Queen's Gate Senior School Prospectus

Welcome

It is my pleasure to welcome you to Queen’s Gate

WeSchool.arean independent day school for girls aged 4-18, where we take pride in providing a holistic, supportive and stimulating educational experience. As a school of around 500 pupils, ours is close-knit, where we know our girls well, something that enhances both their academic learning and their personal development.

As a central London school, we are blessed with a pupil body that includes a range of nationalities, which creates a rich, diverse environment from which we all benefit. Girls say proudly that we are a place where they can be their “authentic” selves, enjoying the absence of a uniform, or the broad curriculum offered, especially at GCSE and A Level.

Our academic results speak for themselves, with a strong track record of our girls achieving highly at GCSE and A Level, and going on to university destinations across the UK and further afield. We have an exciting, varied co-curricular programme, including excellent opportunities in sport, music and drama.

We are particularly proud of our charitable work; caring for others is in our DNA, and we have formed close links with a number of local Overall,charities.our

values of independence, generosity, respect and courage serve to create a warm, vibrant place of learning, where each girl is seen as an individual, and where each girl is able to thrive. We will be delighted to welcome you for a visit, so that you can experience for yourselves the very special atmosphere and character to be found inside our historic buildings.

We look forward to meeting you.

Miss Amy Wallace MA MPhil (Cantab), PGCE (Oxon)

An education for the 21st Century...

Naturally, you will want the very best education for your daughter. At Queen’s Gate, we offer an excellent educational programme for all our girls in a happy, supportive yet stimulating environment as we prepare them on all levels to be effective and global citizens, ready to give of their best and to make a difference in whatever they decide to do. Academic success and a nurturing environment do not have to be mutually exclusive, and Queen’s Gate’s distinctive strength lies in the successful combination of both. Our well-qualified, able and enthusiastic staff have a genuine commitment to their pupils and a passion for their subjects and encourage not only the development of

existing potential, but also the discovery of new interests both in and out of the classroom. Whilst maintaining the very best of tradition, Queen’s Gate is a forward looking community which aims to assist its pupils not only to achieve academic success, but also to prepare them for the varied challenges and opportunities of life in the 21st century. Teaching methods combine the best of modern technology with traditional rigour, and girls are encouraged to look outside the confines of School through attendance at University lectures and master classes and successful involvement in the National Youth Theatre, Guildhall Music, national Art, debating and essay writing competitions, the Extended Project Qualification and extensive work experience both in the UK and overseas.

Pupils achieve highly across the wide range of academic themavailableopportunitiesextra-curricularandto reportinspection2021

...which encourages girls to embrace opportunities and challenges

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Queen’s Gate offers a continuity of education for girls from 4 –18. At all stages, we want girls to enjoy the many opportunities of School life, take pleasure in learning and discovery, whilst developing their self-confidence in a supportive, nurturing environment. In 2007, our Junior School moved to its own newly refurbished buildings in 125-126 Queen’s Gate, just a stone’s throw from the Senior School, enabling effective sharing of resources and the Junior School to remain as an integral part of Queen’s Gate, whilst having an identity of its own.

Our Junior School is lively and welcoming and an exciting place to learn. Strong emphasis is placed on developing skills in numeracy and literacy as well as nurturing individual skills and talents. Music, Sport, Drama, Art, Design and Technology are all integral parts of the curriculum and taught by specialist staff. Opportunities to learn French, German,Italian,

Spanish and Latin are also offered. The Junior School makes good use of its own Science laboratories, Art room, ICT room and an elegant and well-resourced library, whilst also visiting the Gym in the Senior School. Clubs form an important and popular part of Junior School life, at lunch-time and after School. Junior girls also have the opportunity to join the Early Morning sporting clubs, alongside the Senior girls.

Queen’s Gate’s unique selling point is its family spirit there is a closeness of teachers, staff and girls. To this day I am in touch with the majority of my peers from both the Junior and Senior Schools.”

Dr Nazila (leaverTourmadj1999)

In the first three years of the Senior School, our curriculum is broad and balanced, thus ensuring that GCSE choices are made on the basis of experience, personal interest and strengths. At GCSE, all girls take the core subjects of Mathematics, English Language, English Literature, at least one of the four Modern languages – French, Spanish, Italian, German –and a minimum of one of the three separate sciences. At A level, girls may choose from 28 subjects. All Sixth Formers are also expected to follow a course in Careers and Communication, take part in a Games programme and contribute to school life and the wider community.

Although now based in separate buildings, there are strong links between the Junior and Senior Schools, overseen by the Principal. Liaison and sharing of ideas and good practice is encouraged amongst Senior and Junior teaching staff, whilst opportunities are offered for Senior and Junior girls to work together, in Clubs, activities and School trips. Senior girls are welcomed in the Junior School as valuable assistants, and the younger girls very much enjoy their company. The annual Christmas Carol Service gives both Schools the opportunity to join together for this very special occasion.

Opportunities individualteamwork,leadershiforp—expression

Successful lives and careers depend on much more than just academic success. We therefore encourage and value opportunities for teamwork, leadership, taking responsibility and showing an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit. There are many opportunities to take responsibility and show leadership as Form Captains, Tour Monitors, Sports Captains or in a House position or as a Prefect. In both our Junior and Senior Schools, we have a Head Girl team, which assists staff with the smooth running of our School. All of our girls act as

excellent ambassadors at School events where they are always highly praised by our visitors. Sixth Form girls run clubs and also offer assistance as mentors, thus providing valuable support to our younger pupils. At all stages,girls are encouraged to show initiative and to arrange events and activities for others, both in School and outside.

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The pastoral care system in both the Junior and Senior Schools is based on concern for the individual. Queen’s Gate is a caring community with a distinctive family feel and much time is spent at all levels in giving guidance and encouragement, through a structured and effective pastoral system.Each girl is assigned to a Form where her Tutor oversees her academic progress and general well-being, encouraging her to have an active but balanced approach to school life. In the Senior School, the Heads of Lower School, Form IV, Upper School and Sixth Form play an important part in the pastoral care of the girls in their section, liaising closely with subject staff and tutors. All girls follow a comprehensive programme of personal, social and citizenship education which anticipates the challenges and issues appropriate to each age group.

In the Sixth Form, girls are assigned to individual work tutors who monitor work and progress. Throughout the School, we encourage close involvement with parents, with regular opportunities for review of pupils’ progress through written reports or parents’ meetings. The Principal and other senior staff are always happy to see parents by appointment.

Girls are also assigned to School Houses, with two Houses in the Junior School and four in the Senior School. There is a variety of inter house competitions throughout the year, which give girls the opportunity to work with others from different years, whilst fostering a healthy competitive spirit.

"The school's culture of strong pastoral care, through which pupils' progress and wellbeing are carefully monitored, means that pupils are well-known by their teachers and are given time to develop and express themselves”

ISI inspection report 2021

Beyond communitymulti-facetedclassroom—athe

Academic work at all stages at Queen’s Gate is important, but our idea of education goes far beyond the classroom. The destination of our girls is vital, but equally so the quality of their journey to that destination. We aim to produce confident, self disciplined and motivated young women who also enjoy and excel at music, drama, art, sport and outdoor pursuits. We encourage all our girls to pursue their interests and enthusiasms in the various clubs organised at lunch time and before and after school. A variety of activities takes place each day including photography, drama, film club, table tennis, fencing, yoga, climbing, jewellery workshop, running club, creative writing – to name but a

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Challenge and Enrichment programme is designed to provide further opportunities for stimulus in a range of topics.The Wider World programme and the series of “Inspiring Women” talks allow girls to glimpse the world beyond Queen’s Gate through a range of inspirational speakers. The QG Challenge, overseen by the Sixth Form, for younger girls, enables them to take pride in their many achievements. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme and our Community Service programme are both thriving activities, giving our girls opportunities for self-discovery and

teaching valuable lessons in life skills. We encourage our girls to take part in a variety of charitable events both in and out of School. We have supported Age UK for many years and organise an annual tea-dance for the elderly as well as welcoming a group of local people for lunch each week, hosted by our girls.

School trips are an important extension to the curriculum and each year, these include field trips and curriculum visits, an annual Sports leadership trip to Cornwall as well as the annual Remove activities trip to France.We also have a Biathlon training trip to Barcelona and a ski trip each winter. Theatre trips occur almost weekly, as well as visits to local museums and galleries and to Universities for lectures. At Queen’s Gate we are fortunate to have an excellent location –the museums, the Royal Albert Hall and Hyde Park are all on our doorstep and we aim to make good use of them.

"High levels of attainment are seen in an extensive range of extra-curricular activities”

ISI inspection report 2021

Creativity

We are proud of our traditions in performing and creative arts. Girls explore and develop their creativity through a range of media and visitors always comment on the quality of work on display from our Art and Design and Technology Departments. Many girls achieve external recognition through success in National Art competitions. The School’s annual Exhibition attracts many visitors,and fully reflects our girls’ creativity, as well as the inspiration and expert guidance they receive from our staff. Each year girls go on to study at leading Colleges both in the UK and overseas.

Our girls are given many opportunities to perform in Assemblies, functions both in and out of School, concerts, plays and recitals and they do so with enthusiasm, passion and confidence. Older girls have opportunities to direct plays and conduct choirs and ensembles. The annual House Music Competition and the House Drama Festival

are popular events in the Senior School, whilst Junior Girls enjoy their House Folk Singing Competition.

Many girls enter ABRSM examinations in a range of instruments, with some going on to Diploma level; LAMDA lessons are also very popular with girls achieving Gold Medal standard.

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Sport is an important part of life at Queen’s Gate. Our on-site facilties may be limited, but the opportunities for sporting endeavour abound. All girls are involved in sport, where the emphasis is on acquisition of skills, enjoyment and the development of self-confidence and respect for others through team work, as well as gaining personal fitness. The major sports are hockey and netball in the winter; in summer, tennis, athletics and rounders, but girls are introduced to a whole range of other activities as they move through the School. Biathlon, cross-country, rowing and fencing are very popular, and girls are given specialist coaching to enable them to compete at the highest levels.There is an extensive extracurricular programme, including early morning clubs, which are well supported by both Junior and Senior girls.We make use of local facilities, including Battersea Park, local fitness studios,

Queen’s Club and the sports centre at Imperial College.Our teams have a full fixture list against local opposition and take part in tournaments and competitions with much success. Sports Day, the Swimming Gala and other inter house sporting fixtures are important annual events.

Parent of a Sixth Form leaver “

My daughter has been so supported, imbued with confidence and energy ready to face the world”

Working towards the future

We aim to prepare our girls thoroughly for the next chapter in their lives. We have a bespoke programme which prepares our girls for entry to UK or American Universities, Art Colleges or other Institutions around the world, using both in-house expertise and other consultants as required. We encourage girls to prepare well in advance through work experience, extensive reading, involvement in national competitions and the Extended Project Qualification, as well as visits and research of their potential courses.

We enjoy an excellent reputation with the most prestigious higher education institutions and our girls are very successful in gaining places at their first choice University or College.

Our girls go off to read a variety of courses which in recent years have included Law, Medicine, Veterinary Science, English, Economics, Architecture, Classics, Mathematics and Languages, both in the UK and the United States. Others have won places at Art Colleges in London and the United States.A number also enjoy exciting Gap Years.

I have always felt supported and free to grow as an individual.I will forever remember the lessons I have learnt and the memories I have created at Queen’s Gate.”

UVI leaver

"Pupils are very involved in independent projects and understand very well the importance of their choices on their future career choices and success"

ISI inspection report 2021

Life Queen’safterGate

We are very proud of the range of universities, art colleges and degree courses chosen by our leavers and of the exciting careers they pursue. We love to hear of their success and adventures in life and on leaving School, we encourage girls to join our Old Girls’ Association, the Queen’s Gate Society, which keeps them in touch with their friends and enables networking for former pupils with shared interests or professions, whilst also providing invaluable support for our current pupils. Newsletters, the website and regular events are popular with our Old Girls.

Queen’s Gate played a huge part in making me who I am now… The friendships I formed whilst there are so precious and I could not have come so far without them! I definitely became more confident over the years, and the encouragement I received from various people at Queen’s Gate helped considerably in deciding to apply for Medicine.”

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Your invitation

I hope you have found these pages both informative and exciting in terms of the possibilities that await at Queen's Gate. We are very proud of our school, and the many successes we have to celebrate, whether that's our pupils' academic results, our energy-filled stairways or the genuine friendship shared within our Wecommunity.verymuch

hope you will come and visit us in person, to get the true feeling of what it means to be at Queen's Gate. We hold a number of Open Events throughout the year, but also offer private tours by appointment. To begin your Queen's Gate journey, please email registrar@queensgate.org.uk

I look forward very much to meeting you.

Miss Amy Wallace MAPrincipalMPhil (Cantab), PCGE (Oxon)

"Senior pupil school leaders could articulate with enthusiasm their enjoyment of, and loyalty to, the school”

ISI inspection report 2021