My First Year at QEH Sixth Form

I joined QEH Sixth Form this year after moving from Redmaids, which is an all-girls school. It was a bit of a jump going from a completely girls’ environment to a school that had always been boys up to Year 11. I didn’t really know how it would go, but I settled in way quicker than I thought. Everyone was really friendly, which surprised me. You always hear that QEH is welcoming, but it properly is, people say hi, help you out, and include you in stuff. I never felt like a “new girl,” even though technically I was. The first few weeks were quite full-on. There is loads happening; new lessons, new names, getting used to the Sixth Form dress code, and even working out the best places for lunch. I didn’t find it scary, just really busy. At first, I was a bit overwhelmed trying to keep up with everything, but the school moves at a quick pace and you kind of just fall into step with it.

Top Tip: Don’t worry if it all feels a bit much at first, everyone’s figuring it out, even if they look like they aren’t.

Once I started getting involved in stuff, everything got easier. I joined choir in the first few weeks, and that helped me make friends straight away. Sports teams are also great. Lots of girls have never played hockey before, joined a team, and loved representing the school, even if it was in fun, less competitive matches. It allowed us to make friends with the other people on our team. After that I said yes to more things, school council, the play, volunteering with Spear, and even the school podcast. All those little decisions added up, and made my time at QEH even better. None of it felt like a chore, the teams are fun, the people are great, and there’s a lot of support from teachers and coaches. You don’t have to be the best at something to join in either, everyone just wants to see people get stuck in.

Top Tip: Join something, even if you’re not 100% confident. It’s how you find your people.

The House system at QEH is massive. I didn’t realise how many House events there’d be, sport, music, quizzes, debates, even dodgeball tournaments. It’s constant. House Music was probably the best one. It’s kind of chaotic, but in the best way. I remember standing in the Sixth Form common room, weeks of rehearsals all amounting to this. We all stood laughing and shouting as singing boys banging on tables in our blue face paint. Then a boy in Year 13 stood on a table and gave a speech none of us will forget. Even-though it spanned from Year 7s to Year 13s everyone really cares about it, and it brings the school together in a way that’s hard to explain until you’ve been in it.

Top Tip: Take House events seriously. They’re way more fun when you actually throw yourself into them, don’t worry about getting a bit silly.

Another highlight for me was the Ski Trip. I wasn’t sure what to expect because I hadn’t done a proper school trip with QEH before, but it ended up being one of the best weeks of the year. It’s the kind of trip where everyone bonds and you come back feeling closer to people you barely spoke to before. I also loved going to watch the boys’ rugby matches after school, although it sounds random, but the atmosphere was always good, and it was a fun way to spend time with friends, even if we didn’t always know what was going on in the match. I think back to one of the firsts matches of the year against BGS, where me and all my friends wrapped up in our scarves and QEH hoodies to go watch the boys 1st team play, it was an amazing win and something that brought us all closer together. That’s what I love about QEH, the community, the support. Later on in the year we took a trip down to watch the boys play in the football finals. Mr Heathcote let us take the afternoon off school to go, and we all sat in the stalls with some of the boy’s waving flags and others beating on drums. It was another great win and an even better experience.

Top Tip: Go to the trips and the random events, you’ll never regret the memories.

Academically, I take Politics, History and English Lit. They’ve all been challenging in different ways, but I’ve really enjoyed them. The teachers are passionate about their subjects and want you to do well, but they also treat you more like an adult. It’s not like GCSEs where everything is handed to you, you have to take more responsibility, but that’s no bad thing. If you’re involved in clubs or events you will also see your teachers outside lessons a lot, so you actually get to know them as people.

Free periods were a bit of a learning curve. Don’t rush to drop a subject just because friends are, enjoy the experience and time learning. Once you get those extra frees, it’s easy to waste them, especially early on, but once I started using them to get work done or go over stuff, it made everything less stressful. If you do things bit by bit, your evenings are way more chill. A big part of frees is to also use them for giving back to the school. Lots of us spent our frees giving tours and it really paid of in the end with building connections. Also, a great thing to pick up if you get extra frees is an EPQ. I take one and I’ve loved the experience, it’s a great chance to learn new things about a subject and get extra education outside of your subjects.

Top Tip: Don’t waste every free future you will thank you when deadlines hit.

Looking back now, I’ve done way more this year than I expected. I was nervous about starting a new Sixth Form, especially coming from a different school, but QEH was the best decision. It’s a school that gives you loads of opportunities and if you say yes to stuff, you’ll get so much more out of it.

Year 12 went fast, but it was full of good things. I’m glad I went for it.

Top Tip: Say yes more than you say no, that’s when the fun stuff happens.

If you want to learn more about the QEH Sixth Form experience, sign up to the Sixth Form Open Evening by clicking the link, and follow QEH School on Instagram to keep up to date.