Queen’s Gate School is a day school for girls aged 4-18, located in South Kensington, on the edge of the capital’s educational and cultural heartland, the perfect place to inspire and indulge young hearts and minds. Our close-knit community of around 500 pupils is a special one. Our central London home affords us a diverse, multinational intake, our size allows us to know every girl as an individual, and our desire to feel ‘unschooly’ is brought to life in touches such as our lack of uniform.
We are unashamedly proud of our pupils’ many successes. We aim to provide a learning environment in which girls feel enabled and empowered to stretch themselves both intellectually and personally. We seek for each of our girls to develop a lifelong love of learning: a readiness to question, an appetite for knowledge and the self-belief that they will find their way through any challenge. Alongside this, in line with our core values, we encourage character traits of compassion and consideration, respect and integrity. We delight in the authenticity we see emerge in our girls, their confidence to be their true selves and their enjoyment of discovering, developing and demonstrating their own personal gifts and talents.
We offer a broad and forward-thinking array of co-curricular activities, spanning the fields of Music, Drama, Sport and beyond. Pupil voice is central, with girls having the opportunity to serve on a number of committees dedicated to giving them a forum in which to put forward their ideas and share their feedback. However, all pupils are also permitted to make appointments directly with the Principal should they wish to discuss their thoughts with her directly, something she always welcomes.
High-quality pastoral care and the safeguarding of pupils is our utmost priority. Our PSHE programme is regularly reviewed to ensure we are meeting the needs of our girls, while our smaller size allows us to get to them well – vital for identifying quickly when something isn’t going as well as we would hope, and for fostering the kind of staff-pupil relationships where girls feel safe to come forward and share their worries.
Junior School. We are a small, friendly school, but we enjoy all of the benefits of a broad community. Both the Junior and Senior Schools take advantage of shared resources, and many lessons, such as Science, STEAM and our six languages, are taught by specialist teachers.
Academic standards are high, and a love of learning is evident throughout the School. The Junior School Curriculum at Queen’s Gate School includes a well-balanced range of diverse and exciting subjects taught by specialist teachers, with excellent enrichment opportunities.
Specialist teachers teach the sciences in our well-equipped laboratories, and we also have specialists in all six languages, art, music, design technology and PE.
Teaching groups are small, and learning is ‘hands-on’ investigative and collaborative; teaching methods are vibrant, dynamic and challenging. Maths challenges, entrepreneurial projects, English Speaking Board Examinations, art exhibitions and creative writing competitions run throughout the School and add extra excitement to our busy curriculum.
Junior School Pastoral Care. We are renowned at Queen’s Gate Junior School for exceptional pastoral care. However, we understand that the well-being of our girls is just as important as their outstanding academic education.
Queen’s Gate is a small school, with just one class for each year, enabling us to give our pupils a great deal of individual attention. Our family ethos ensures that each child is valued and nurtured; support and extension derive naturally from the built close relationships.
Senior School. Girls enter the Senior School at the age of 11–18, from our Junior School and independent and maintained feeder schools across the capital. We aim to create a secure, happy, and stimulating environment where each girl will enjoy her time and flourish academically and personally. Teaching methods combine modern technology with traditional rigour at all stages.
Senior School Pastoral Care. Pupil wellbeing is central to life at Queen’s Gate and strong pupil and teacher relationships, where teachers know every pupil as an individual, are the foundations of our pastoral care structure. We believe firmly that positive self-esteem and a sense of feeling happy and well cared for are fundamental for pupil progress, both in terms of their academic attainment and their personal development.
Form Tutors see girls in the morning and at afternoon registration and will usually be the first port of call for girls and parents. Weekly Form Time sessions allow Form Tutors and pupils to explore.
All year groups benefit from a Head of Year and Deputy Head of Year who oversee both the well-being and academic progress of the girls in their care. These staff are responsible for identifying key issues for their specific age group and responding where girls might be experiencing difficulties. They also lead regular year group assemblies, again focusing on topics that are of particular relevance to the girls in their cohort.
At Queen’s Gate, SEND provision comes under the auspices of our Learning Enhancement Department. Their work is crucial for the girls’ academic progress, as well as playing an important part in the well-being of our girls. The Learning Enhancement Department liaises closely with our subject and pastoral staff, to ensure that any difficulties are recognised and supported in the best way possible. We also offer specialist EAL tuition which is invaluable for those girls for whom English is not their first language.
Our School Counsellors visit school each week and are available to offer extra support for pupils who need an extra listening ear. We are also able to offer 1:1 coaching for girls who may appreciate some extra help with specific issues such as exam anxiety or difficulties managing relationships with peers.
Pastoral care at Queen’s Gate Senior School is overseen by the Director of Pastoral Care, who is supported by an Assistant Director of Pastoral Care. Together they plan a programme of proactive support, which seeks to meet the needs of the girls before issues can arise. Experts in working with adolescent girls, they keep up-to-date with trends and research, ensuring the provision of forward-thinking, modern and relevant pastoral care.
Sixth Form. The Sixth Form is a time for pupils to build on their experiences, to think and plan for life after school. In addition to the academic subjects offered in Sixth Form, we also offer a wide range of other opportunities. These include our:
Wider World Programme – a rolling, two-year enrichment programme of weekly lectures during the Autumn and Spring Terms, designed to widen knowledge of important issues and debates. In addition, we also offer help with topics that girls may be required to discuss at their university interviews and introduce them to university-style lectures.
Past speakers have included:
•Dr Helen Pankhurst, women’s rights activist and author of Deeds Not Words
•Dame Helena Morrissey DBE, a British financier and campaigner
•Prof. Lyndon Da Cruz of Moorfields Eye Hospital
•Penny Marshall from ITN News
Duke of Edinburgh - The Gold Award is a fantastic opportunity to participate in physical activity, volunteer, and learn and improve skills.
The Gold programme involves:
•Volunteering for 12 months
•Doing physical activity and skill; one for 12 months, one for six months
•A residential section (four nights away from home)
•A practice expedition
•The qualifying expedition
Inspiring Women Series – was developed to provide an opportunity for staff, students, local community members and other interested parties to hear from women who have been successful in their field.
The diverse range of high-profile speakers has encouraged engagement and discussion, and the series is now a regular and essential feature in the Queen’s Gate events calendar.
Speakers have included: Sally Gunnell OBE; TV presenter and vlogger, Venetia Falconer; Adventurer, Pip Stewart; and Film producer, Kate Pakenham.
Enrichment – All girls in Lower Sixth will attend a weekly enrichment tutorial from various available options.
Available Enrichment includes:
•Model United Nations (MUN)
•Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
•Oxbridge essays and competitions
•The ARTiculation Prize
•Logical Reasoning
•SAT Preparation
•Becoming a Mental Health Ambassador
•A history of Europe through European cinema
•Current Affairs
Curriculum. Girls follow as broad a curriculum as possible and generally take GCSE in ten subjects, including English, Mathematics, Science, and a modern language.
We offer an extensive range of AS/A Level subjects; four AS Levels in the first year and three taken at A2 Level.
Games. Netball, Hockey, Tennis, Swimming, Rowing, Athletics, Basketball, Cross-Country, Biathlon and Dance.
Admission. By test and interview in the Junior School; by London 11+ Consortium entrance examination; by the School’s entrance examinations for entry to other years in the Senior School.
Applicants for the Sixth Form require a minimum of six GCSEs at A Grade with A grades required in those subjects they wish to pursue to A Level.
Registration fee: £165.00.
Fees per term (2023-2024). £7,620.00-£8,442.00
Governors & Staff:
Board of Governors:
Mrs Reica Gray (Chair)
Carol Davis KC
Mr Jonathan Dobson
Mr William Gillen
Mr Shai Hill
Mr Gary Li
Miss Camilla Trefgarne
Mr Peter Trueman
Mrs Manina Weldon
Principal: Miss Amy Wallace, MA, MPhil Cantab, PGCE Oxon
Vice Principal: Mr Christian Kendall-Daw, MA Wales, BA Hons York, PhB Rome, STB Rome, QTS, FCCT, FRSA
Senior School:
Director of Pastoral Care: Ms C De La Pena, BA Hons, MA, PCGE Manchester
Assistant Director of Pastoral Care: Miss N Holgate-Smith, BA Hons, PGCE
Director of Teaching, Learning & Assessment: Mr M Crundwell, BSc Hons, MPhil London, MEd Dist, QTS
Director of Curriculum: Mr P Williams, MA
Head of Lower School: Miss C Spencer, BSc Hons, PGCE
Head of Sixth Form & Outreach: Ms C Gittens, LLB Hons, PGCE
Head of LVI: Miss C E Adler, BSc Hons, QTS
Head of UV (Academic): Mr M Crundwell, BSc Hons, MPhil London, MEd, QTS
Head of UV (Pastoral): Miss G McLister, BSc Hons, PGCE
Head of V: Mr A Cohen, MA, PGCE, QTS
Head of IV: Mrs L Sleator, BA Hons Goldsmiths, PGCE Greenwich
Head of LIV: Ms A Habib, BSc Hons Imperial, MSc UCL, PGCE
Head of Remove: Mr D Karamoutas, BA Hons, PGDE and Miss K Lamkin, BA Hons, MLitt, PGCE
Junior School:
Director of the Junior School: Mr J Denchfield, BA Hons, PGCE
Preliminary & EYFS Coordinator: Miss E Allan, BA, BEd, PGCE
Transition: Mrs Y Dhaliwal, BA, BEd, MEd
IB & KS1 Coordinator: Mrs M MacDonnell, BA, PGCE
Form Tutor IIB, Drama Coordinator, Senior Tutor: Mrs C Makhlouf, BEd Hons
Form Tutor IIA, Acting Assistant Director of the Junior School: Miss P Shingles, BA Hons, PGCE
Form Tutor III, Teaching and Learning Coordinator: Mr M Molero Segura ,BA Hons, PGCE
Head of III Form, Director of Outreach and Operations: Mrs L Kyle, BA, PGCE [maternity leave]