Co-educational Day and Boarding School.
Age range. 3 months–19 years.
Number of pupils. 1,200.
Fees per term (2025-2026). Day: £4,485–£7,595; Boarding: £12,600–£14,240 (UK students), £22,330 (International students).
About the School
Set in more than 220 acres of North Yorkshire countryside, Queen Ethelburga’s (QE) is a multi-award winning day and boarding school that welcomes girls and boys aged from three months to 19 years and boarders from Year 3. A through school, many students begin their QE journey in Chapter House Prep (3 months to Year 5), King's Magna Middle School (Year 6 to 9) or at the start of GCSE or A level study in The College (Year 10 to 13). QE’s senior school also offers modern BTEC qualifications as well as performance sport and performing art pathways. Across all age groups, the school places its emphasis on growing students into resilient and confident adults with an ethos of ‘To be the best that I can with the gifts that I have’ underpinning everything.
Academic Success
QE is known for its consistently high ranking academic performance with exam results ranking amongst the top 10 UK day and boarding schools. For the fifth consecutive year, Queen Ethelburga’s has been named Independent School of the Year for Academic Excellence in the North by The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide.
Students can partake in academically focused clubs such as medicine and law and represent the school nationally in a variety of disciplines. QE students also achieve awards across diverse fields including sport, and creative and performing arts.
As well as nurturing students while they are with QE, the Careers Department prepares students for life beyond. Through the QE Futures programme, students are supported with university applications including interview practice and admission test preparations. Specialist supervisors guide students who choose to pursue an apprenticeship or enter the workplace aligning to their career ambitions.
Student Wellbeing
QE’s excellent pastoral team runs a programme of activities and support to ensure students’ mental and physical health is a priority. The team are Muddy Stilettos Outstanding Pastoral Care Finalists and are available 24/7 to students. The 2023 ISI inspection says that “Pupils feel that their opinions matter and that leaders are alert to their welfare needs, which promotes their self‑esteem.”
In addition to the pastoral team, the school has student buddies and peer leaders who help new students to settle in. Trained peer mentors also offer one-to-one mentoring on academic progress, cultural understanding and day-to-day routines. A dedicated team of International Liaison Officers provide a specialist support role for students joining QE from across the globe.
Sport at QE
QE takes pride in offering over 100 clubs onsite, making full use of its exceptional facilities with over 30 acres of elite grass and 3G artificial pitches, a 25-metre swimming pool, a professional theatre, a new cricket pavilion and brand-new gym. QE has physical education teachers working alongside specialist sports coaches, many of whom are ex-professional sportspeople. QE strive to offer the most enriching activities for students, with large uptakes for QE Motorsports and QE Esports teams.
QE’s resident activity centre, Muggles, is a space to enjoy free time. Students can access a new gaming suite, board games and chill-out spaces to hang out with friends. For students feeling active, they can try the brand-new outdoor activity area with its own padel court, a MUGA court, a climbing and bouldering wall, skate track, playground area and sheltered breakout pods for socialising.
Boarding Community
QE has a boarding community unlike any other, a unique blend of cultures and nationalities, where friendships are formed that last a lifetime. Students in Years 6 to 13 have ensuite bedrooms and every boarding house includes a modern, well equipped common room for socialising. Younger students have specialised dorms and common rooms designed for little people. There are chill out spaces, a wellness room and study pods plus a communal open plan kitchen dining space. Children are cared for by specialist staff who are separate to academic teachers and who promote independence. The aim for the whole student community is that QE feels like home.
Scholarships & Bursaries