Queenswood

Queenswood is a progressive boarding and day school for around 460 girls, aged between 11 and 18, where Boarders make up half of the School. The School was founded in 1894 in London and moved in 1925 to its current site a few miles north of London in Hertfordshire. Being set in 120 acres of parkland, we offer the best of both worlds with our peaceful location which is only a short distance from London and all the attractions the capital has to offer.

Queenswood offers an all-round education that focuses on equipping the girls with all the life skills required of women in the 21st century. Within a caring and supportive framework, the girls enjoy a dynamic academic curriculum, supported by a diverse and exciting co-curricular programme.

Queenswood has exceptional value-added results, with our pupils performing beyond their predicated grades, particularly at GCSE level. This is due to Queenswood’s bespoke approach to education, developing a personalised learning plan for each pupil, so that learning is tailored to the individual needs of every child. The Personalised Learning Team works with our teaching staff to integrate the personalised plans into lessons, whilst simultaneously providing 1-1 support for girls with a high standard of academic achievement or who need a little more support in certain subjects.

As a school that offers all-round educational opportunities we are known not only for our strong academic results but also our outstanding Drama, Dance, Music, Art and Sport. Our Netball and Hockey teams perform at a high level and we are proud to be the top tennis school in the UK (source: the Lawn Tennis Association) and number three in the world.

It is a warm and friendly community where everybody knows each other. Girls thrive within a nurturing House structure tailored to meet their needs as they progress from the Lower School, through the Middle School, and on into the Sixth Form. Day girls are fully integrated within the Houses, and are able to enjoy all the facilities and opportunities available to the Boarders, but choose to go home at night after a packed school day. Around half of the pupils are Boarders. Many choose to flexi Board or Board weekly; while others are full Boarders who come from the UK and a range of international locations, such as Spain, Malaysia, Germany, Thailand, Russia, Hong Kong and the USA. 

Queenswood is proud to be an international community with an outward-looking approach; overseas girls make up around 20% of the pupils. Our international pupils can also be supported by tailored English as an Additional Language (EAL) sessions, including one-to-one tutoring and group sessions with their friends. We welcome girls of all faiths and none, recognise and support an individual’s adherence to her own faith, but expect all girls to embrace the School’s broad spiritual ethos.

Here at Queenswood, we know that happy girls are successful girls and so we place paramount importance on pastoral care. The Good Schools Guide states that, according to parents, our pastoral care is ‘phenomenal’. The Guide also states that Queenswood parents rave about the ‘proactive approach to mental health’, highlighting our mentoring programme. On entrance to the School, Year 7 girls are mentored by a fellow pupil in Year 8 and a “Big Sister” in Year 13, with these girls going above and beyond to help one another. This peer-support compliments our fantastic pastoral staff, including House Parents, Boarding Assistants and Resident Counsellor, who ensure that someone is always looking out for every girl.

The girls are ambitious high achievers, winning places at the top universities both at home and abroad, and prior to embarking upon a range of exciting careers. Individual talent also flourishes in sport and the creative and performing arts. The extensive co-curricular programme helps develop the girls’ soft skills in a wide variety of ways and significantly contributes to their excellent academic results. As important as individual achievement is the development of a sense of responsibility for each other and the world in which they live. Queenswood girls are thoughtful young people with a secure set of values and self-confidence.