Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School is a high performing non-selective girls' school with academy status for ages 11 to 18, in

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England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. In the academic year 2016/17 it was ranked in the top 1.3 per cent of all secondary schools (including selective schools) in England by the Department for Education. It is the top performing non-selective all-girls comprehensive in the country and is placed 47th on the national league table. It is praised by the 2017 Good Schools Guide, as a "relaxed, safe and friendly place, with “a firm hand on the tiller and rocketing results.”

History

Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School was founded in 1888. The school was the first girls' school to open in Hertfordshire, being administered by the South Herts Division of Hertfordshire County Council until 1965. Originally a grammar school for around 700 girls, the school has expanded significantly and there are now over 1100 girls on roll. On 17 May 2013 the school celebrated its 125th anniversary which was marked by a number of events including the painting of a mural in the main courtyard.

Comprehensive

Barnet schools started to become comprehensive in 1971 under a scheme known as Plan C. QEGS became comprehensive year by year from 1977.

Academy Status

On 1 August 2011 QEGS became a converter academy. There was no name change.

Media Arts at QE

The annual Media Arts Evening is a chance for students and teachers from the school, as well as those who have worked with the school, to showcase their work. Previous Media Arts evenings contained a variety of performances including: local primary school choirs, dancers (including those who have entered the annual 'Rock Challenge' competition), recitals, animations produced by students, 6th form media work and a variety of other Media and Arts based items.

Theatre

Students from the school stage theatrical productions several times a year in one of their three acting spaces, which include the hall, a traditional proscenium arch stage, and the "drama studio", a black box acting space. In November 2015 A Level students from the school worked in collaboration the London's famous Donmar Warehouse Theatre. The programme involved a series of workshops with professional directors and choreographers, and culminated in a performance by the students on the West End stage.

Sport

QE has nine (confirmed by the school literature and google aerial visuals) tennis courts, three fields, a gym (equipped with climbing apparatus), a fitness gym, a swimming pool a sports hall and twenty nine acres of grassland. The annual Sports Day was held at

Barnet Copthall Barnet Copthall is a sports venue on the Hendon-Mill Hill borders in London, which houses several complexes, including a local authority-owned swimming pool and gymnasium facilities, a golf-driving range with 9 hole pitch and putt run by Metro ...

, it is now held in the grounds due to high demand for

from other Barnet schools. Sports day is usually in June/July. There are frequent student v. student, teacher v. teacher and student v. teacher matches; however, student v. teacher football matches are not permitted. Every other year QE holds a sponsored jog in which all girls are encouraged to participate. The school also participates in sports outreach work with local feeder primary schools.

Notable former pupils

Stephanie Beacham Stephanie Beacham (born 28 February 1947) is an English television, film, radio and theatre actress. Although she has a wide number of credits to her name, Beacham is best known for for playing Sable Colby in the ABC soap operas ''The Colbys'' ...

, actress *

Margaret Biggs Margaret Biggs (born 9 July 1929, Orpington, Kent) is a popular and collectible exponent of the girls' School story. She is best known for her Melling School series of books, first published by Blackie in the 1950s. The series is set at a weekly ...

, children's author *

Isobel Black Isobel Anne Gatward ( Black; born 15 December 1942), known professionally as Isobel Black, is a British actress. She is the daughter of the screenwriter Ian Stuart Black. Isobel Black attended Queen Elizabeth's Girls’ Grammar School in Barn ...

, actress * Prof

Patricia Broadfoot Patricia M. Broadfoot, CBE, FRSA, FAcSS (born 13 July 1949) was vice-chancellor of the University of Gloucestershire from 2006 to 2010. She served as Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol from 2002 to 2006. Interests Dr Broadfoot's ...

CBE, Vice-Chancellor, 2006-2010, of the

University of Gloucestershire , mottoeng = In Spirit and Truth , established = , type = Public , endowment = £2.4 m (2015) , chancellor = Rennie Fritchie, Baroness Fritchie , vice_chancellor ...

, and Professor of Education from 1991-2006 at the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

* The Right Reverend

Christine Hardman Christine Elizabeth Hardman ( Atkins; born 27 August 1951) is a retired British Anglican bishop and former Lord Spiritual. She served as Archdeacon of Lewisham, 2001–2008; Archdeacon of Lewisham & Greenwich, 2008–2012; and Bishop of ...

, The Lord Bishop of Newcastle *

Marguerite Patten Hilda Elsie Marguerite Patten, (née Brown; 4 November 1915 – 4 June 2015), was a British home economist, food writer and broadcaster. She was one of the earliest celebrity chefs (a term that she disliked at first) who became known during Wo ...

CBE, (née Brown) home economist, food writer and broadcaster *

Ann Thwaite Ann Thwaite (born 4 October 1932) is a British writer who is the author of five major biographies. ''AA Milne: His Life'' was the Whitbread Biography of the Year, 1990. ''Edmund Gosse: A Literary Landscape'' (Duff Cooper Prize, 1985) was describe ...

, writer *

Phildel Phildel is an English singer, pianist, and songwriter from London. Her name is a composite of her Chinese father and Irish mother's names (Philip and Della). Biography Phildel's parents divorced and her mother married a religious fundamentali ...

, musician

References

External links

Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School website
{{Authority control Academies in the London Borough of Barnet Girls' schools in London Educational institutions established in 1888 Secondary schools in the London Borough of Barnet 1888 establishments in England Chipping Barnet