If you didn’t know anything about Queen’s, our name might lead you to believe it to be a ‘posh’ school, perhaps belonging to a Queen? In fact, our name does have close links with royalty, thanks to the foresight of Queen Victoria. With her command and a royal decree, we became known as The Queen’s School. That is where the royal connections seemingly end; any flippant suggestion that Queen’s might educate ‘princesses’ would elicit outrage! Have you met a Queen’s pupil?
With the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this year, we have been prompted to consider the legacy of our Queens past and present. Strong women will always inspire us, women who are not cowed by the opinions and stereotypical challenges of their time. ‘I have the heart and stomach of a King … ‘ -Queen Elizabeth I; ‘We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat; they do not exist!’ – Queen Victoria. Our Queen is no exception!
She was never a ‘princess’! She rolls up her sleeves and gets stuck in! She embraces change. She bends when the occasion requires it, but never breaks. Challenges have not fazed her, and her loyalty and duty to this country remains steadfast … she gets on with the job, and never complains. The Queen is the ultimate role model, and she is much loved for it.
There are ‘Queens’ throughout this community, this nation, and indeed the world as a whole; strong women who quietly get on with the job and make a difference without any pomp or ceremony. Our beloved Queen recognises this – ‘It has been women who have breathed gentleness and care into the hard progress of humankind.’
Our School is all about empowering women of the future, women who will not accept stereotypical bias, and an expectation for who they should be – Queen’s accepts and values our pupils for who they are! We may not have a palace, sparkly trimmings or glitz and glamour … we stand for so much more. We have a home, a family, and a heart … no kingdom was ever as rich!