducing creative thinking as a way of unlocking potential and fostering intellectual agility. Ms Purves keeps a keen eye on how universities test candidates and so there’s a push to encourage girls to be reflective learners. The interdisciplinary MADE project (music, art, drama and English) – which she launched when she first joined as head – is now in full swing (the last one was based around Greek mythology) and all Year 10s now do a Higher Project Qualification.
Rather brilliantly, Year 9 pupils switch to their GCSE choices at the end of the summer term to give them time to try something new or make changes if they haven’t got it quite right. French, German, Mandarin and Spanish are all up for grabs as modern language options (although a language is not compulsory) and food and nutrition is a new favourite option thanks to the slick new suite with its granite worktops and endless Kitchen Aids. Importantly, daily subject clinics and regular tracking and monitoring (at all levels) offer a real safety net for anyone worried about falling behind.
The sixth form is a particularly sparkly jewel in Queen Anne’s crown. Not just the cutting edge ‘The Space’ building with its dry-wipe tables and creatively stimulating Google-esque breakout rooms; but also the focus on developing emotionally intelligent women capable of leadership and conflict resolution – and that’s just for starters. The whole atmosphere screams fun (and hard work) – and there’s never a shortage of cake (yup, they’ve got their own private chef too and the quality of the food was a popular point of note among pupils we met). A-level offerings include criminology, sociology, film studies, music tech, dance and environmental science, and there is a dedicated member of staff who leads EPQ.
It seems the girls here have a real understanding that the results they achieve at school don’t need to define them as a person – in turn, reducing exam pressure but also encouraging them to understand that they are on a path which still has many forks. Little wonder that, with first-rate careers and university planning, Queen Anne’s girls end up at an excitingly broad range of destinations. While the majority of leavers do still head to university, an increasing number are beginning to consider and apply for top-tier apprenticeships too.
Co-curricular
With a handful of Olympian alumnae, sport here is pretty inspirational. Lacrosse is the big passion (lots of rivalry with Downe House, we’re told), and tennis is on the up with the LTA recently naming Queen Anne’s as its second-best tennis school. The beauty of the school’s small size is that girls can play on virtually every team if they wish but, equally, they might find their passion doing Zumba, Pilates, dance or meditation. The school boasts a very snazzy strength-and-conditioning suite, climbing wall and sprung-floor dance studio – dance is a very popular GCSE and A-level option and the head describes the provision as ‘a dance school within a school’. The floodlit tennis and netball courts have all been newly resurfaced, and there is also a new trampolining and badminton academy.
Girls cram as many activities as possible into their long lunch break: practising their lines for LAMDA exams, learning any instrument under the sun (no matter how niche – if you want to play it, they’ll find you a teacher) or mastering the art of animation in the whopper of an art department. The school is peppered with wonderful portraits done by the pupils and the on-site kiln is a huge plus for those with a penchant for ceramics.
The new music centre has been a real boost to the department: on top of plentiful performing space, there’s a slick iMac suite for composing – and girls hook up with local boys' schools for performances and concerts. The new director of performing arts is doing a great job of integrating music and drama – the girls were auditioning for this year’s musical The Little Shop of Horrors on our most recent visit.
Boarding
Boarding continues to be fabulously flexible at Queen Anne’s with options to board, flexi board or just have the odd ‘B&B’ night. Senior girls are distributed throughout the houses nearer the main school whereas Years 7, 8 and 9 have their own cosy, fun and inviting space in Michell, just a short walk beyond the sports field and all under the experienced eyes of houseparent Heidi Blunt.
Senior houses are equally lovely and homely (most have dogs scurrying about), with big farmhouse-style kitchens for girls to gossip and sip hot chocolate in. All upper-sixth students get their own rooms with an ensuite thrown in for the heads of house. Just under half of the pupils board but day girls and boarders all mingle in the sitting rooms at lunchtimes to ensure cohesion. Pupils are allowed phones in their houses with differing age-appropriate rules but must hand them in at night. There are regular talks on phone and internet safety and girls are encouraged to learn by education and not enforcement; trust and personal responsibility are the watchwords here.
Saturday night is ‘takeaway night’, where boarders can order in from the town, and weekend activities cater for all – whether your daughter is after a social with Radley or they just fancy a trip to the cinema.
Clearly the school-life balance is at the forefront at this traditional yet visionary school and recent feedback from day pupils and weekly boarders has led to an early finish on Wednesdays and Fridays as well as a ‘no Saturday School’ policy to allow for more family time.
School community
The school has been amassing accolades for wellbeing, and weekly pastoral feedback has taken the already very good pastoral care up a notch, with pupils filling out a form every Monday which staff then go through to flag any potential issues. Doting housemistresses also keep a watchful eye on pupils’ wellbeing and the school is very quick to act on any concerns. We get the sense there’s a refreshing lack of peer pressure – the senior students we met were articulate and poised in an understated and down-to-earth way while the juniors enjoyed the freedom just to play and be children.
This is a school that thinks hard about ways to bring pupils together and offer growing opportunities for independence – and they aren’t afraid to get pupils to propose what might work best. Sixth formers told us that they had suggested putting on a musical along with several self-confessed ’crazy’ ideas about how they might do it – all of which were met with a refreshing start point of ‘let’s try and make that work’.
Queen Anne’s recently became part of the Round Square group of international schools which share the six ideals of international understanding, democracy, environmental stewardship, adventure, leadership and service. Conferences, online debates and exchanges all enrich pupils’ global outlook and open up opportunities; the school recently held a Freedom Day around the issue of modern slavery which was filmed by CNN. Many girls volunteer in the local community, and pupils and staff have set up a new ‘warm space’ initiative in the local Baptist church offering food and hot drinks.
Pupils travel up to an hour and a half each day to get here, and many hop on the weekly bus from London or even commute daily on the super-fast train. A lot of boarders live surprisingly close, which speaks volumes. The school gets a bit more diverse further up the school, with a few overseas students usually arriving for sixth form.
And finally....
Queen Anne’s is hugely impressive with its fabulous staff, enterprising initiatives and immaculate facilities – and the fulfilled, charming and down-to-earth girls it produces are its crowning glory. A real gem within easy reach of Londoners thanks to the Elizabeth Line.