Steeped in history, Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Blackburn is one of the top independent schools in the UK. Flying Start finds out why.

Words: Olivia Frances

With a history that dates back almost 500 years, Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Blackburn, Lancashire is now a thriving, co-educational school that offers the best in modern education to boys and girls aged from three to 18 years.

It is one of the leading co-educational independent day schools in the North West, offering its 600 pupils a first-class academic and extra-curricular education, as well as excellent pastoral care all on one site.

There are four component parts to Queen Elizabeth’s: The infant school covers the whole of the foundation stage, plus years one and two; the junior school provides a strong foundation for the future for years three to six; its senior school takes pupils through to GCSE; the dedicated sixth form for A level study is located in the spacious Singleton House. An extended hours facility is available for ages three to 11 years from 7.45am up to 6pm, which also operates as a holiday club during half term and throughout the summer.

Co-educational since 2001, girls have been educated at Queen Elizabeth’s for many years and have been an integral part of the sixth form since 1976. A testament to the school’s reputation and its pupils, a number of past female students have gone on to contribute hugely to school life, including taking on senior responsibilities at the school such as Head and Deputy Head positions.

The issue of co-education generates more heat than almost any other among schools. Parents often get drawn into the debate and a number have strong views, but most just want to find a good school for their child. Queen Elizabeth’s Headmaster Simon Corns, a member of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC), which represents the Heads of over 250 of the leading independent schools in the UK, wrote an article addressing the issue of co-education recently stating: “Presented often as a clinching argument, we are frequently told that the reason boys and girls must be educated separately is that they learn differently. This is of course a very good argument for educating them together – so they recognise the different way in which the sexes learn.”

Queen Elizabeth’s is featured in the Good Schools Guide. A review snapshot from this found that the pupils were “bright, industrious and confident without appearing complacent or alarmingly sophisticated.” It went on to say that the house system enables pupils of all abilities to play competitive sport and the sports department organises combined year teams and has had a highly successful netball team, with the current head inheriting a golden crown. The under 16s netball team was town and county champions in 2010 and the previous year, with the under 15s finalists in the Under 15s HMC North West competition.

The school also participates in a range of charitable activities throughout the year – including raising money for Children in Need and Help For Heroes – which are managed by the Charities Committee.

Open days at Queen Elizabeth’s tend to run throughout the month of October; however visits to any part of the school, including the Infant and Junior School, can be arranged at any time.