Queen Anne's School

Our View

A super little school, within easy reach of London, that deserves to be better known. Suits girls who might wither under the remorseless pressure of some of the better known girls' boarding schools. A feel-good school which keeps its eye on the future without losing sight of the past. Don't let its proximity to Reading put you off!

Head

Since 2006, Mrs Julia Harrington BA NPQ (fifties). Previously deputy head at Prior's Field School, Godalming, a school with a similar feel to this one. She was educated at Lydney Grammar School and read history and politics at Exeter. In the 1980s Mrs Harrington joined the Independent Television Companies Association, the trades association which represented the interests of the, then, 16 independent television companies. Buckets of enthusiasm, much of it directed towards getting the girls to aim high and believe in their ability to make a difference – was saying 'Yes we can!' years before anyone had heard of Barack Obama. Mrs Harrington is married to an IT Director; her two daughters are studying at Oxford and her son at Durham.

Academic Matters

It's all about personal best here. Not a hothouse, not part of the academic super-elite, but does well by the girls, whatever their ability. In 2009, 79 per cent A-B at A Level. Maths outstanding and (surprisingly) popular. Range of A level subjects not setting the world on fire, but does well for a school of this size: music technology, Latin, Chinese, Mandarin, PE, history of art and psychology liven up the list of usual suspects. GCSEs also stand up well, 87 per cent A*-B in 2009, with maths, Latin and sciences shining out (four students have been selected this year to attend Salters' Chemistry camps). It would be nice to see more A*s in art and music – both of which have vibrant departments here.

Impressive octagonal two-tier library well-stocked and constantly updated with hardbacks, softbacks and software. Two dedicated IT rooms fully equipped with latest technology. Small classes for all – standard size 16-18. Swish £3m science block, modern languages block and performing arts centre opened in 2006. Mild dyslexics catered for – no specialist teacher. Prep sessions scheduled during the day help procrastinators to stay on track. We're told Saturday morning lesons have been replaced with an 'optional programme of exciting activities' including sports, drama and music and creative options.

Games, Options, the Arts

Focus of huge investment in recent years. Superb sports centre opened in 2000 by Princess Royal. Multi-functional hall (international competition standard) plus squash courts, dance studio, a climbing wall, 25-metre indoor pool and a gym. Great reputation on lax field (arch rivals: Downe House). Current student is one of the youngest players ever to be selected for the senior England lacrosse team. Tennis, rowing and golf have all celebrated recent success. Netball, athletics, squash and swimming also hotly contested, and there is riding, gym and dance. No hockey ('but no one minds,' said our guide, 'because lacrosse is so much better!').

New art and design studio, opened by old girl Posy Simmonds in 2008 – lots of space and light and the school is experimenting with an 'artist in residence'. Drama a particular strength and the purpose-built performing arts centre, incorporating fabulous 250-seater theatre plus music practice rooms, is well used (three full dramatic productions a year). Two GCSE students were among the top ten candidates (2008) who achieved the highest overall marks out of 60,878 Edexcel entries. One QAS girl played a role in Sky One's drama series Hex, another in the recent film remake of St Trinians. Public speaking a serious extracurricular and QAS hosted the International Independent Schools' Public Speaking Championship last autumn. Music getting a lot of attention lately: the deputy head is deputy chief examiner for the IB music course and the school now offers IGCSE music. The music department runs a series of subscription concerts and workshops as well as informal/formal concerts and choir tours. D of E, Young Enterprise, Team Challenge etc. Lovely room for cookery lessons.

Background and Atmosphere

Dates back to 1698 when the Grey Coat Hospital was founded for children of Westminster. In 1706 Queen Anne granted it a charter and the governors decided to use part of the endowment to found a country boarding school, ultimately creating QAS in Caversham in 1894. The school still has Queen Anne's favourite flower, a deep red rose, as its emblem. Girls' traditional capes (now only used for special occasions and the triennial service at Westminster Abbey) are also red, while their more up-to-date replacement, the humble fleece, is navy. Set in charming red-brick assortment of original and modern buildings up hill from the Thames in 35 acres. Grey Coat Hospital (girls' state comp) remains a sister school.

Reading is a tricky market for a school of this kind, with so many other good girls-only options just down the road, including state ones. But QAS is something special. Drive through the school gates and you forget the busy roads and parking hassles: you could be at any rural girls' boarding school. Indeed, the boarding is an important ingredient of the ethos here and the school gets it just right. Girls sorted into houses on arrival – two for boarders, three for day girls and two for sixth form. Super dorms (largest sleep five), with attention to things like showers that matter to girls. Lots of space but never feels like too few girls knocking around in too much room. Sixth form accommodation especially fab, with boarders sharing rooms with day girls. Upper sixth house has wall of lacrosse sticks parked on hooks outside the entrance – says so much about the school – and its own car park. These oldest girls eat supper in house – Wed night is wok night! Loads of space, sofas, sitting rooms ('sits'). Luxury. Male guests allowed Sit and Café 6 – the funky purple and green sixth form snack bar/café/games room created out of old school gym – and there are school socials with Shiplake, Oratory and others.

Some lovely, feminine touches eg tea which rotates between bread and jam (Mon and Wed), cakes (Tues and Fri) and choc spread (Thurs). Home economics and ballroom dancing sit comfortably alongside chemistry and further maths. While girls more likely to be found poring over their 'personal statements' for college applications than sewing machines, the sewing machines still get some use (as the brilliantly beaded and coloured cushions scattered around registrar's office amply demonstrate).

Pastoral Care and Discipline

20 minute worship every morning (female chaplain) in charming chapel. We didn't see much make-up being worn – what's the point when there are no boys around? Girls allowed (in groups) into Caversham, where the Waitrose is about the height of excitement, on Wednesday afternoons. Older girls can go into Reading – 'we give the sixth formers quite a lot of freedom – this is not a cotton wool school.' No alcohol to be consumed at school, except for a few sixth form events. No permanent exclusions since the current head arrived. Drug offences warrant immediate expulsion. Sliding scale of punishments for smoking.

The head is keenly interested in the differences between how girls' and boys' brains work, reads widely in the field, trained as a psycho-dynamic counsellor and referred knowledgably to assorted experts (none of whom this poor ignorant editor had heard of) throughout our conversation. In short, she knows a thing or two about the cliques, friendship group nightmares etc that frequently bedevil girls-only schools; takes care that the school avoids the situations from which such tensions spring eg girls are not allowed to 'save seats'.

Pupils and Parents

Bright eyed, well-spoken girls. Sixth formers allowed to wear home clothes for lessons but must look businesslike when acting as ambassadors. Uniform, compulsory for everyone else, comprises red and white striped shirt with navy skirt and jumper sporting red band on cuff. Mixed family backgrounds, we were assured – does not have quite the cachet of some of the more famous girls' schools so does not attract the flashest of parents. Broadly middle class, professional and well-heeled from within an hour and a half radius. About 15 per cent from overseas (China, Hong Kong, Spain and Nigeria top the list, but quite a lot of exotics including two Mongolians and a Kazakh!): almost too many, but not quite. Plus large handful of expats (FCO, Services etc). Famous OGs include Posy Simmonds, Jenny Seagrove, artist Brenda Rawnsley, T S Eliot's second wife Valerie Fletcher (not the crazy one) and Joan Hunter Dunn – John Betjeman's 'muse and fantasy love'.

Entrance

Assessment days are held in November for 11+ entrants. They sit pre-entry exams in English, maths and verbal reasoning followed by 11+ Common Entrance in January. 13+ entrance exams take place in January. Papers in English, maths, science and humanities (either geography, history or RE) and a choice of French, Spanish, German, Latin or Greek. Sixth form entry: min of five GCSEs at grade C or above and Bs for subjects to be studied at A level. Applications require English and maths entrance exams and predicted grades. Long list of feeder schools includes preps and state primaries.

Exit

Handful lost to sixth form colleges, art colleges or mixed independents after GCSEs. The rest to good universities absolutely everywhere; one or two most years to Oxbridge. Lots to business/marketing/management courses, also sciences/medicine, and three girls last year went on to read international relations, underlining Mrs Harrington's claim that the girls are developing a political consciousness! Few gap years.

Money Matters

Academic, drama, music, art, sports and all-rounder scholarships at 11+, 13+ and sixth form. Help on hand in cases of hardship.