Values & Ethos
Welcome to Queen Mary’s Grammar School
Queen Mary’s Grammar School has a deep-rooted commitment to academically able students, including those whose talent and potential may otherwise be constrained by disadvantage. In delivering this vision, the Mercian Trust’s social mobility and social justice mission (to increase opportunity and improve outcomes for children and young people) is realised.
We are an inclusive school, with outcomes that are nationally significant. Wellbeing and pastoral care are at the heart of what we do. The school has gained national attention for our focus on mental health, and the wider community is a huge strength, summed up in our motto: ‘Quas dederis solas semper habebis opes’; It is what you give that you will keep as eternal riches.
We believe that the Quality of Education experienced by students is driven by a curriculum in its broadest sense: the entirety of a student’s learning experience, in lessons and beyond. We know this as the ‘QM Experience’. We deliver an academically ambitious curriculum that is planned and sequenced to develop in our students the knowledge and skills necessary for their future roles in society, while ensuring that the balanced offer is accessible to all.
Our teaching is challenging, engaging, and designed to develop deep understanding. Lessons embed secure foundational knowledge, stretch thinking, foster independence, and cultivate a love of learning. We embrace modern technology (such as through our sixth form device initiative) and adapt to changing educational demands. High prior-attaining disadvantaged students and those from all vulnerable groups thrive because support is targeted, expectations are uncompromising, and aspiration is actively nurtured.
Students are confident, articulate, and motivated, proud to be part of a school with a rich 470-year history and a clear sense of purpose. As Marians, students, staff and governors buy into the QM Experience and commit to its delivery.
Our House system celebrates the four pillars of school life at Queen Mary’s: an academic focus, an international ethos, an enterprising spirit and a sense of community. We enjoy our social, cultural and ethnic diversity and live by our core values:
- Courage – facing new challenges with determination & resilience
- Respect – for yourself & tolerance of others
- Equality – opportunities for all, whilst recognising & celebrating diversity
- Discipline – developing personal responsibility
- Integrity – to be honest, sincere, reliable & selfless
- Teamwork – stronger together
Our staff are experts and genuinely committed to our school and students. They model curiosity and professionalism, sustain high standards, and contribute generously to the wider system, ensuring our school continues to evolve while remaining true to its character and history.
Learning extends well beyond the classroom. An international perspective shapes the curriculum and wider life of the school, with trips, visits, and enrichment experiences that broaden horizons and deepen understanding of the world. Farchynys, the school’s field centre in Wales, is a defining part of the QM experience – developing resilience, teamwork, and confidence through outdoor learning and shared challenge. We aim to develop young people into future leaders, and our Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is nationally recognised, in terms of size and scope. We are a founding school of the Mandarin Excellence Programme (MEP) through UCL, and our students have been recognised internationally for their language achievements. Our staff regularly support other schools and are held up as best practice in their fields.
Through the welfare hub and R-room, we operate a ‘high challenge, high support’ pastoral system and balance mental health needs with personal growth. Students take responsibility for their learning and conduct, treat others with respect, and strive to do their best in all they pursue. Attendance is consistently strong and students model excellent behaviours for learning. They leave QMGS not only academically successful, but grounded, principled, and prepared to contribute positively to society.
Sport, physical wellbeing, and community engagement are integral to school life. We have gained a national reputation as a ‘Top 100 cricket school’ and perform exceptionally well on a regional scale across rugby, cricket and hockey. Our Future Sports Project is transforming facilities for students and for the wider community, reinforcing the school’s belief that excellence in education includes physical development, teamwork, discipline, and service beyond the school gates.
Families place strong trust in the school, recognising it as both an academic home and a welcoming school community. We are heavily over-subscribed, and our sixth form is one of the largest in the region. We work closely with our parents (through the Queen Mary’s Association) and alumni (through the Queen Mary’s Club) to foster extensive stakeholder partnerships.
Visitors leave with a lasting positive impression: this is a school where academic excellence, learning beyond the classroom, and a strong sense of family combine to shape confident young people ready to succeed and serve in an interconnected world.
Our future vision is to maintain these exceptional educational standards, along with a continued strong connection with our traditions, whilst adapting to the modern educational and social landscape.
Richard Langton
Headmaster
