A CUMBRIAN secondary school will hold an open evening for prospective students next week.

Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, in Penrith, is hosting the event on Tuesday, June 18 and is expecting between 300 and 400 people to attend.

Headteacher Paul Buckland said: "Open evening is always a great night. It's popular and it's busy."

The school has 160 spaces for its September 2020 intake and applications must be received by June 21.

Applicants will fill in an application form and sit a test on September 14.

Mr Buckland said: "We ask that people don't have tutoring before the test. It's not about that and we want to get that message across.

"Anyone can sit the test and familiarisation papers are sent out in advance."

Those that don't get in, but would still like to attend the school, are put on a waiting list.

Open evening will feature performances from musicians and some of the school's sports stars.

Mr Buckland said: "The Year 7 and 8 students act as guides and give people tours. They make the best guides as they're so honest and they are real advocates for the school. They are able to give a perspective from a student's point of view.

"Also on the night we will have science experiments, a countdown challenge, giant scrabble and food samples. People are given a passport and if they visit all the activities and get a stamp at each one then we give them a prize.

"The Friends of QEGS group also do an amazing barbecue and the sun always shines on open evening.

"Both the staff and the students work very hard to pull it all together."

This week the school has been hosting an activities week.

Students from across all year groups are taking part in different activities and many will be visiting foreign countries.

Mr Buckland said: "Our school is not just about exams - although we do very well academically. We have the highest attainment level within the local authority."

This week students are visiting Tenerife, for geology; all of Year 7 are going to Normandy; science students are visiting MIT and Harvard Universities in Boston; the RE department are going on a visit to Rome to see the Vatican and Sistine Chapel, modern foreign language students are visiting Berlin and year 9 drama students are off to London to the Globe Theatre.

Mr Buckland said: "I bet there isn't a single school in the country doing all of these activities in the same week.

"We also have construction exercises, aeronautics and catering events going on.

"Extra-curricula activities - including music, drama and sport - are very important to us. It is important that we do whatever we can to give every single student the opportunity - whatever their strength is."

The school is also one of the few to still offer work experience to its Year 10 students.

Mr Buckland said: "Work experience is no longer compulsory but we feel it is important so we have students going to solicitor's offices and health centre to give them a flavour of what life is like in the work of work."

The school has had a £3m investment in new facilities over the last four years including a new teaching block named after former headteacher Colin Birnie.

Mr Buckland said: "The school is an exciting place to be and there is a lot happening."

The open evening runs from 5.30pm to 8pm.