The Faculty of Queen Ethelburga's Review 2026

A senior school with a clear organising idea, shape the programme around the student, not the other way round. The Faculty of Queen Ethelburga’s sits within the wider Queen Ethelburga’s collegiate campus and, from September 2025, its senior provision has been brought together under the Queen Ethelburga’s College name for Years 10 to 13.

Headteacher Miss Lauren Blakeley has led the school since 2022, with overall collegiate responsibility sitting with Principal Mr Daniel Machin. For families, this structure matters because it helps explain the “big campus, small school” feel that many independent collegiates aim for, senior students can access a wide set of facilities, while still belonging to a defined pathway and leadership team.

Boarding is a core part of the experience. Boarders live in one of eight on-site houses and the school day for day students runs from 8:30am to 4:10pm, Monday to Friday. The most recent Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) inspection (October 2023) confirmed that all regulatory standards were met, including safeguarding.

Personalisation is the theme that runs through almost every published description of the Faculty. Programmes are designed to match aptitudes and ambitions, and the curriculum blend (academic and vocational) is repeatedly framed as a deliberate choice rather than an add-on. In practice, that tends to create a student body with varied end goals, some pushing for highly selective university courses, others building a profile for sport, creative disciplines, or applied routes.

A large boarding cohort changes the social dynamic. Even for day students, the campus is built to support extended days and structured independent work. The Key Stage Four “day in the life” outline includes a supervised evening study session (Power Hour) that day students can join by staying for an evening meal with boarders. That optional extension is a useful indicator of how the school thinks about outcomes, it expects students to use time deliberately and to treat independent study as a normal part of the week.

Relationships and conduct are described in consistently calm terms across formal reporting. The ISI report highlights positive pupil-staff relationships, high expectations for behaviour in lessons and around the school, and a culture that actively promotes respect for others in a diverse community. For parents weighing a boarding setting, that matters as much as facilities, because the day-to-day experience is shaped by how well routines are managed and how reliably students feel supported away from home.

Leadership visibility is also a recurring theme in official documentation. The inspection narrative stresses defined leadership responsibilities, systematic monitoring, and regular reporting to parents. For families, that often translates into clarity, who to contact, what the expectations are, and how swiftly concerns are handled.

The Faculty’s outcomes sit above England average, with strongest signals at A-level. In the latest dataset, 75.63% of A-level grades were A* to B, compared with an England average of 47.2% for A* to B. A* and A grades together account for 37.81% (A* at 7.56% and A at 30.25%), above the England average of 23.6% for A* and A combined.

In FindMySchool’s rankings based on official data, the sixth form places 406th in England and 7th locally within York. This positions the school comfortably within the top 25% of A-level providers in England. GCSE outcomes show a similar overall pattern. The school ranks 762nd in England for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking), also within the top 25% of secondary schools in England.

Two practical implications follow from this profile. First, the school is delivering strong sixth form outcomes at scale, which tends to suit students who respond well to structured independent study and frequent assessment. Second, the performance picture is consistent with a school that supports multiple pathways, maintaining results while offering a broader qualification mix than purely academic sixth forms.

Parents comparing options locally can use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to benchmark these outcomes against nearby independent and state sixth forms, especially where travel time becomes a deciding factor.

The Faculty’s published model places curriculum design at the centre. Leadership is described as regularly reviewing and adapting the mix of academic and vocational qualifications so that it is tailored to students’ aptitudes and needs, while still keeping breadth across curriculum areas. This is a meaningful detail, it suggests the school expects students to make active choices, and that timetable construction is intended to be responsive rather than fixed.

Classroom practice, as described in formal reporting, leans on clear explanations and modelling. Teachers’ subject knowledge is reported as strong, and lesson planning is generally effective, with students engaged and making good progress. The school also describes a tracking and reporting approach based on regular formal progress tests, ongoing classroom assessment, and detailed feedback, with parents receiving written reports and meeting teachers twice a year through online meetings.

Where this matters most is for students who benefit from a measurable plan. If your child responds well to short feedback loops, frequent checkpoints, and a structured revision culture, the published approach aligns well. Students who prefer greater ambiguity or who resist routine independent study may find it more demanding, even when the environment is supportive.

The Faculty does not publish a single headline destination percentage for selective universities, so the most reliable overall destination picture comes from the latest available leaver destinations dataset. For the 2023/24 cohort, 67% progressed to university, 15% entered employment, 1% began apprenticeships, and 1% went into further education. (Percentages may not sum to 100% due to other outcomes.)

To add texture, the school does publish course and institution lists for recent leavers. The 2024 Faculty destinations document includes a wide spread of universities and degrees, for example Cardiff University (Architecture and Law), City, University of London (Accounting and Finance, Business Management), and King’s College London (Global Health and Social Science). This kind of list is useful for parents because it shows the range of routes students are actually taking, including creative degrees and foundation routes, alongside traditional academic destinations.

Careers guidance is presented as a structured programme, including talks from visiting speakers and individual advice sessions, with sixth form students progressing to a variety of degree and training courses, including some competitive sports scholarships. The implication is that support is intended to cover both “Plan A” and credible alternatives, which is often what families want from a large senior campus.

Admissions are framed as non-selective, with no formal academic entry requirements. Applicants are asked to complete a cognitive abilities test so staff can understand how each student learns and where support may be needed. The school also states that families can begin the application process at any point of the year, which typically means places are offered when there is availability rather than through a single national deadline.

For 2026 entry, the most time-sensitive part is usually the visit and assessment scheduling rather than a hard cut-off. Open Days are offered across the year, and the Open Day format is clearly structured, one-hour tours begin at 9:30am and run every half hour until 11:00am, followed by lunch and opportunities to speak with academic and admissions staff. The published 2025/26 term dates also show multiple open events, including Open Days scheduled in March 2026.

If you are considering boarding, treat the visit as more than a campus tour. Ask specifically about house placement by age and gender, evening routines, supervised study expectations, and weekend patterns. Those details shape fit far more than prospectus language.

A senior boarding environment works when the basics are consistently strong, supervision, communication, and routines. The ISI report describes effective support for boarders’ pastoral and academic needs, alongside a culture of openness around welfare concerns.

Personal development is also positioned as a formal programme rather than an informal add-on. Published reporting describes a wide-ranging programme that includes personal, social, health and economic education, relationships and sex education, and structured opportunities for leadership and student voice. The practical implication is that the school is aiming to produce students who can manage independence, make informed choices, and handle the social realities of a diverse boarding cohort.

For families, the most relevant question is not whether support exists, it is how early it is used and how accessible it is. The published emphasis on staff accessibility and responsive handling of concerns is a reassuring indicator, particularly for younger Year 10 boarders.

Co-curricular breadth is one of the clearest strengths in formal reporting. The ISI narrative describes a wide programme of activities and enrichment, including debating and philosophy clubs, plus opportunities to gain nationally recognised qualifications such as young leader awards and a national pool lifeguard qualification.

Two long-standing structures stand out because they signal commitment rather than occasional participation. The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme are both referenced as teamwork activities that develop leadership and life skills. For students who need a constructive outlet beyond academic work, these programmes can be genuinely formative, especially in a boarding setting where evenings and weekends are part of school life.

The creative strand is also unusually tangible. King’s Theatre is promoted as a professional venue with capacity for over 300, and term-date listings show school productions scheduled within the academic year. That matters for students who are serious about performance or production roles, because regular access to a dedicated venue changes the level of experience students can gain by Year 13.

Finally, modern pathways are visible. The school’s published co-curricular and curriculum menus include esports, with references to students joining Young Game Designers alongside qualifications in the area. For a student whose motivation is tied to contemporary interests, that can be the difference between compliance and real engagement.

Fees for UK passport holders are published on a per-term basis for the 2025/26 academic year, with VAT included. For Years 10 and 11, day fees are £7,160 per term; weekly boarding is £12,930 per term; full boarding is £13,730 per term. For Years 12 and 13, day fees are £7,595 per term; weekly boarding is £13,440 per term; full boarding is £14,240 per term.

A non-refundable registration fee of £354 is also published for ages 3 and above. Beyond tuition, families should budget for the usual additional costs associated with senior independent education, for example uniform, some trips, and optional extras such as specialist coaching depending on the student’s pathway.

On financial assistance, the school’s scholarships page states that it is not offering scholarships or bursaries to new families for the next academic year, linking this to absorbing VAT costs. This is important to clarify early in conversations with admissions, particularly if your affordability model assumes means-tested support or scholarship offset.

Day students attend from 8:30am to 4:10pm, Monday to Friday. The school states there is no Saturday school, with Saturday morning clubs available. Boarding takes place across eight on-site houses, and families should ask how house routines and supervised study are structured for each age group.

The campus is set in the North Yorkshire countryside, around 13 miles from York. The school advises that the easiest way to reach it is by car or taxi; Cattal is listed as the closest train station and Leeds Bradford as the closest airport. If you are shortlisting, travel logistics should be treated as part of the decision, particularly for weekly boarders and for families planning frequent weekend fixtures or performances.

• Financial planning and fee structure: Fees are published per term and include VAT for 2025/26, so annual cost depends on whether your child is day, weekly boarding, or full boarding.

• Scholarships and bursaries for new families: The school states it is not offering scholarships or bursaries to new families for the next academic year. Families who expect financial support should confirm the position for their intended entry year before proceeding.

• Teaching consistency across a personalised model: The recommended next step in the October 2023 ISI report was for leaders to ensure teaching is consistently planned to take account of prior learning and abilities. If your child needs very tight differentiation, ask how this is quality-assured in each pathway.

• Location and travel rhythm: The site is around 13 miles from York and is described as easiest to reach by car or taxi, with Cattal as the closest train station. This is manageable for many, but it shapes weekly routines, especially for day students joining evening study and co-curricular commitments.

The Faculty of Queen Ethelburga’s is best understood as a senior pathway built for students who want a tailored programme and who can manage a structured, extended day. Strong A-level outcomes and a clear emphasis on enrichment and leadership development support the case for families seeking both academic results and a broad “life beyond lessons” offer.

Who it suits most is the student who will use the opportunities, commit to supervised study expectations, and benefit from the social and pastoral structure of a large boarding community. The biggest decision points are cost (and the current stance on scholarships and bursaries for new families) plus whether the student will thrive in an environment that expects purposeful independence.