What The Good Schools Guide says

Head of College

Since 2021, Julian Noad, formerly head of Oswestry School, Shropshire. He is a head on a mission, absolutely determined to bring Queen’s College to the front of the queue for any parent or pupil struggling to find the right choice from the impressively competitive independent school market in Taunton. ‘We have been the hidden gem for too long, it’s time to come out of hiding,’ he proclaims. Certainly there is an incredible energy and positivity to both his headship and, as a result, the school. Parents heaped huge praise on him personally and the ‘massive boost’ that he has brought to Queen’s. ‘Very much a team’ applaud parents, his wife Jane (also a teaching professional) matches him in dedication and enthusiasm, followed at every step by their family dog. This determined trio sum up the feel of the headship: well-led with a clear direction, wonderfully caring pastoral support and a homely feel that underpins the impressive setting and opportunities. It says it all that the three of them stand at the front of school every possible morning to personally greet every arriving pupil.

For someone whose focus as a young man was competitive off-shore yacht racing, he has accumulated a vast wealth of educational leadership experience. He cut his teeth teaching, then as head of, science in a state school, followed by 12 years as housemaster at Clifton College and five years as deputy head at Rydal Penrhos in Colwyn Bay – both roles heavily involving the establishment of competitive pupil sailing teams – before heading inland to Oswestry for seven years as head.

Grammar educated in Kent, he studied engineering at Southampton University then a PGCE at Bristol. He still manages to sail – keeping his beloved boat at St Mawes in Cornwall. Two children, one studying for a master’s in engineering at Swansea, the other a physiotherapist.

Entrance

Taster days and an interview with the head are precursors to sitting standard cognitive ability papers. Non selective, so tests are for setting purposes only. All new starters required to supply reports and references from previous settings.

Overseas candidates, all interviews online if necessary, sit papers in English as an additional language and need a minimum 4.5 IELTS score. A good intake for sixth form from state secondaries, neighbouring independents or overseas students. New starters required to sit two subject papers of their choice and have achieved a minimum of five GCSE passes.

Exit

Around 40 per cent leave after GCSEs, the majority for vocational 16+ choices or the anticipated freedoms of Richard Huish sixth from college in Taunton. A steady handful bounce back again when ‘you realise how lucky we are at Queen’s’ laughed one such returner.

After A levels, majority (95 per cent plus) to university, 75 per cent to their first choice with Bristol, Cardiff, Royal Holloway, Reading and Portsmouth current favourites. One Oxbridge place in 2022 (usually two to three a year) and six medics.

Latest results

In 2022, 53 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 37 per cent A*/A at A level (63 per cent A*-B). In 2019 (the last pre-pandemic results), 44 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 42 per cent A*/A at A level.

Teaching and learning

Lessons are kind and calm with pupils recognised for their contributions, parents praise the ‘lack of pressure to be the best, just constant gentle encouragement. It’s not a pointy elbowed culture.’ Modern, bright classrooms and engaging staff abound. We particularly liked the array of snakes and reptiles in the biology lab. Pupils are encouraged to keep their interests broad for as long as possible and seize every new opportunity thrown their way academically. Set from year 7 in maths, year 8 in science and year 9 for English with gentle overlaps between sets and freedom to move between them as advised. Teaching and subject choices are as personalised as they can be, option blocks are only put together for both GCSEs and A levels once every pupil in years 9 and 11 have had a one-toone meeting about their desired subjects. At GCSE there are the usual five compulsory subjects and they can choose a further four with no restrictions. English, art and food & nutrition are the strongest performing choices. Many add on a tenth subject to be studied in co-curricular time (further maths a popular option).

The sixth form is a good size with a buzzy welcoming atmosphere. Their bespoke centre is due to be relocated to a more central part of the school site but includes a kitchen, breakout rooms, study and hangout spaces featuring plentiful pool tables, table tennis and table football. Post GCSE offering is good with 24 different A level subjects, a level-3 diploma in food science and nutrition and BTEC level-3 options in marketing, sport or sport and outdoor activities all on offer. Maths and psychology the two most popular A levels with RS gaining the highest grades. EPQ encouraged with 50 per cent completing it annually. Pupils spoke of how ‘there is a real sense of community in the sixth form and the academic relationships with staff are really good.’

Learning support and SEN

Learning support has its own building and whether pupils arrive with a declaration of additional need or this is discovered on their journey through the school, there are both small groups and one to one sessions available to all, included within the fees. School is committed to joined up SENCO direction which, with continual training and development of teachers, enables most extra help to happen with support in class. ‘The SEN approach at Queen’s has been transformational for my child’, glowed one parent.

Around 20 to 25 per cent of pupils have some form of access to SEN support during their time at the school, ranging from short term additional help with maths or English to more moderate neurodiversity. School can and does consider applicants with EHCPs, ‘It depends on whether we truly feel that we can support that pupil throughout their progression through the school.’

The arts and extracurricular

‘This is why people choose this school’ voiced pupils and staff repeatedly as they walked us through the art and co-curricular offerings and it was hard not to be awestruck by what we were shown. Co-curricular is absolutely embedded into the school day, every pupil stays on for CC1, held for the first hour after lessons finish until 4.30pm, this is followed by CC2, an additional hour until 5.30pm – more flexibly optional but with an 80 per cent uptake. Pupils select a termly choice for each session and this commitment to time spent on additional interests and passions allows for a monumental extension to curriculum learning.

Pupils are eloquent in expressing the life benefits, ‘The impact of the co-curricular choices we make here is huge,’ voiced one sixth former, ‘to the point that I am now narrowing my university choices to ones where I can continue to enjoy and develop my passion for canoe polo – something I would never have even heard of had I not been at this school!’

Yes, you can select to spend some of this time on prep, the ubiquitous Duke of Edinburgh or having more time exploring, experimenting and developing in art, drama, music or sport squad training, but you can also stretch way beyond these and have a go at kayaking, climbing, clay pigeon shooting, fencing, horse riding, hip hop, caving, mountain biking, dance, debating…the list goes on. There is little not included here and, if you can think of something, they will add it on.

Pupils were unanimous in saying that the outdoor learning is what makes Queen’s stand so far apart from others and it is rare among senior schools to find one that offers almost more outdoor-ed at senior level than it does at junior. The icing on the cake is the option to take a BTEC in sport and outdoor activities in the sixth form.
Art department is flooded with light and enjoys views out over the playing fields to the hills beyond. Sixth formers have their own permanent studio spaces where they can exhibit and work on their portfolios in every free period or after school hours. Textiles, photography and ceramics have their own studios for classes and clubs, all three are studied up to the end of year 9 then as part of the broad Art GCSE or A level options. ‘Plenty of students have gone from here directly to the art courses at Central St Martins, the art equivalent of Oxbridge, with strong enough portfolios to skip the usual pre-requisite of a foundation year,’ raved parents.

Separate DT studio is an engineering hive of activity with a prize-winning team, school recently won the First Lego League Robotics competition held at Hewlett Packard in Bristol and students were keenly planning and re-programming for the next CREST project whilst also working on creating their entry to the Greenpower car challenge. Displays adorned the walls and shelves of block bots, laser cut shadow light boxes and intricate kinetic sculptures of plastic pattern shape shifters. The quality of equipment, inspirational teaching and levels of enthusiasm from pupils were fabulous.

Cooking is taken extremely seriously here, school is committed to working with as much of its own produce (grown on site) as possible, so catering classes and clubs run hand in hand with gardening and eco clubs. Cooking department hosts a professionally set up kitchen and ‘restaurant’ where visiting groups are catered for and formally hosted by pupils. Food & nutrition offered as a GCSE and level-3 diploma but pupils can also opt in for CC opportunities ranging from ‘cooking for university’ to vegan cookery, home cooking skills or even the ASDAN certificate in food.

Music is ‘an extremely high focus and level’ say parents. The department is a busy hub, running curriculum music lessons for all up to the end of year 9, GCSE and A level music on offer plus over 20 different vocal and instrumental peripatetic lessons accessed by over half the student cohort via a long corridor of practice rooms. Ensembles, choirs, bands and orchestras abound and extensions such as music tech and ‘acting through song’ ensure entry points to the world of music from every perspective. Performance opportunities are varied and frequent from small recitals in the oak panelled ‘old music room’ to vast and impressive school musicals; seasonal concerts in the on-site theatre right through to the pupil-led Queen’s Unplugged raw talent show.

Performing arts, often cited as the ‘reason for choosing Queen’s’ by parents, undeniably impressive. The professional theatre seats 570 and performances are at ‘a staggeringly professional level’ agree parents. Full tech kit, wow factor sets and stunning costumes inspire many to get involved backstage. Smaller performing arts centre and ‘drama studio’ both more impressive than the main theatres in many competitor schools. Recent productions include Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Crucible with rehearsals apace for Moana, Mary Poppins and dance extravaganza, Inside Out.

Sport

Sport is broad, strong and inclusive and the school has ‘a good sporting tradition’ according to the head, who added, ‘Everyone has the chance to play for the school and we don’t aggressively play only to win or accept unpleasant matches against those who do.’ That being said, they do well against the sporting stalwart neighbours of Kings, Millfield, Mount Kelly and the Bristol, Bath and Sherborne schools.

National representation for both hockey and cricket with a new female head of cricket (source of great pride). Everyone learns everything to begin with and specialisation is encouraged as late as possible. Sports taught are mindboggling in their diversity, from fencing to football, badminton to basketball, croquet to circuit training. The 30 acres of pitches, cricket squares, grass athletics tracks and tennis courts all sit to the back of the main building so easily accessible for every age.

Hockey, tennis, cricket and athletics the core for both sexes, with rugby the fifth sport for the boys and netball for girls. Don’t be fooled though, there is way more on offer here. Fabulous facilities offer on-site provision and coaching for everything from scuba diving in the pool, to high speed bouldering in the climbing hall. Performance coaching available to a high level but also enabling those less-abled to find fitness fun and beneficial.

Boarders

Boarders are well looked after and enviably well entertained. Boarding houses are undergoing renovation and the standard of the completed elements is stunning: the boys’ boarding house boasts high ceilings, sumptuous carpets, leather armchairs and pool tables giving the air of a refined gentlemen’s club with fun injected wherever possible; a common room has vast Marvel superheroes spray painted onto the dark blue walls ‘designed by the boys, with a little help from a notorious local graffiti artist’. It is a teenage boys’ dream hangout. We hope for the girls’ sake that theirs is as impressive!

Years 9 and 10 sleep in mainly triple rooms, with plenty of space and light and their own junior kitchen. Sixth form pupils can take single room options if they prefer and all share bathrooms. Rooms are nothing to write home about but fit for purpose and had positive reviews from the boarders. Many spoke of the benefit of the house dog, adding a family feel.

Boarding trips hugely popular and include city visits, spa trips, water parks and paint balling or the freedom to head into Taunton over the weekend. Boarders have full use of the school’s facilities and with the organised on-site activities including BBQs, laser quest, pizza nights, zorbing and combat archery there is little opportunity to miss home.

Boarders are not allowed back to their rooms during the school day, ensuring solid integration between day and boarding pupils. No tech is allowed in rooms until sixth form and ‘apart from the odd “burner phone” misdemeanour’ this is broadly adhered to.

Ethos and heritage

The oldest school in Taunton, established by a group of Methodists disappointed with the educational offerings of the time The West of England Wesleyan Proprietary Grammar School was opened in 1843, changing its name to Queen’s College to commemorate Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee in 1887. Despite moving from Taunton Castle grounds to its current location – an impressively grand Victorian building surrounded by 36 acres of grounds – the school has retained its Methodist links and remains a part of the Methodist Independent Schools Trust (MIST), which it ‘wears as a light Christian clothing’.

Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline

Centrally sited ‘wellbeing hub’ is always open and staffed with full-time school counsellors available both during term and holiday time. Pupils were extremely positive about the ‘tight knit community’ that they revelled in at the school, highlighting in particular the ‘supportive atmosphere and environment’ generated both by staff and fellow pupils, ‘It’s a very encouraging place to be, you are pushed gently out of your comfort zone to try new things and it’s done in a really motivational way. We all share each other’s successes and I’m not sure that is something that you could say about every school.’ Pastoral tracking as big a focal point as academic tracking within the school reporting system. Pupils praised their open relationships with the teaching staff and we were impressed by the mutual respect and kind familiarity between pupils.
Diversity welcomed here with an active ‘diversity group’ ensuring all have the chance to shine and share their experiences, school openly celebrating everything from

Pride History

Month to important international festivals. Each year group follows an age appropriate programme of talks and discussions, many with the input of external speakers, including recent speakers from the Somerset LGBTQ+ youth charity 2BU. Discipline is clear and behaviour is generally of a high standard. ‘We pride ourselves on
disruption free learning, supporting each other and not getting where we want to be at the expense of others,’ says school and this sentiment was roundly echoed by pupils we spoke to. In addition to a myriad of inter-house sporting, musical and dramatic contests, the academic and behavioural positive and negative point system makes a tangible difference within the highly competitive house system, ‘It pays to encourage your house mates to work hard and play by the rules!’ laughed pupils.

Pupils and parents

Shiny new Range Rovers are ‘a very rare sight’ in the car park, according to school and parents. ‘It’s more about 10-year old Volvos and Golfs; hardworking families, down-to-earth, who often make big sacrifices to send their children here. We’re not a gentrified county-set school.’ Parents grateful for the school bus routes that enable so many rural families to send children here.

Pupil cohort highly praised by parents, ‘Children come out of here not arrogant but confident, polite engaging young people who can get on with anyone and have realistic aspirations with the skills to follow them.’ Pupils we met were wonderfully enthusiastic about their school and its warm and kind community. They were genuinely appreciative of the opportunities they had been given and endearingly humble about their personal achievements.

Money matters

The lowest fees amongst the Taunton schools and keen to extend financial support where it can, backed by robust MIST funding. Forty per cent of pupils on means-tested bursaries including six on full 100 per cent. Scholarships, worth up to 20 per cent off fees for dual awards, competitively available on entry to years 6, 7, 9 and sixth form after undertaking a structured assessment in the particular discipline. Forces families can take advantage of MOD funded places with a vastly reduced termly fee.

The last word

A shining gem of a school offering an impressively rounded education. Queen’s achieves the perfect balance of on- and off-curriculum opportunities, gentle and kind pastoral care and a grounded, close-knit community – all in a fabulous setting.

What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster

Since 2020, Henry Matthews, previously head of St Josephs’ School in Launceston. Brimming over with a contagious energy and enthusiasm for his school, a wonderfully warm and engaging head whose interaction with every pupil demonstrated his commitment to ensuring that this is a happy place, where children feel listened to, encouraged and supported.

State educated in Plymouth, he gained a BEd in physical education at Marjon University, mainly because he wanted to play sport but in so doing he discovered that he adored teaching. Cut his teeth at Mary Tavy School in Tavistock before moving on to St Joseph’s where he spent eight years overseeing and implementing a lot of change, particularly in the form of introducing one-to-one technology.

Drawn to the headship at Queen’s by the exciting opportunity that the school presented, he spent most of his first year coping with the pressures of lockdown. In hindsight, he is grateful for the period of assessment that period brought him, enabling him to see where changes needed to happen. His first major steps have been to align the timetable with the secondary school so that lessons are all one hour long and co-curricular activities and timings mirror those further up the school; harnessing the ‘whole college’ approach and allowing smooth transitions at each phase of the educational journey. He also put together plans for the restructuring of the site. Praised by parents for his open communication and willingness to consult with the parent cohort to ensure that any queries, concerns or ideas are answered and acted upon.

He has two young daughters in the prep giving him a wonderful on the ground insight and he lives at the school with his wife (a neuro and spinal physiotherapist), children and family dog. Outside of the ‘full-on and all-encompassing’ term time they love Cornwall, food and travelling and have grand plans to Interrail across Europe one summer soon.

Entrance

Non-selective, prospective pupils are welcomed for a taster day where informal assessment gently takes place and any required needs are identified and considered. Many new pupils join in year 6 to aid a smooth transition to the senior school and avoid entrance exams.

Exit

95 to 100 per cent move up to the senior school with no requirement to sit the entrance exams unless applying for a scholarship. Those not remaining are usually relocating or financially constrained.

Our view

Housed in modern buildings within their own, gated corner of the beautifully maintained and impressive grounds of Queen’s College. This is a kind and gentle place to start school with a very warm, family atmosphere.

The pre-prep has a bespoke building incorporating nursery up to year 2, with its own dining room and free flow for nursery and reception class to a wonderful outside space with mud kitchens, ‘the best climbing tree ever’ and plenty of tantalising play equipment. Inside, the communal space is light, colourful and a haven of reading books, eye catching posters and welcoming staff. It feels safe and happy.

Pre-prep teaching is calm and inspirational with children free and able to find their own ‘best place’ for learning with sofas and arm chair options in classrooms, soft rugs to lie on and slippers always acceptable in class instead of those toe-pinching school shoes. It makes sense: get yourself comfortable, settle in with your friends and then you are in a good place to learn. Tech is embraced and encouraged from an early age with chrome devices scattered throughout the classrooms and children working safely both on- and off-line or in exercise books.

Class sizes are small throughout the prep and lessons are engaging and lively with a healthy, purposeful buzz. Year 3 pupils were re-writing traditional fairy stories with their own characters, beautifully written and illustrated, with everything from ‘the three little moles and the big bad worm’ to ‘killer zombie superheroes’ – all ensuring that there was a ‘not too scary ending please’ for the teacher. Lots of laughter and fantastic creativity, under the watchful eyes of the class stick insects.

Year 4 were creating persuasive posters around the theme of sustainable palm oil, music was playing and the children were full of motivational facts; inspiration was in full flow. Pupils were modest but keen to show their work and explain their themes.

Prep has its own science labs and we watched as some pupils used the Bunsen Burners for the first time. The wonder behind the goggles was palpable and the teacher was fabulous at sustaining the awe whilst demonstrating best practice and safety.

Parents praised the constant stream of feedback from teachers, ‘They really get to know your child and see where they have potential to excel’ with others commenting, ‘There is always someone to respond to an email or phone call who really understands your child.’ Pastorally impressive with every parent we spoke to highlighting ‘this is a school that doesn’t just talk the talk pastorally, they really do care.’

Prep has its own SENCO department and full time lead, offering small group breakouts or one to one support for no extra charge and pupils are constantly monitored for any additional needs. Currently no children with an EHCP but school would be open to considering this, if they could offer the specialist knowledge from within their team.

Small percentage of international pupils, currently 11 per cent, who are fully assisted with EAL additional lessons where necessary and school is adept at enabling a dual curriculum offering for those on short term placements, one family recently supported in following both French and English curricula.

Pupils have specialist teaching in the arts by the on-site senior school teachers, which increases as they move up the prep to encourage familiarity with staff and setting and make for an easy transition into year 7. Music is taught from the off by the specialist teaching staff and, from year 4 food and nutrition, drama, art and DT join this list.

Music is a big deal at this school and tasters begin early with lessons available in every imaginable instrument from the harp to drums, vocal coaching to the delights of the recorder. There are several choirs, orchestras and ensembles with plenty of performance opportunities.

Prep has its own hall for smaller dramatic productions, with a tech desk that pupils were extremely excited by and proud of, assuring us that, ‘We do everything ourselves in our productions, including all the sound effects and lights.’ Lunchtime music recitals also held here and whole school assemblies. The prep uses the senior school’s professional theatre for the major productions, usually one a year. On our visit, rehearsals were in full swing for the production of Moana, due to start the following week. The standard of performance and directing from the director of theatre was staggering, with complicated choreography, moving sets, lots of solo and choral singing and wonderfully confident acting performances, all very impressive – the audience are in for a treat.

Queen’s prides itself on its outdoor provision and this is borne out by its commitment to offering outdoor education time throughout the prep, way beyond the de rigueur inclusion of forest school for pre-prep. Year 3 and above have one hour of timetabled outdoor-ed a week with the ability to add on to this hugely via the vast menu of extra-curricular activities. Pupils regaled us with tales of outdoor adventures from bushcraft mornings to night walks in the Quantock Hills. Year 6 all study for and achieve the John Muir Award, a rich outdoorbased precursor to the Duke of Edinburgh Awards taken up in the senior school.

Sport is very good with enviable facilities and top class coaching, shared with Queen’s College. Plenty of focus and opportunities to play both within and in addition to the
curriculum. Core coaching offered in rugby, hockey and cricket for the boys and netball, rounders and tennis for the girls but there is an enormous variety on offer on top of this from swimming, cross country and dance to fencing, football, archery and yoga. A,B and C teams in most core sports enabling anyone who wants to represent their school competitively.

Queen’s has an enviable reputation for its impressive co-curricular offering and this is often what sets it apart from competitors. Referred to as CC club, prep pupils are offered a choice of after school clubs every afternoon for two sessions, CC1 (compulsory for year 4 and up) running from 3.30-4.30pm and CC2 from 4.30-5.30pm. Head assured us that, ‘With absolutely no expectations or pressure, most of year 3 and up excitedly choose to stay for most CC1 and at least some CC2 options.’

These clubs are where much of the fun, character building and adventurous things happen so their popularity is no surprise, from additional sports’ squad training, taught on the vast playing fields, to cooking, dog training (there are one or two extremely willing school dogs), art, climbing, horse riding, ceramic sculpting or LAMDA, the selection is fabulous. Most of these clubs are complimentary with only a few being an additional charge (dance and fencing are two that came up in parental conversations). For an idea of what they get up to take Eco club as an example, who have been busy planting 420 trees across the site and recently had a visit from Countryfile’s Adam Henson to learn about conservation and from whom they have adopted two pigs and some sheep. ‘We’re hoping to get over 1,500 sausages from the pigs,’ explained one wide-eyed pupil. Vast project underway to re-shape and re-purpose much of the prep school site. While buildings are in good shape, the grounds ‘do not offer the best flow’ and a two year plan will see this addressed with huge new adventure playgrounds and outside areas, replacing a current drive and parking area.
The parent populace is a self-proclaimed ‘grounded and healthily eclectic mix’. Proximity to the Taunton hospitals means a steady stream of medical families, who can take full advantage of the wraparound care from 7.45am until 6pm. Young boarding provision attracts several military families and there is a constant influx of locals. Lively parent social scene fuelled by coffee mornings, charity events, productions and well supported matches.

Boarders

Prep boarding house ‘Cotlake’ is also home to year 7 and 8 boarders and takes children from as young as year 3. Year 8 pupils move across to the senior school boarding house in their summer term. Boarding provision is very family minded; comfortable TV room with Disney Plus access, games rooms with enviable pool tables and games consoles. Bedrooms are comfortable and homely, bunk beds sleeping a maximum of six to a room with cubby holes and cupboards for personal effects.

Clothes are all kept and managed centrally, each child has a named wardrobe and clothes are cleaned, pressed and returned here daily by a surprisingly calm team. We particularly loved the ‘lost sock seeking soul mate’ peg board with a few stragglers. Young, empathetic and kind boarding staff ensure that no one feels alone here and the
many staff dogs wandering about wagging happily add to the welcoming feel. Weekends are full, Saturdays are all about sport, training, matches and taking advantage of the facilities across the full senior school site. Trips abound on Sundays, from Splashdown to Crealy adventure park and Escot, to name a few.

The last word

A kind, inclusive and close-knit school with a gentle focus that according to parents means ‘pupils have the breathing space to shine’ and according to pupils means ‘every day is a happy day’. The wonderfully winning combination of a small personal school with access to impressive facilities and vast opportunities.