Values and Ethos

Welcome to Queen Mary’s Grammar School

Queen Mary’s Grammar School was founded in 1554 by Mary Tudor. We have been shaped by our past and are proud of our traditions, but we are also confident of an exciting future as we help to shape the new educational landscape with our partners in the Mercian Trust.

Queen Mary’s is an academically selective school, but wellbeing and pastoral care is at the heart of what we do.  The School has gained national attention for our focus on mental health (through the ‘Change Your Mind’ Programme) and the School 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. 

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

Outside the classroom, we offer a range of life-enriching opportunities: time at our Field Centre in Wales; membership of our thriving Combined Cadet Force; individual and team sports; foreign expeditions and travel; participation in music, debating and public speaking and many other activities. We believe that achievement and enjoyment go hand in hand. 

The school is part of the IOE’s Mandarin Excellence Programme and has been named as one of the top 100 secondary schools for cricket in the UK by the Cricketer magazine.  The Horizon near-space programme has set new standards of what is possible for school-age students to achieve and we offer a multitude of other clubs, societies and opportunities.

We equip our pupils to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. Most choose to go on to higher education, but we prepare them through our wider curriculum for a range of pathways. Through partnership between School, pupil and parents, we aim to produce well-rounded and employable young people.  It is our mission to attain excellence in all that we do.

I hope you find the website useful and I encourage you to explore our Twitter accounts for a glimpse of daily life. 

Richard Langton
Headmaster