What Queen Anne's School does

Queen Anne's School is an independent boarding and day school located on a 35-acre campus in Caversham, Berkshire, United Kingdom, serving girls aged 11 to 18. Founded in 1894 and currently employing approximately 137 staff, the school delivers the GCSE and A-Level curricula supplemented by an extensive co-curricular programme that includes sport, music, drama, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, the Combined Cadet Force, and community partnerships. Its pedagogical differentiator is BrainCanDo, an in-house neuroscience research and education centre established in 2019 in collaboration with the University of Reading, which underpins a character-education framework and contributes to peer-reviewed research on cognition, sleep, and wellbeing in adolescents.

The school's revenue model is tuition-driven, combining day fees, boarding fees (with weekly, full, and international boarding options), and ancillary charges for activities, transport, and extras, discounted by a published means-tested bursary and scholarship programme. The go-to-market motion is admissions-led: prospective families engage through open days, school tours, taster days, a website admissions portal, and an extensive coach and minibus network covering London, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Buckinghamshire. The school's positioning is reinforced by third-party endorsements (Tatler, Good Schools Guide) and recurring designation as a Microsoft Showcase School (six consecutive years). Institutional partnerships include Round Square (global experiential learning exchanges), Code Blue CPR (Heart Safe programme), Bristol University (sleep research), and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, all of which extend the school's educational surface area without altering its core revenue mechanics.

Operational evidence suggests a stable, mature institution rather than a high-velocity growth asset: a long operating history (130+ years), headcount of 137, and improving academic outcomes (A*-C pass rates rising from 84% to 94%, with ~55% of students placed at Russell Group universities) point to incremental rather than transformative change. The business is exposed to UK independent-school demand cycles, regulatory shifts around charitable and VAT status for fee-paying education, and demographic pressure on the 11-18 female segment in the South East.

Name

Queen Anne's School

Legal name

Queen Anne's School, Caversham

Website

https://qas.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11-18 in Caversham, Berkshire, UK, offering GCSE/A-Level education enriched by the in-house BrainCanDo neuroscience programme, international exchanges, and a 35-acre residential campus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Nonsectarian Independent Boarding Schools (EDAJABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Single-Sex (Boys/Girls) Private Schools (EDAJABAK), Nonsectarian Independent Day Schools (EDAJABAA)

Keywords

• Independent girls education
• Boarding school services
• Secondary school curriculum
• Neuroscience-based learning
• GCSE A Level programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Caversham, Reading

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: Day student tuition fees for girls aged 11-18 covering academic instruction, facilities, and core curriculum delivery.
2. Boarding Fees: Full boarding, flexi-boarding, and day boarding options providing accommodation, meals, and extended care services. Transport network available across London, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
3. Scholarships and Bursaries: The Red Cloak Fund Award provides scholarships to support students including the first recipient Crystal who received a scholarship enabling her educational journey at Queen Anne's.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Queen Anne's School is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11-18 delivering a full secondary education on a 35-acre campus in Caversham, Berkshire. Its core offering combines academic curriculum from Year 7 through Sixth Form (GCSE and A Level preparation) with day, flexi and full boarding services, underpinned by its proprietary BrainCanDo neuroscience research programme that informs teaching and wellbeing.

Product overview

Queen Anne's School is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11-18 in Caversham, Berkshire. The school operates as a unified educational institution offering a comprehensive curriculum from Lower School through Sixth Form, centred on its distinctive BrainCanDo neuroscience research programme that underpins teaching and learning practices. The product portfolio includes the award-winning The Space sixth-form centre, a Professional Standard Leadership Programme, extensive UCAS and careers guidance, Middle School GCSE preparation, and a rich co-curricular programme featuring The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, QAS Sport, music, and drama. The school offers day, flexi, and full boarding options with transport networks across the region. Academic outcomes are strong, with 84% A*-C at A Level (2024) and 96% 9-4 at GCSE (2023), with recent GCSE results showing 34% of grades at the top grade 9 and 68% at 9-7 (2025).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BrainCanDo A Queen Anne's-led neuroscience research centre that develops evidence-based educational practices, teaching, learning and wellbeing programmes, empowering teaching professionals and helping students understand how learning happens. Targeted at the school's own students and teaching staff as the foundation of its pedagogical approach.
• The Space (Sixth Form Centre) Award-winning sixth-form centre on the 35-acre Caversham campus featuring themed breakout spaces, Café 6, and tech-filled study pods, designed specifically for Sixth Form students with bespoke tutoring and the Professional Standard Leadership Programme.
• Co-Curricular Programme Comprehensive co-curricular programme including The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, weekend trips and activities, QAS Sport, music, drama, clubs and societies, with built-in preparation time between 4.30pm and 6.15pm on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
• Professional Standard Leadership Programme Sixth Form leadership programme focused on Emotional Intelligence, covering topics including conflict management and running effective meetings to develop future leaders.
• UCAS and Careers Guidance Extensive careers education and UCAS guidance programme helping students prepare for university entrance and employment, including professional standard guidance and support for university applications to top UK universities.
• Middle School Curriculum (GCSE Preparation) GCSE preparation programme for Years 10-11 forming part of a 4-year journey through GCSE to the Sixth Form, with regular preparation (homework), tutor support, and a dedicated prep timetable.
• Boarding Options (Day, Flexi and Full Boarding) Day, flexi and full boarding options with a transport network across London, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire; includes weekend trips and activities as part of the boarding community.
• Three Year A Level Immersion Programme Specialised A Level programme allowing students to immerse themselves in their chosen subjects over three years, designed to maximise academic achievement and university preparation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 84-94% A*-C at A Level
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Code Blue CPRcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 June 2024Collaborative partnership to provide Heart Safe qualification training to every student at Queen Anne's School. Code Blue CPR, led by founder David Sullivan of Creating Lifesavers, delivers comprehensive CPR training including chest compressions, rescue breaths, and AED usage. This initiative makes Queen Anne's 'one of the safest schools in the UK, providing the area with an army of new lifesavers'.
• Bristol UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partnership for the later lie-ins study examining how important sleep is to the wellbeing and academic performance of teenagers. The month-long study saw the school day starting at 9:15am for Lower Sixth students, with students' sleep habits, stress levels, and behaviour measured throughout.
• Round SquarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network membership providing students with exchange opportunities, conferences, and experiential learning aligned with IDEALS (Internationalism, Democracy, Environmentalism, Adventure, Leadership, Service). Part of global network of schools committed to holistic education.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft Showcase School partnership for six consecutive years, demonstrating excellence in technology integration in education. The school utilises Microsoft technologies including OneNote for homework submission and digital learning platforms.
• The Duke of Edinburgh's AwardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial delivery partner for The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, providing students with opportunities to achieve Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards through balanced programmes of voluntary service, skills, physical recreation, and expeditions.
• Girls Schools Association (GSA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMembership in the Girls Schools Association, the professional body representing independent girls' schools in the UK.
• Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMembership in HMC, the professional association of heads of independent schools, demonstrating leadership in the independent education sector.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wycombe Abbey: Highly selective independent girls' boarding school in Buckinghamshire, consistently ranked among the top UK schools for academic results. Competes with Queen Anne's for high-achieving domestic and international boarding pupils at 11+ and 13+ entry.
• Downe House: Independent girls' boarding and day school in Berkshire (Cold Ash, near Newbury), offering 11-18 education with strong academic outcomes. Closest geographic and product peer to Queen Anne's, competing for the same domestic and international boarding families in the Thames Valley region.
• Benenden School: Independent girls' boarding school in Kent for ages 11-18, with strong academic and co-curricular reputation. Comparable boarding model, fee structure, and student demographic to Queen Anne's.
• North London Collegiate School: Elite independent girls' day school with international branches (Seoul, Dubai, Singapore). Comparable academic excellence and premium positioning, with the difference being day-only at the UK flagship.
• Badminton School: Independent girls' day and boarding school in Bristol for ages 3-18. Comparable all-girls offering with both day and boarding options, competing for South West and London commuter families.
• Roedean School: Independent girls' boarding and day school in Brighton, East Sussex, serving ages 11-18. Offers a similar boarding-led model, international student focus, and co-curricular depth to Queen Anne's.
• Cheltenham Ladies' College: One of the UK's most prestigious independent girls' boarding and day schools in Gloucestershire, offering 11-18 education. Competes for top-tier international and domestic families and has a longer-established brand than Queen Anne's.
• St Mary's School Ascot: Catholic independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11-18 in Berkshire, with a similar boarding/day mix and comparable academic profile. Direct competitor for UK Catholic and non-Catholic families seeking premium girls' boarding in the South East.
• Heathfield School: Independent girls' boarding and day school in Ascot, Berkshire, for ages 11-18. Direct geographic and product peer within the Thames Valley, competing for similar boarding and day families.

Broad incumbents

• Wellington College: Large, prestigious co-educational independent boarding and day school in Berkshire, serving ages 13-18. While co-ed, it competes for the same affluent Thames Valley families and offers a broader sports and co-curricular portfolio that overlaps with Queen Anne's positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/braincando
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZ3jAyGCuFyNs7ocDiXxYug
• Facebookfacebook.com/queenannesschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/queen-anne's
• Instagraminstagram.com/queenannesschool

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Queen Anne's School