5 minute read
TALKING HEAD
To the FOUR
Daniel Machin, Principal at Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate, on the quartet of schools that make up their unique o ering
Q What can you tell us about the four di erent schools that form Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate?
A Our four schools o er a carefully personalised educational journey in which we support your child in reaching the highest standards with their own aspirations. Our students ultimately complete their time with us as strong, well-rounded young adults, ready to achieve great things in the world.
Each school brings its own qualities to develop our student’s characters and ensure they are prepared for the next stage to come. Our thriving preparatory school, Chapter House, o ers an awe-inspiring foundation of education up to Year 5. In a di erence from the traditional school model, at QE students join our middle school, King’s Magna, in Year 6, and stay there until Year 9. Our middle school focuses on equipping our students with confidence and aspiration, providing a range of wellbeing, academic and co-curricular experiences which are second to none. This allows them to move seamlessly onto their senior school pathway at the end of Year 9 – QE Faculty or QE College.
QE College o ers a demanding and motivating pathway of GCSEs and A-levels, allowing students to prioritise a fasttrack academic programme alongside our diverse and exciting music, sport, drama and charity opportunities. QE Faculty o ers a varied choice of pathways including GCSEs, A-levels and BTECs, providing those students with a broad range of interests with the opportunity to achieve success in a wide range of pursuits. QE Faculty is also home to our performance sport and performing arts programmes, where students aspiring to achieve success at a high level in these areas gain professional coaching and support to achieve this alongside their academic or vocational curriculum.
Q If we chanced upon a typical classroom scene, what would we find?
A Students having fun! Our small class sizes, outstanding student-teacher relationships, and our expectation that it is crucial to enjoy the process of achieving success, means that our
students work hard, but do not lose sight of the importance of having a positive experience at the same time.
Q When pupils leave you, what are they prepared for?
A Our students leave us with the confidence that they can achieve their aspirations. We promote a culture of self-awareness with our students, encouraging and developing their individual potential and personal qualities, such as those of leadership, critical thinking, and responsibility. By placing each student at the centre of their own development, we build an understanding amongst our community that learning is a life-long process.
Our students leave us as resilient, independent, and self-aware young adults, proud to have been members of the Collegiate.
Q What opportunities do you o er outside the classroom?
A We understand the importance of developing the whole student by presenting opportunities to learn beyond the classroom through extensive enrichment and super-curricular programmes, designed to recognise and celebrate the skills and aspirations of each individual.
One of our core aims is to provide an enrichment programme that complements the academic curriculum, building resilience, responsibility, self-belief and skills, and promotes a sense of fulfilment and achievement in its widest sense. We provide a broad enrichment curriculum of over 150 activities, fixtures and trips each week, to ensure students become well-rounded individuals, developing selfconfidence and self-awareness, respect for others, and their environment. Students discuss participation alongside their academic progress with their tutors, to ensure that they are individually tailored as they progress through each year at QE.
Q What boarding provisions do you o er?
A In boarding, we pride ourselves on providing a home away from home where children can enjoy their childhood, whilst also learning the principles of adulthood as they grow and thrive. Weekends are as busy on campus as during the week, with a wide range of sporting, creative and performing arts, cultural and outdoor activities on o er. Boarding houses also host a varied programme of activities, encouraging students to socialise and follow their individual interests. State-of-the-art sports facilities encourage students to maintain a healthy lifestyle and manage their own fitness with the support of gym sta , teachers and coaches.
Q Tell us about your awardwinning food…
A Our award-winning in-house catering team creates healthy, mouth-watering and varied menus for students catering to all dietary requirements. Our Food Council, made up of students from across the Collegiate, meet regularly with the catering team to provide their ideas and feedback. This meeting ensures the food is popular with our whole school community. Students enjoy healthy meals designed to maximise their potential and improve their wellbeing. The team also organise theme weeks and international days. Firm favourites include the Chinese New Year Party and the Great British Pie Week. Key events such as Easter, Christmas, St George’s Day and even World Book Day are also celebrated!
Q What else makes you stand out?
A At QE, we are always striving to achieve the best for our students, to push innovation in learning and in our environment, so our whole community can thrive. Our alumni are a key part of our community, regularly coming back to visit us and supporting our current students with invaluable advice.
Q What are you looking forward to most in 2023?
A Speech Day 2023 in May will be a celebration of all that our students and alumni have achieved, with a fantastic guest speaker and a number of outstanding performances from this year’s school productions. It is always a privilege to be able to share our students’ successes with them.
