QEH Bristol: boys to 16, a coeducational sixth form and sport at Failand

The school changes character at sixth form

QEH is an independent day school in Bristol. Boys attend Junior School in Years 3–6 and Senior School in Years 7–11. The sixth form admits girls and boys. Calling the whole school coeducational would hide an important family decision.

Our view: QEH deserves a close look for a boy who would enjoy a city-centre school with some sport at Failand, welcomes a boys-only classroom through GCSE and may value a broader sixth form later. It is less natural for a family wanting coeducation throughout or teaching, sport and late activities on one site.

Compare it with Bristol Grammar School, which is coeducational throughout, and Clifton College, where boarding and a six-day rhythm shape the week.

Joining the coeducational sixth form

Sixth form is coeducational. For 2027 entry, the open evening is 14 October 2026; applications and scholarship entries close 4 December. Interviews are listed for January, date to be confirmed, with offers in the week beginning 1 February 2027.

Applicants need six GCSEs at grade 6, with grade 7 in intended A-level subjects. A scholarship subject normally requires grade 8. QEH lists 29 A levels; pupils generally begin four and finish at least three, with EPQ available.

Ask how many external girls and boys normally join, how tutor groups mix and when pupils narrow from four subjects. Those questions reveal more than the word “coeducational” alone.

The ordinary week includes two sites and a late-care decision

Junior doors open at 7.45am. Lessons finish around 3.50–4pm, with care to 6pm and to 5.30pm on Friday. The final hour of care is currently charged. Public material does not establish a complete Years 7–11 finish-time, late-activity or routine Failand-transfer plan.

Sport at Failand adds a practical transport question. Public buses serve the Triangle, while two parent-contracted routes cover areas south and west of Bristol. Current route prices, times and routine Failand transfers are not publicly complete.

Test the return journey after the activity your child would really choose. A manageable 4pm commute can become a difficult one after sport, rehearsal or late care.

Ask about support before assessment and after admission

The assessment FAQ says approved extra time should be requested at application and can be built into the timer. Send current evidence early and ask what the school needs; do not assume a primary-school arrangement transfers automatically.

The December 2025 ISI inspection found SEND needs identified and monitored, with classroom and learning-support staff working together. It identified coordinated pastoral and wellbeing provision as a significant strength.

All applicable standards were met. The inspection’s next step was to make teaching consistently challenging enough to deepen pupils’ thinking.

Lunch changes the useful comparison number

The 2026–27 fee page includes VAT. Junior tuition is £14,976 a year; Senior and sixth tuition is £22,245. Lunch costs £1,020 and is compulsory from Year 3 through Year 11, but optional in sixth form.

These are the published 2026–27 charges, not a 2027–28 quotation. Obtain the new schedule before accepting a place.

Registration is £75 and the acceptance deposit is £400. Books and essential trips are included, but public exams, replacement devices or books and some late care may add cost. One term’s notice or a term’s fee in lieu normally applies after the 14-day cancellation window.

Assistance from Year 7 up to full fees

Means-tested assistance is available from Year 7 and may reach 100% of fees. The school considers income, assets, liabilities and family circumstances; awards are reviewed annually. The 2027 deadline is 5 January.

The Year 7 dates cannot all describe one simple sequence

The 2027 key-date page lists Year 7 exams on 9 and 16 January 2027, but applications closing on 12 January. It does not explain whether a child sits on one date, both dates or a date assigned by route.

The same page gives 29 January for offers, while the Senior page says the beginning of February. There is no public acceptance deadline. Treat the calendar as a prompt for written confirmation, not as a finished plan.

Ask: “For our Year 7 application, what must be submitted before the first test, which test date applies, when is the interview, and when are the offer and acceptance deadlines?” Save the school’s reply.

The Senior test is online and broader than four labels suggest

The Senior route covers online English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning on school-supplied computers. Every applicant also attends a taster morning and interview, and QEH requests a reference.

A June 2025 assessment FAQ describes a 1 hour 45 minute session in two parts, with a break. Maths and reasoning adapt to responses; English, problem-solving and creative comprehension are non-adaptive.

Use the school’s familiarisation material to remove interface anxiety. Keep reading, writing and arithmetic secure, but do not coach toward an invented cutoff. No pass mark or reliable admission probability was verified.