Good Schools Guide Review 2025
HEADTEACHER
HEADMASTER: Mr Neil Enright
Since 2011, Neil Enright MA (Oxon) NPQH FRSA. A local boy, educated at John Lyon School in Harrow (was deputy head boy, now deputy chair of governors) and St John’s College, Oxford (a geographer). Also governor of Harrow School, and St Albans High School for Girls.
Mr Enright joined the school as a geography teacher in 2002, rising seamlessly through the ranks. He still has a jaunty air after ‘almost half a lifetime’ at the school and remains passionate about leading this ‘state school like no other’. With remarkable prescience, his MBA dissertation was on ‘Growing your own leadership in a context of change’: ‘Change is happening at a dizzying pace,’ he says, ‘and the AI revolution is only speeding things up.’ Embodying the ‘free-thinking scholarship’ that he encourages in his students, he continues, ‘there’s no temptation
not to dig more deeply into the thoughtful conversations that result.’ He describes his school as ‘a dynamic organisation, evolving, and embedding creative thinking’, yet enjoying the continuity of generations of alumni – ‘Elizabethans’ – who ‘grow up, share their experience and give back’, a shining example of whom is the first alumnus to win a Nobel prize, Demis Hassabis who, with fellow alumnus Mustafa Suleyman, cofounded Google Deepmind.
Ever mindful of the richly diverse melting pot of North London and the need to work with every young person to help them grow, regardless of cultural norms, Mr Enright feels a deep sense of responsibility to educate the whole child: ‘Children need to find out who they are, not what others think they should be,’ he says. He believes that every adult in the school who interacts with pupils is a role model who can help shape and empower: ‘Every one of us needs to be careful how we talk to children,’ he says, wearing the hat of educator, mentor and guide.
He describes himself as ‘very optimistic’, enthusing about the school and the energy of the students – ‘very exciting to be around’. Teachers agree that he is ’irrepressibly positive about everything’, not least the latest innovative step to be the first state school to open three schools overseas under the QE banner, in India (two) and United Arab Emirates. ‘We are not an inward-looking gated community,’ he says. ‘We are firmly rooted in Barnet, in London and in our sector, but it is very important to work with other organisations too.’
Parents describe him as ‘approachable and available’, ‘charismatic’ and an ‘excellent communicator’. It is difficult to imagine a harder-working head but, as he encourages his students to do, he thinks nothing of jumping on the tube and making the most of ‘the privilege of living in London’.
He still has a jaunty air after ‘almost half a lifetime’ at the school and remains passionate about leading this ‘state school like no other’
ENTRANCE
Hugely oversubscribed, with 192 boys selected from 3,500 applicants at 170 schools. Places offered purely on ranked performance in the ‘open and accessible’ 11+ exam which, says head, ‘effectively identifies a narrow ability range of boys who thrive doing amazing things, at pace and in depth’. No preferential treatment for siblings, catchment, pupil premium or star musicians, ‘who would probably get in anyway’. No advantage to ‘accelerated hothousing’ - school favouring ‘reading
EXIT
‘What worries boys is what they don’t know, rather than what they do,’ says teacher, so boys are drip-fed ‘QE Futures’ from the get-go: assemblies, career talks, entrepreneur workshops, a trip to Oxford in year 10 – to sit in on a philosophy lecture, no less. Huge appetite for the most demanding courses: 63 Oxbridge places in 2024, 49 in 2025. Oxbridge medicine ‘huge’. Around half the leavers regularly go to Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial or UCL. Top state school for admission to Russell Group universities (84 per cent) according to Sutton Trust and, breaking the mould, music conservatoires too. ‘Invaluable uni support,’ says sixth former, including 150 individual online mock interviews from
good fiction as a valuable way to stretch boys academically and to open a thoughtful and enquiring mind’. Parents of successful candidates, however, admit to huge personal commitment in terms of tutoring, even to the point of relocating (from Birmingham and Swindon) once the glittering prize is offered. ‘No marketing spiel’, ‘no schmoozing’ at the open day: ‘This is what we provide; you must decide whether or not it will suit your child’ is the very clear message.
alumni (doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs and lawyers are in plentiful supply).
Vast majority of boys stay on after GCSEs (no newcomers in the sixth form); a few opt for co-ed, wider A-level choice, scholarships at independent schools or, simply, choose a less-pressured option. Many subject teachers take no prisoners in their A level selection criteria – a bar to entry ‘may not come as a complete surprise,’ says seasoned parent.
LATEST RESULTS
In 2024, 97 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 85 per cent A*/A (95 per cent A*/B) at A level.
TEACHING & LEARNING
Free-thinking scholarship lies at the heart of a QE education. Dialogic teaching –or discussion and questioning – helps students ‘dig deep’, ‘think for themselves’ and ‘learn intellectual resilience’. Boys are encouraged to be ambitious in their own learning, to go on a voyage of discovery – ‘confidently, independently, collaboratively’. The same could be said for teachers who, parents say, are ‘outstandingly good, stretching and challenging boys at every turn’.
Consistently at, or very near, the top of national league tables for both state and independent schools. Economics, maths, further maths and science A levels stratospherically strong in A* success
and number of candidates (153 maths, 76 further maths, 73 physics candidates in the year we visited, for example).
Arts subjects lag behind in number (14 English, 7 French, two Latin) even though school talks of ‘a surge in take-up of other subjects offered under the wide curriculum’ – possibly starting from a low base. Refreshingly, any combination of A level subjects is possible and even a subject with just one taker (eg sociology when we visited) is an option. One parent describes how the ‘mathsy’ demographic is deep set, but boys are given every encouragement to choose their favourite subjects, not necessarily their parents’ choice. One mother told us how she ‘ate her words’ after telling her son that no
university would accept him if he did art
A level: he was not only awarded a prize of life membership of the Royal Academy, he also got his Oxbridge place.
Record-breaking results across the board at GCSE, with maths (the average grade hitting 8.9 when we visited), humanities, product design and foreign languages particularly strong. Everyone does triple science. French, German and Latin (the cornerstone of a Tudor education) are all taught from year 7. Breadth is maintained for as long as possible and, in the lessons we observed, teaching was pitched well above the expectations of the GCSE curriculum. In a year 7 music lesson all boys were required to listen to a cadence and write it down on manuscript paper with its technical name and roman numerals. Intellectual approach to art too, with discussion encouraging depth of enquiry and critical thinking: ‘Cross curricular links are explored at every opportunity’.
Computer science is not offered as a curriculum subject – ‘it would be good if it were, to keep up with the evolving job market,’ says savvy sixth former –but there is no shortage of offers from top universities for the subject and we witnessed huge enthusiasm around the 3D printers and laser cutters in product
design studio. ‘Lots of testing,’ say boys and parents, but no ‘teaching to the test’ – all part of encouraging boys to think for themselves and learn resiliently.
Digital literacy is embedded across the curriculum. Teachers, we are told, are drawn to a new, digitally-aware way of teaching and learning, including a focus on differentiating through technology and trialling resources to promote ‘studentled discovery learning’. ‘Staff need to be innovative,’ says digital lead. ‘They need to be able to keep up with and understand the same tech as a clever boy in year 7, which is saying something.’ All this, while not overlooking the importance of discussion and dialogue, not to mention pen and paper.
No setting. ‘Boys in the bottom set would still be top performers nationally.’ Collaboration and sharing insights in the classroom, rather than competing against each other is encouraged. Individual progress is tracked against each boy’s own performance in a baseline test in year 7, and personalised targets set in every subject. Scores are colour-coded for parents; ‘in a year group of 192, fewer than 10 boys will have multiple reds.’ Most boys have an inbuilt desire to exceed expectations or, at the very least, stay on track.
Boys are encouraged to be ambitious in their own learning, to go on a voyage of discovery – ‘confidently, independently, collaboratively’
LEARNING SUPPORT & SEN
‘All teachers are teachers of pupils with SEND,’ says school, adding that the focus is on the holistic development of all boys. Pupils with ECHPs (diabetes, autism, global development delay, sight impairment, cochlear implants) are well looked after by SENCo, the pastoral team and ‘really helpful’ sixth form peer mentors. Open dialogue between parents and primary school is essential to build the relationship from the outset: ‘We need to know, and they need to trust us.’ A separate induction day is in place for
SEND incomers, ‘who tend to be hyperfocused rather than hyper-active,’ says SENCo.
‘High expectations of confident, able and responsible boys are not lowered for anyone,’ we are told, ‘but there are different levels of support to help.’ Most interventions are bespoke and classroomled, but every subject has a lunchtime catch-up clinic, ‘often with valuable revision material’, says eager beaver.
ARTS & EXTRACURRICULAR
‘It’s cool to sing,’ says sixth former, as he makes short work of lunch before rushing to a barber shop rehearsal. We watched the senior choir and boy accompanist prepare for a concert – shoulders back, hands out of pockets, no music – the line-up and walking on as professional as the performance itself. Chamber choir has sung evensong at Southwark Cathedral, St George’s Windsor and King’s College, Cambridge, and local Parish Church, St John’s (which also facilitates an organ scholarship). Royal College of Organists has donated an electric organ (there is no chapel) and school has become only the second state school nationally to be accredited by the Royal College
of Organists, ‘a rare and prestigious accolade’.
Recital hall and music rooms, completed in 2022, offers a fabulous space for the 300-plus music lessons with 25 peripatetic teachers (with instrument loan scheme), and performances of the 20 regularlyrehearsing ensembles, from Symphony Orchestra to Indian Music to… electric guitars with smoke machines – proof that clever boys can also let their hair down. Junior string quartet and senior string trio took first and second prize respectively in the national Pro Corda chamber music competition.
New audio-visual equipment in the Robert Dudley Studio is used for drama, spoken word and dance. Shakespeare is deeply embedded: every boy in year 8 performs a monologue, ‘following the rhythms and the imagery of the poetry to bring the words to life’, says head of English; the whole of year 9 performed The Tempest, and annual schools Shakespeare Festival is a firm favourite. In partnership with English National Ballet, the studio was used both as a superb surround-sound cinema and then, with the seats retracted, a fantastic black box dance studio. The ‘impactful’ recent school play, Tanika Gupta’s ‘Lions and Tigers’, engaged with the heritage
of many QE families – samosas in the interval adding authenticity.
An extra-long lunchbreak allows for total immersion in clubs, not least boys’ passion for VEX Robotics. QE was not only one of the first UK teams to go to the ‘US Open of robotics’ in Nebraska but also came away with one of the three judges’ awards. Strong national presence also in debating (model UN, ESU Mace, Oxford Schools’) and chess (regularly in national finals of schools’ chess championships).
Much is made of being in London: theatre, concerts, motivational talks from alumni, museums, universities (LSE Generate offers support clinics for budding entrepreneurs), while links with top girls’ schools North London Collegiate (inter-school poetry symposium) and Henrietta Barnett (debating) add ‘co-ed’ to the QE Flourish.
‘It’s cool to sing,’ says sixth former, as he makes short work of lunch before rushing to a barber shop rehearsal
SPORT
One boy admitted to being ‘quite scared’ when he realised there was no football, but is now well and truly converted to rugby: ‘Teams are united by a love of sport; inter-house rugby is the best.’ Some boys discover talents neither they, not their parents, realised they had. One mother said, ‘One minute I had no idea what water polo was, the next my son had qualified for Team GB.’ Beautiful eight-lane pool with moveable floor
sets the right depth for water polo and is well-used for swimming lessons and by community clubs too. Under a specialist coach, the Eton 5s squad is heading for the national finals. Middlesex county cricket cup regularly features among the silverware. Annual year 9 rugby tour, biennial rugby and cricket tour to Sri Lanka and trips to Lord’s and Twickenham add to the fixtures, and a new sports hall is on the cards.
One mother said, ‘One minute I had no idea what water polo was, the next my son had qualified for Team GB’
ETHOS & HERITAGE
At the behest of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester and notable patron of the arts, Queen Elizabeth I granted in 1573 the very charter that was taken back to Westminster for the 450th anniversary. The current building, built in 1932, is inspired by the Elizabethan roots – brick and stone masonry, terrazzo flooring, oak panelling – alongside the iconic 1930s glazed tiles in classrooms and corridors. Everything, inside and out, is spick and span; no signs of wear and tear wrought by 1,300 teenage boys.
The rich heritage is hard to overlook. The Phoenix Portrait of Elizabeth I, painted by long-standing head of art, after the painting by Nicholas Hilliard in the National Portrait Gallery, greets every visitor. Impressive and prominent Tudor Rose artwork, to commemorate the 450th anniversary and coronation, bears some 1300 ceramic roses, one made by each pupil. All boys study the history of the school. Founders’ day traditions include roll call (read in Latin by school captain) and original school chronicle (read by head), the latter recording that a QE
education should be as much ‘in good manners as in nurture for learning’. In our discussion groups, boys were indeed articulate, respectful and mature – one young teenager politely acknowledging his classmate’s contribution: ‘As my colleague said….’. We observed ‘nurture for learning’ in spades – quiet focus in all lessons apart from the occasional exhilaration of a Eureka! moment. Breaktimes are reassuringly normal with boys dodging balls and each other. Ever diplomatic sixth former says ‘school lunches are more about quantity than quality, which, let’s face it, is important’.
Everything, inside and out, is spick and span; no signs of wear and tear wrought by 1,300 teenage boys
PASTORAL CARE, INCLUSIVITY & DISCIPLINE
‘It would be hard to find a greater range of masculinity,’ says head. ‘Boys have the freedom to be themselves; they may even revel in their own quirkiness.’ When asked what it might feel like not to be top of the class in this high-achieving environment, one boy admits that ‘there’ll always be someone cleverer than you, so it’s best to put your head down and try even harder’. Parent adds that ‘if you question how good you are, you’ll find QE really hard.’ Contribution to the school and service to the wider community too are celebrated (through merits, good notes and commendations) thereby ‘creating a virtuous circle in which success becomes a habit’, says school.
For those who encounter bumps along the way, help is at hand through form tutor, tutorials, peer mentoring and a part time counsellor. Weekly online wellbeing check gives an insight into ‘individual and collective happiness’ and provides boys with a discreet way to ask for help if needed. Personal development time addresses relevant issues such as online safety, revision planning and sleep. ‘Outside speakers enrich our lives’, says appreciative sixth former, citing assembly talk from LGBT+ charity, Just Like Us.
QE boys, not rebellious by nature, are
not told what not to do, but understand there could be consequences if they don’t make the right choice – ‘a heavy tackle’ or ‘an outburst against someone’ given as examples. The boys we met were polite and articulate, but not arrogant: ‘I’m not the most knowledgeable on the matter,’ said one in response to one of our questions. Parent referred to the high standard of tolerance and decency: ‘As far as pastoral care is concerned, they’ve nailed it – respect for oneself, and for those around you too.’ ‘I’m always pleasantly surprised at the sense of brotherhood,’ says pupil.
PUPILS & PARENTS
Ninety-five per cent BAME, largely British Asian. ‘They don’t live round the corner,’ says head, ‘and they don’t end up here by accident.’ Major efforts on the part of these motivated, already hard-working, parents to tutor and relocate, if necessary, on the offer of a place. Once in, there’s a sense of ‘we’re in this together, to get the best out of the school and out of our kids,’ says committed dad. The bond between student/teacher/parent is strong; parents have worked hard and have high expectations: ‘The stakes are high, the boys don’t want to squander it.’ Coaches serve families living in an arc around the M25, broadly from Northolt in the west
to Ilford in the east. Northern line serves north-south axis. Thameslink and Barnet General bus terminal also within easy reach.
‘The Friends’, all parents and alumni, share a desire to support and to give back, helping finance large-scale projects such as the Robert Dudley studio and the recital hall. Annual Founders’ day fete, a key fundraiser, brings the diverse community together: traditional costumes, dancing from the ‘Bollywood Mums’ and world food – including 800 vegetable samosas.
MONEY MATTERS
‘We’re in the strongest position we’ve ever been in,’ says head, ‘but we can’t sit back and enjoy it.’ Ongoing fundraising is essential to supplement the state grant, and to ensure that academic opportunities and enrichment are ‘second to none’. Vast majority of parents willingly make voluntary contributions: ‘There isn’t a begging bowl every month,’ says parent, ‘but if there is a particular request for funds, most parents are happy to contribute.’
Income stream – licence fees and a percentage of revenue – from the new schools under the QE banner in India and UAE, will be fed back into the Barnet mothership.
The last word
A traditional, well-organised state school, where all expectations are high. Elizabethans feel secure in their own scholarship – to question, challenge and probe. They want to succeed, and tend to reach the upper branches of whichever tree they climb. A unique and unashamed meritocracy in which clever, hard-working boys who like a challenge will thrive. Fun too? ‘Of course, there’s room for levity,’ answers a boy with characteristic aplomb.
Queen Elizabeth’s School
Queen’s Road, Barnet
Hertfordshire EN5 4DQ
020 8441 4646 enquiries@qebarnet.co.uk @qebarnet1573