Queen Elizabeth School, also abbreviated to ''QES'', is a

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

, comprehensive

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

and

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

with academy status. It is located in

Kirkby Lonsdale Kirkby Lonsdale () is a town and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England, on the River Lune. Historically in Westmorland, it lies south-east of Kendal on the A65. The parish recorded a population of 1,771 in ...

, in the

English county The counties of England are a type of subdivision of England. Counties have been used as administrative areas in England since Anglo-Saxon times. There are three definitions of county in England: the 48 ceremonial counties used for the purpo ...

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

. In October 2022, it had a population of 1,170 students aged 11 to 18 in KS3 and KS4, and 186 in the sixth form.

History

In 1591, Queen Elizabeth School (QES) was granted a royal charter and founded as a free grammar school. QES moved from its original Mill Brow location in 1840 to the newly constructed Springfield House on Biggins Lane, Kirkby Lonsdale. Girls were first admitted in 1905, and by 1930 there were 88 day pupils and 54 boarders, approximately half and half boys and girls. QES became a non-selective comprehensive school in 1978 and continued to take in boarders until the late 1980s. In 1997 Springfield House, the boys' boarding accommodation, was redeveloped as a dedicated Sixth Form area. On 1 December 2010 QES became the first school in the county to convert to academy status. However, the school continues to coordinate with Cumbria County Council for admissions. QES offers

GCSEs The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

and other qualifications as programmes of study for pupils, while students in the sixth form have the option to study from a range of

A-level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

s and additional qualifications. In 2010, a 15 year old pupil at the school was arrested in the playground after she was found with a 12 inch (30 cm) knife and a "hit list" of teachers and pupils to stab. In September 2017, a sister school, Queen Elizabeth Studio School, abbreviated to QEStudio, was built, and started accepting students. Despite being just across Biggins Lane from each other, they are, in official terms, together a family of schools with a parent body called Lunesdale Learning Trust. QEStudio offers ‘technical’ qualifications, with professional partners. Students decide to join either QES or QEStudio for Year 10, aged 14, for their GCSEs, to the end of Sixth Form, aged 18, for their A-levels, and can "pick and mix technical and academic qualifications to create a personal Learning Package". QEStudio currently has a student population of around 343 students, and its sixth form has 105 students.

Ofsted

In 2022 an

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training ...

inspection of Queen Elizabeth School resulted in a report that graded the school as only Good when it has previously been Outstanding for many years. The report stated that to improve, school leaders needed to better identify pupils who do not read as well as they should as this hinders how well some pupils access the full curriculum offered to them. Also, in a small number of subjects, some teachers do not use assessment strategies effectively to address gaps in pupils’ learning. This means that some pupils and students have not secured the knowledge that they need to learn well. The school leaders were urged to ensure that subject teachers are equipped to identify and address pupils’ misconceptions before moving on to new learning. However, the report also mentioned that "“Pupils and students feel safe and happy at school", and "are taught by passionate teachers who have a high level of subject-specific expertise." Also, that "pupils and students behave impeccably in lessons and around school. Lessons are not interrupted. Pupils are curious and want to learn", and that the safeguarding arrangements are effective: "Staff are vigilant ... know how to spot the signs that a pupil may be vulnerable and need support ... staff respond quickly and effectively when they have concerns about a pupil’s welfare."

Notable former pupils

Thomas Burrow Thomas Burrow (; 29 June 1909 – 8 June 1986) was an Indologist and the Boden Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Oxford from 1944 to 1976; he was also a fellow of Balliol College, Oxford during this time. His work includes ''A Dravidi ...

, Indologist and former

Boden Professor of Sanskrit The position of Boden Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Oxford was established in 1832 with money bequeathed to the university by Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Boden, a retired soldier in the service of the East India Company. He wished th ...

at the University of Oxford *

Lawrence Hargrave Lawrence Hargrave, MRAeS, (29 January 18506 July 1915) was an Australian engineer, explorer, astronomer, inventor and aeronautical pioneer. He was perhaps best known for inventing the box kite, which was quickly adopted by other aircraft desig ...

, aeronautical engineer and explorer *

Kate Ford Kate Ford (born 29 December 1976) is a British actress. She is known for her portrayal of Tracy Barlow in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (2002–2007, 2010–present). Ford was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. She attended Qu ...

, Coronation Street actress * Adam Kaye & George Townsend, duo from Bondax * Fiona Crackles, England Hockey player *

James Knox James Robert Knox GCC (2 March 1914 – 26 June 1983) was an Australian prelate of the Catholic Church. After years as a Vatican diplomat, he served as Archbishop of Melbourne from 1967 to 1974, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worshi ...

, Professional cyclist for Deceuninck–Quick-Step *

Stirrat Johnson-Marshall Sir Stirrat Andrew William Johnson-Marshall, CBE ARIBA FRIBA (19 February 1912 – 16 December 1981) was a British architect and one of the founders of RMJM along with Robert Matthew. Early life and studies Stirrat Johnson-Marshall was bor ...

, British architect * Jo Baker, novelist

References

External links

Queen Elizabeth School - QES
Secondary schools in Westmorland and Furness Educational institutions established in the 1590s 1591 establishments in England Academies in Westmorland and Furness Kirkby Lonsdale {{Cumbria-school-stub