Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate

About the School

Queen Ethelburga’s (QE) has provided a vibrant and supportive school community since 1912. Set in more than 220 acres of beautiful North Yorkshire countryside, the Collegiate welcomes girls and boys from 3 months for day students, and year 3 for boarding students. Children are supported through four schools - Chapter House (3 months to Year 5), King’s Magna (Year 6 to 9), The College and The Faculty (both Year 10 to 13). 

Queen Ethelburga’s is an incredible place to live, visit and explore. The campus sits between three cosmopolitan centres close by; historic York, once the Viking capital of England and home of the Roman emperor Constantine; Harrogate, the Victorian spa town now renowned for its shopping, fine restaurants, and relaxing open spaces; and Leeds, widely considered Yorkshire’s capital city, with a cultural, shopping and entertainment offer to match.

Our Ethos

The QE ethos is centred on supporting each student to be the best that they can with the gifts that they have across four core areas; academic, wellbeing, welfare and enrichment. Our four-school model, each with their own heads and staff teams, allows staff to know their students thoroughly and successfully guide them through each stage of their formative years. Emphasis is placed on our children growing into resilient, caring, compassionate and confident adults, who develop independence and initiative, and who can take responsibility for their own learning and futures.

Academic

Our exam results consistently rank us amongst the top 10 UK day and boarding schools. The Times Independent Schools Guide ranked QE College as the No.1 independent secondary school in the North of England for exam performance. In 2023, the Collegiate achieved 80% at A*/A at A Level, and 76% D*/D grades in BTECs. QE students also achieve success in a wide range of sporting, cultural and outdoor activities as part of the extensive enrichment programme, which is focused on helping students gain necessary skills in leadership, teamwork and decision making.

Student Wellbeing

Student wellbeing is at the heart of the QE community. Every member of the Collegiate is responsible for the pastoral care and happiness of the site. QE offers support and guidance to all students and parents to ensure the needs of individual students are met and that each student has the skills needed to be successful in education, their chosen  career and in life.

QEs dedicated, trained staff are on call 24 hours a day within a specialist welfare area that students can visit at any time. In addition to our pastoral staff, we have student buddies and peer leaders who show new students around, explain the school systems, introduce students to new people and help them to settle in. We also have trained peer mentors, who can offer one-to-one mentoring on academic progress, cultural understanding, contacting parents in the Forces, or day to day routines. Our dedicated team of International Liaison Officers who are first language Mandarin/Cantonese, Thai and Russian speakers provide a specialist support role for students from across the globe. Speakers of other languages are also employed by the Collegiate, providing support and a link with parents as required.

Our dedicated wellbeing programme offers activities to support student positive mental health and wellbeing. This includes building self-esteem, strategies to help with exam stress, adjusting to change, home sickness, staying safe online, bounce back, and Forces and international support. Everything possible is done to prepare students for the many experiences they will encounter as they move through their educational journey and future life.

Sport at QE

Health and fitness are central to student life. Students follow a sports programme with the core values of fair play, honesty and determination. We cater for all abilities and encourage each student to make the most of the fantastic opportunities on offer. We have physical education teachers working alongside specialist sports coaches, many of whom are ex-professional sportspeople, which means there is no limit to the level our students can train to.

QE benefits from outstanding campus facilities including a dedicated Sports Village which all students have access to inside and outside of formal school hours. The village is home to a 25-metre swimming pool, triple court sports hall, fitness suite and free weights centre as well as specialist studios for martial arts, dance, gymnastics, table tennis and fencing. Outside, we have a four-lane synthetic cushioned running track, tennis courts, basketball areas, an eight-metre climbing wall and over 30 acres of both grass and artificial 3G pitches.

Our Boarding Community

We have a boarding community here unlike any other, a unique blend of cultures and nationalities, where friendships are formed that last a lifetime. QE’s strong foundation is built on listening to the needs of others, engaging with life, attending commitments with enthusiasm, respecting each other and never giving up on attaining our goals. We create a second home and try to emulate the boundaries and expectations that you as parents would implement. QE’s life-long learning programme teaches invaluable skills to our boarding students and our boarding team understand that the soft skills they promote outside the classroom are as valuable as the academic skills gained during the school day.