My DD is in Year 7 at QEGS, so we went through this last year. Last year was the first time the school decided against releasing rank scores. The QEGS 2019 entry FAQs state the following:

Test result letters will be sent by first class post the week beginning 8 October 2018. If you have not received a letter by Friday 12 October 2018 please contact the school. Your child will receive one of three possible outcomes:
1) Your child has reached the required standard for a grammar school education and has been provisionally allocated a place at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School.
2) Your child has reached the required standard for a grammar school education but the Governing Body has been unable to allocate a place at this stage, as all 150 places have been provisionally filled. Your child has been placed on the waiting list and is ranked number <Rank> on this list.
3) Unfortunately your child has not reached the required standard for a grammar school education and cannot be allocated a place at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School.

When we received our letter last year my DH was very confused as we'd been led to believe we would be given rank scores. He phoned the school and was put through to the HT(!), who assured us that DD was in the top 150.

If your letter is worded as 1) above, then your DS is definitely ranked in the top 150. Congratulations!

Thanks Bunnyjo I am relieved now .. will go ahead and do the application

We were quite confused too, when we got the letter , then one of our friends son who also got the letter but it was with the waiting list and their numbers on it ..i had to check the website where there were 3 types and then we came to know that he definately got into.

Hi
I would like some thoughts from parents whose children goes to Queen elizabeth grammar shcool. How good is the school? Does your children enjoy going to school?
How is their curriculum and are they academic focused?
Is there a bus service for children coming from Carlisle?
Please do reply
Thanks in advance

Carlisle is quite a distance away - do you know if there are many children from Carlisle going to the QEGS? Suspect if they are they would use the train

Hi,

My DD is in year 7 at QEGS. As for how good the school is, well that is subjective. However, we are more than happy with the school and DD enjoys going there.

The curriculum is broad and relatively fast-paced, as you would expect from a selective school; children study two languages from year 7 until they choose their GCSE options, RE is compulsory as is/are separate science GCSEs.

Although there are 8 periods/lessons per day, in truth almost all lessons are double periods meaning that most days there are only 4 separate subject lessons. Homework expectations in year 7 are 3 x 20 minutes per evening - the home study timetable is set at the start of the year and children are expected to set their own private study if no homework is set.

The extra curricular clubs are varied - from Cambiata to running, and dance to electronics. DD has represented the school in football, gymnastics and dance, and was 1 of 5 in her year selected for a dance workshop with The Lowry.

I hope the above helps.


There are a sizeable number of children at QEGS from Carlisle and even further afield - the furthest I know of travels from Dumfries! Most children from Carlisle travel on the train. However, if you are in Dalston or Brampton/Warwick Bridge/Scotby areas, there are coach service routes operated by Metcalfe Coaches. It isn't cheap - the Brampton/Warwick Bridge/Scotby service is £153 p/m and I believe the Dalston service is around £115 p/m (for 10 months), but in my opinion it is worth it. My DD uses the service and we are very satisfied with the reliability (trains are quite often cancelled/late) and convenience of the coach service.

Dumfries! that is a long way

Over 50 miles, but 'only' about 1hr 20min door to door if you live near the station. Sad, I know, but it sounded like one of those journeys, so I had a look .

Never having been to Dumfries, I have no idea where the station is, vis à vis habitation, mind. (There was a girl in my form at school from somewhere in Dumfries and Galloway, a much, much, longer journey than that from Dumfries to Penrith, but then, she only had to do the round trip twice a term).

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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx

advantage is that the motorway is usually quite quiet (compared with the rest of the M6) ... but is it really worth it?

I assumed train, hence my comment re living near the station. Personally, I think you would have to be stark, staring mad to contemplate that as a school run by road and only slightly less so, to be doing it 'only' as one round trip a day because you worked near the school. And I actually quite like driving. But chacun à son goůt, as they say .

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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx