Legacy Learning

Since 1912, Queen Ethelburga’s has provided students with a vibrant and supportive school community in the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside. George Banns talks to Principal, Daniel Machin, to find out how they continue to build on its heritage

Can you explain the Queen Ethelburga’s mission: ‘To be the best that I can with the gifts that I have’

Our mission at QE is focused on placing every student at the centre of their own learning, giving everyone the chance to achieve their individual aspirations, whichever pathway they choose. We nurture confident and independent lifelong learners who develop strong skills and an understanding of their own unique gifts; and we support each student to ensure they have the guidance and encouragement that they need to thrive. Our students leave us as resilient, independent, assertive and self-aware young adults, proud to have played their individual part within the Queen Ethelburga’s community, but also ready to build on their place in wider society.

What advantages have you found from having four individual schools?

The unique model of four smaller schools is each set up with its own Head and staff team. This ensures a nurturing, family atmosphere where the staff know their students thoroughly, and form outstanding student-teacher relationships based on mutual respect and unwavering support for each other. It also means we work together collectively as a Leadership Team to ensure that the student journey through the school is seamless and adapted to the individual student. There is no fixed pathway that they must follow; they are guided and supported as they find the route that suits them best.   

How do you combine the right learning and living environments?

At Queen Ethelburga’s, the combined day and boarding environment is crucial in supporting students’ personal development and helping students grow in all aspects of their lives – being at QE gives our students opportunities beyond the ordinary. Whether this is in academic studies, in the clubs that they choose, in the trips they attend or in the friends that they make; their experiences here will shape their life. We create a second home for our students with the clear support and expectations that parents want us to implement. Our academic results speak for themselves but what really sets us apart is our wrap-around pastoral care for students, including our award-nominated THRIVE@QE programme. Student wellbeing is vitally important to both effective learning and happy students, both of which we achieve at QE.

Can you tell us more about the rich history of the school?

Queen Ethelburga’s has provided students with a vibrant and supportive school community since 1912. Queen Ethelburga’s began its life in 1912 in Harrogate and moved to its present site in 1991.

Steeped in history, Thorpe Underwood Estate supported a stewpond that fed monks on their way to and from Fountains Abbey. The site was also home to literary great Anne Bronte. The present Thorpe Underwood Hall, which sits at the heart of the campus, was built by renowned York architect Walter Henry Brierley as a ‘fine modern mansion of Elizabethan design’. Our Collegiate is named after Queen Ethelburga, a Kentish princess largely responsible for the introduction of Christianity to Northumbria.

The foundation stone of Queen Ethelburga’s was laid on 21st October 1910, although the school did not officially open until September 1912. Therefore, the official school birthday is 21st October, and we celebrate as close to this date as possible.

How do you feel the school’s location and grounds add to the student experience?

Our campus in the world-renowned North Yorkshire countryside, is an incredible place to live, visit and explore. Sitting between three of Yorkshire’s most cosmopolitan centres; York, Harrogate and Leeds, QE has a cultural hive of activity right on its doorstep. Alongside academic success, we aim to provide a holistic education which supports students to develop their knowledge, skills, and experience beyond the classroom.  We work closely with students and staff to make sure that the timetabling of activities enables them to make the most of opportunities on offer and get maximum use out of the superb facilities.

In your opinion, how important are Extracurricular activities in shaping young people?

We promote a culture of self-awareness which encourages and develops individual potential and personal qualities, such as leadership, critical thinking, and responsibility.

One of our core aims is to provide an enrichment programme that complements the academic curriculum, building resilience, responsibility, self-belief and skills, and promotes a sense of fulfilment and achievement in its widest sense. We provide a broad enrichment curriculum to ensure students become well-rounded individuals, developing self-confidence and self-awareness, respect for others, and their environment.

Students can choose from over 100 Enrichment Activities from the following categories to encourage a breadth of experiences: Community, Creativity, Culture, Health & Exercise and Leadership. Students participate in a range of activities such as Duke of Edinburgh, the Combine Cadet Force, music, drama, dance, and sports clubs.

Taking up an activity regularly is very important, facilitating intellectual, emotional, social and moral development. Regular commitment to an activity will also bolster university or employment applications of senior students. We believe that enriching your educational experience starts with providing an extensive Co-Curricular programme.