Hi

My son got a better than expected mark at QE and should get in. He has also has got into a number of private schools, the only one that I would consider sending him to being Haberdashers.

He is a young one in his year, and I would not say he is naturally super smart, so the reputed pressure of QE is a worry for me (and my son). However, the cost of sending him private would be a bit of a burden for the family for 7 years. For those in a similar situation, is QE the obvious choice, or would you also consider Habs? What are the other areas to consider. Thanks

Hi,
Congratulations to your son. I am sure your son is clever to get into many independent selective schools and QE.

I have a son at QE in year 8. I would say it is not as pressure as most people say, but they do have homework and targets. If your son is hardworking I am sure he is capable of keeping up at QE. From my sons point of view, year 7 was quite a big move, as in homework and studies. But it’s was more of a change from a prep to a secondary, but it was not super pressure as most people say. They do have assessments, 2 for a term, and homework. If you manage your homework daily, it is very manageable. Also in terms of tests, they study on a weekly basis the foreign languages so when it comes to the tests, it’s not a lot.

I can’t compare with Habs as I do t have a child there studying but my sons friend who went to City Boys, also in year 8 now has the same amount of homework and tests. City also does the same Maths text book as QE and work load and speed is very similar. My son and his friend still keep in touch and they so very similar work load I would say. I would say Habs too has quite a lot of work but when it is independent, people expect them normal?

We love QE a lot as it’s not just academics, they have lots of sports and other activities too. There are many happy boys in the school too.

Best of luck to your son’s future!

Hi

Thank you for your feedback, it is definitely useful to hear from someone else that has gone through the process and actually has a child at QE. Your message was reassuring and I also showed it to my son, which he definitely found helpful.

Whichever school the year 6 children go to in September, it will be a big change, which hopefully they will get used to.

Has your son got far to travel? That is the other area we need to consider, as my boy will be travelling from Pinner, so it will be a long day for him.
Thanks again

Hi,
We live in Barnet and we drop him to school and it’s just 10 minutes drive so he doesn’t have a long journey. There are many kids at school travelling in coach long ways but I really can’t comment how it will effect on the children.

I have a boy in Y12 at QE and he has never found the workload to be too much, though it is consistent, putting the boys at an advantage for later years. He pretty much sailed through his GCSE.

Oh, and he's also made many friends and has had lots of fun along the way.