Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet Review 2026: Academic Excellence in a 450-Year Tradition

When Robert Dudley petitioned Queen Elizabeth I for a grammar school charter in 1573, he could hardly have imagined that his foundation would, 450 years later, stand among England's elite institutions. The school moved to its current Queen's Road site in 1932, trading its Tudor Hall origins for a purpose-built campus inspired by Elizabethan architecture, complete with brick and stone masonry, oak panelling, and terrazzo flooring. Today, approximately 1,200 boys aged 11-18 benefit from academic results that place the school 10th for GCSE and 7th for A-levels (FindMySchool rankings), placing it firmly in the top 2% of schools in England. This is no-fee, state-funded education delivering outcomes that rival the country's most exclusive independent schools. Securing a place, however, requires clearing a highly competitive entrance examination with around 791 applicants competing for 191 places in Year 7.

The current building opened in 1932, designed with Elizabethan sensibilities in mind. Corridors feature 1930s glazed tiles; oak panelling marks formal spaces. Stapylton Field, the sports ground purchased by former governor H.E. Chetwynd Stapylton in 1886, stretches behind the main buildings, hosting rugby and cricket throughout the academic year.

Neil Enright, the 40th Headmaster since the school's founding, took up his post in September 2011 after serving as Deputy Head and Geography teacher at the school since 2002. He succeeded Dr John Marincowitz following his retirement. Under his leadership, the school has maintained Outstanding ratings across six consecutive Ofsted inspections, most recently in May 2022, which praised the school in all areas including Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, and Leadership and Management.

Students here carry themselves with quiet confidence. The six-house system (Broughton, Harrisons', Leicester, Pearce, Stapylton, and Underne) provides pastoral structure and competitive focus. House competitions run throughout the year, from inter-house rugby to the House Music Competition, fostering loyalty and identity beyond year groups.

GCSE Performance

Results place the school 10th and 1st in Enfield for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking), positioning it in the elite in England. In 2024, 96.5% of grades were awarded at 9-7, dramatically exceeding the 54% England average for top grades. The average Attainment 8 score of 86.6 towers above the England average of 45.9, while 98.9% of students achieved grades 5 or above in English and mathematics. The average Progress 8 score of +1.22 indicates students make exceptional progress from their starting points, well above national expectations.

A-Level Performance

At A-level, the school ranks 7th in England and 1st in Enfield (FindMySchool ranking), placing it among the elite 0.3% of schools. In 2024, 52.6% of grades were awarded at A*, compared to the England average of around 8%. A further 32.1% achieved A grades, with 94.9% of all grades falling between A* and B. These exceptional figures underscore why the school consistently appears among the nation's top performers, regardless of sector.

The combination of elite GCSE and A-level results places the school 5th in FindMySchool's combined ranking, reflecting sustained excellence across both key stages.

Teaching is rigorous and traditional in approach. Teachers are subject experts who teach with clarity and high expectations. Students regularly complete work beyond what would typically be expected for their age, with the curriculum described as academic, broad, and balanced. All students study triple science from Year 7. French, German, and Latin are taught from the start, with no setting by ability across most subjects to avoid premature ceilings on achievement.

The school follows a dialogic teaching model with emphasis on discussion and questioning, fostering free-thinking scholarship. Digital literacy is embedded across subjects rather than taught as a standalone computer science course. Personal targets are set in every subject, with individual progress tracked against baseline assessments administered in Year 7. Classes average 28 students in the lower school, dropping to smaller sets for A-level teaching.

In the 2023-24 cohort, 90% of leavers progressed to university, with a further 2% entering apprenticeships and 3% moving into employment. The school's Oxbridge record is extraordinary. In 2024, 44 students secured places at Oxford or Cambridge from 108 applications, ranking the school 9th in England for combined Oxbridge acceptances. Of these, 30 went to Cambridge and 14 to Oxford. The school ranks 2nd in England for Cambridge placements specifically.

At Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet, beyond Oxbridge, leavers regularly secure places at Imperial College, UCL, Edinburgh, Durham, Bristol, and Warwick. Over the past three years, 157 Oxbridge offers have been made to students from the school. Popular degree choices include Mathematics, Medicine and Dentistry, Engineering, and Economics. In 2024, 14 students secured places on computing courses at leading universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, and Warwick, while 18 secured medical school places.

Music: A Defining Pillar

Music occupies a central position in school life. Ruth Partington, Director of Music since September 2019, is a professional clarinettist and saxophonist who has performed with the Hallé Orchestra and Royal Shakespeare Company. Under her direction, the school maintains an impressive array of ensembles: Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Winds, Jazz Band, Choir, Chamber Choir, String Quartet, Camerata, and Celli. Annual events include the Winter Concert, Leavers' Concert, Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, Founder's Day celebrations, the House Music Competition, and a Music Festival.

Students gain places in national ensembles including the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, National Youth String Orchestra, and National Youth Children's Choir. The school recently invested £5 million in performing arts facilities, opening the Friends' Recital Hall & Music Rooms, followed by the 200-seat Robert Dudley Studio for drama and spoken word in 2024.

Notable alumni in music include Sir Lucian Grainge, Director of Universal Music Group, and Mike Ajayi, record label owner who signed platinum-selling band alt-J and founded AMF Records under Universal Music Group.

Drama & Performance

The Shakespeare Schools Festival runs in the autumn term, with students performing Shakespeare in professional theatre settings. Recent productions have included Hamlet, directed by Old Elizabethan Sahil Handa. The major annual school play takes place during the Easter holidays, with recent productions including Treasure Island and science fiction works by H.G. Wells. The Inter-House Drama Festival in summer term provides competitive opportunities across all houses.

Robert Rinder, the criminal barrister and television personality who attended the school from 1989-1994, performed title roles in Bugsy Malone and attended the National Youth Theatre at age 14, where he was a contemporary of Matt Lucas and David Walliams.

STEM & Robotics

The school's STEM provision extends well beyond the classroom. VEX Robotics competes in England, while the Model UN and debating societies (including ESU Mace debating and Oxford Schools debating) provide intellectual challenge. The product design studio houses 3D printers and laser cutters, enabling students to work with industry-standard equipment.

The most celebrated alumnus in this field is Sir Demis Hassabis, who attended the school from 1988-1990. Hassabis co-founded Google DeepMind and was jointly awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for AI contributions to protein structure prediction. Fellow Old Elizabethan Mustafa Suleyman also co-founded Google DeepMind. Both attended the school during overlapping periods, forming part of a remarkable cohort.

Sport & Physical Activity

Sport is compulsory for all students through Year 11, with rugby union the dominant winter game. The school fields A, B, C, and D XVs in rugby, with similar depth in cricket, athletics, and cross-country. The Martin Pool, an eight-lane swimming pool with moveable floor, hosts competitive swimming and water polo at county and national levels. Eton Fives features prominently, with teams competing at the National Championships in Shrewsbury.

The QE Sevens Tournament, hosted annually since 1976, draws leading rugby schools from across the country for under-14 and under-16 seven-a-side competitions. Tours include the Year 9 Holland rugby tour and the biennial Sri Lanka rugby and cricket tour. Every February half-term, a skiing trip runs for interested students. The school also maintains links with local clubs in athletics, rugby, cricket, water polo, and tennis.

Tom Aggar, who attended from 1995-2002, became the first-ever Paralympic champion in the arms-shoulders men's single scull in Beijing 2008, later winning bronze at Rio 2016 as a four-times World Champion.

Combined Cadet Force, Duke of Edinburgh & Service

The Combined Cadet Force remains popular, with students participating in camps, exercises, and the annual Remembrance Sunday parade through High Barnet. The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme runs to Gold level, with significant numbers achieving Bronze and Silver awards annually. Community service includes outreach to local primary schools, where sixth-formers deliver activities in coding, chess, creative writing, and public speaking to Years 4-6.

The QE Flourish enrichment programme structures co-curricular life around four pillars: Care, Challenge, Create, and Compete. This framework ensures all students engage with activities beyond academic study, from philanthropy initiatives to the annual Founder's Day Fête held on the third Saturday in June.

Clubs & Societies

Additional clubs include Chess (competing at high levels), Debating, Fitness and Weights, beginners' swimming, volleyball, athletics, table tennis, fencing, and tennis. The school's peer mentoring programme sees older students supporting younger pupils, while Personal Development Time in the timetable addresses wellbeing, oracy, and service.

This is one of the most competitive state school entry processes in England. In 2024, 791 applications were received for 191 Year 7 places, a ratio of 4.1 applications per place. Entry requires passing the school's own entrance examination in English and Mathematics, administered in mid-September. The 2025 entry cycle follows this pattern: test registration requests opened on 1 May 2025 and closed at noon on 11 July 2025. Tests took place on 17-18 September 2025, with results notified provisionally on 1 October 2025. Successful candidates receive an invitation to tour the school during working hours.

Passing the entrance test does not guarantee a place. Parents must also complete their home local authority's Common Application Form by the published deadline, typically in late October. National Offer Day falls on 2 March 2026. The school's open day for 2025 entry took place on 3 July 2025.

The test has been redesigned in recent years to reduce the advantage gained through intensive tutoring, though preparation remains near-universal among applicants. Families relocate, tutor extensively, and plan for years to secure places. This is not a school students stumble upon; admission requires strategy, commitment, and, ultimately, academic aptitude.

The school day runs from approximately 8:50am to 3:20pm. Saturday morning school operates for sports fixtures and other activities. Located on Queen's Road in Barnet, the school is accessible by public transport, with New Barnet and High Barnet stations providing rail connections. Many students travel considerable distances, reflecting the wide catchment area drawn by the school's reputation.

This is a state-funded school, so there are no tuition fees. However, the school has historically relied on parental contributions to supplement its budget, with voluntary donations enabling facilities and enrichment opportunities that might otherwise be unaffordable. Parents have typically contributed around £60 monthly, though this is voluntary.

Each student belongs to one of six houses, with a housemaster providing pastoral oversight. Tutor groups of 6-8 students meet regularly, ensuring close academic monitoring. A trained counsellor is available, and the school has invested in staff training around mental health and wellbeing. The 2022 Ofsted inspection noted that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Students describe a supportive environment where older students look out for younger peers. Peer mentoring operates formally, with sixth-formers acting as role models and guides. The school's size (1,200 students) means most staff know most students by name, maintaining a sense of community despite the scale.

Mobile phone policy is strict: phones must never be seen, used, or heard on school premises except in clearly defined circumstances. Years 7-11 may use phones only in the front office during break or lunch for practical reasons. In sixth form, phones may be used in The Queen’s Library during silent study — for research, or to listen to music on headphones — but not for calls.

Entrance competition is intense. With around 791 applicants for 191 places, rejection is far more common than acceptance. Families invest heavily in preparation, and the emotional stakes are high for 10 and 11-year-olds sitting the test. Those who do not gain entry may struggle with feelings of failure, despite the statistical reality that most applicants will not succeed.

Adjustment can be challenging. Every student here was among the top performers at their primary school. Finding themselves in a peer group of equals, or facing the reality that some students are significantly stronger in certain subjects, requires psychological adjustment. The school's high expectations are unrelenting.

Travel times can be significant. The school draws from a wide geographic area, with some students travelling over an hour each way. This reduces time available for homework, rest, and family life. Families should carefully consider whether their child is temperamentally suited to long commutes and intense academic pressure combined.

The environment is single-sex. Boys spend their formative years in an all-male environment through Year 11. Sixth form is also single-sex. Families seeking co-education throughout secondary years should look elsewhere.

Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet delivers leading academic outcomes in a state-funded setting, an achievement almost without parallel in English education. Results place it 10th for GCSE and 7th for A-levels in England (FindMySchool data), with 44 Oxbridge acceptances in 2024 ranking it 9th in the country for Oxbridge destinations. The school combines academic rigour with extensive enrichment through the QE Flourish programme, producing students who secure places at leading universities and go on to distinction in fields from artificial intelligence to music.

Best suited to academically able boys who thrive on intellectual challenge, who can handle competitive pressure, and whose families can commit to intensive preparation for the entrance examination. The greatest barrier is entry itself; for those who clear that hurdle, the education on offer is exceptional. Parents should weigh the significant investment required (tutoring, potential relocation, emotional strain) against the very real possibility of not gaining a place. For successful applicants, this represents first-class education at zero cost.