Queen Margaret's is an all-girls school welcoming students aged 11-18

Queen Margaret's is an independent boarding and day school near York, Yorkshire for girls aged 11-18.

Our vision is to flourish as a small, all-girls school that is exceptionally supportive. We aspire to empower every student to gain the confidence required to pursue her individual passions and strive for success, not only within the school but also as she ventures into the world beyond.

A Personal Approach

In Queen Margaret’s school, every girl has a voice. Curricula are tailored and timetables are personalised for each student. All students are given opportunities to develop and excel with a huge variety of subjects and extensive extracurricular options. Students enjoy not only equal opportunity but every opportunity. All activities are open to them; they participate, influence and lead - there are no gender stereotypes here.

Horizontal Boarding

Our girls also benefit immensely from our horizontal boarding school system. At Queen Margaret’s, boarding is arranged by year group, which helps the girls to bond and develop lifelong friendships. Housestaff can better focus on and cater for the specific needs of an age group, after all the highs and lows of the girls in Years I-IV in Warwick House are very different to those of the girls in their final year at QM in The Cottages. Each Boarding House has its own special identity, and the accommodation and facilities are age-appropriate. This means the different expectations and rules for each age group can be effectively managed.

Vertical Houses

On entering QM each girl also becomes a member of one of our vertical Houses and she remains in this House throughout her time at the school – this provides the opportunity to mix and socialise with other year groups encouraging a spirit of teamwork and friendly competition. There are regular inter-House competitions in Music, Cookery, Sport, Singing and Dancing.

Enrichment

For a small school in York, Queen Margaret’s provides an immense variety of activities, clubs, societies and other Enrichment opportunities while never sacrificing the needs of the individual girl. As one parent recently noted, Queen Margaret’s ‘benefits from being led and run as if it were a large school but has all benefits and familiarities you would expect of a small school.’

UK and International Students

Girls join Queen Margaret’s School in York predominantly from across the UK, but also from many other corners of the world – currently 16 different countries. The school offers international students a traditional British boarding experience and our horizontal boarding school system encourages girls to build lifelong friendships with their peers. The careful balance of different cultures and nationalities of the girls at QM is something of which both our British and our international families are extremely proud.

The QM Family Handbook

We cherish and nurture our relationships with our girls and parents, and we always look to ensure that communication is smooth and key information is readily available, in doing so we have created the QM Family Handbook. This provides an in-depth look at life at Queen Margaret’s in York.

Come and see for yourself. Visit our admissions page to see forthcoming Open Days or consider booking an individual visit to experience the opportunities awaiting your daughter at Queen Margaret’s School in York.

Our Story
Founded over a century ago, Queen Margaret’s has always championed ambition, individuality, and compassion. Today, we remain dedicated to nurturing confident, capable young women who make a difference in the world.

Queen Margaret's was established in 1901 in Scarborough mainly by Jane Leeke Latham of the Woodard Foundation. Woodard is an organisation committed to the establishment of boarding schools where teaching would be firmly based on the Christian religion. The founding head was Agnes Body who arrived from Lincoln with some of her former staff. In 1913, when ill health made her retire, it was said that QM was known as "Miss Body's School".

Rosalind Fowler became the second Head and she supervised the evacuation of the School to the Atholl Palace Hotel, Pitlochry during the First World War. Following another evacuation to Castle Howard in the Second World War, QM finally came to Escrick Park, six miles south of York, in 1949, where it remains today.

Our Values
We place character and curiosity at the heart of everything we do. Our pupils are encouraged to be courageous, thoughtful, and forward-thinking; qualities we believe shape lifelong learners and responsible citizens.

Leadership and Vision
Led by Head, Nicola Dudley, our team of experienced educators and support staff share a commitment to high standards and individual care. Together, we guide each girl through her personal and academic journey.