Houses

The house system at Queen Elizabeth’s School is dedicated to encouraging pupil involvement in the life of the School and to promoting competition and local charity fund-raising.

Houses

There are six houses:

  • Broughton — Named in memory of William Grant Broughton, an Old Elizabethan, who was appointed Archdeacon of New South Wales in 1828 and subsequently became the first Bishop of Australia
  • Harrison’s — Established in 1954, named after a senior master, Gwyn Harrison, who taught at the School for 41 years
  • Leicester —A continuing reminder of the School’s beginnings: Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester made the request to Queen Elizabeth I for a charter for the School in 1573
  • Pearce — John Pearce began his teaching career at the School in 1932, aged 23. In 1950 he became Senior Master, a post he held until he retired well into the late 1960s. The sixth house was named after him when it was created in 1971 when the School became comprehensive and expanded.
  • Stapylton — Named after former Headmaster H E Chetwynd Stapylton, who in 1885 bought the Stapylton field for the School, which is still in use today.
  • Underne — Once Queen Elizabeth I had granted the Charter for the School, funds were needed to finance it. Edward Underne, Rector of Chipping Barnet Church, was responsible for raising the money for the original building of the School in the 1570s.

The house system is run by the boys, with each house having a house captain, deputy house captain and charities officer. Each form within every year group also has a house representative. The houses individually raise money for a local charity every year.

Boys can also earn house commendations and, in the Lower School, there is a house merit competition, the results of which are counted each week and displayed on the houses’ own notice boards.

Competition is central to the system, with competitive events run by departments and the results recorded centrally and displayed on the house boards. Each year, a cup is awarded to the overall winning house.

House competitions are run in:

  • Poetry Reading
  • Geography
  • Drama
  • Debating
  • Creative Writing
  • Public Speaking
  • Instrumental
  • Art
  • Spelling Bee
  • Mini-Enterprise
  • Languages
  • Water-polo
  • Rugby
  • Athletics
  • Basketball
  • Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Cross Country
  • Cricket
  • Chess

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News

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14/08/2008 - Outstanding 2008 A-Level results

83.2% of all A-Levels taken at Queen Elizabeth's have been graded A, confirming the School's position as one of the top boys' schools in the country. Thirty-seven QE boys will now take up places at Oxford and Cambridge in the Autumn, representing a new record for the School.

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12/08/2008 - Secondary School of the Year

Queen Elizabeth’s School has been named The Sunday Times State Secondary School of the Year 2007. The School was featured in 'Parent Power' in The Sunday Times on 18 November 2007. 

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15/07/2008 - Junior Awards: Celebrating individual excellence

Headmaster John Marincowitz gave the audience an insight into the secret of QE prizewinners’ success at the School’s Junior Awards Day. “We recognise that achievement at this level is not simply a matter of natural gift or talent; it is also the product of disciplined, sustained effort,” said Dr Marincowitz.

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