Landau Forte Academy QEMS
school in Staffordshire, UK
Landau Forte Academy QEMS (Formerly "Queen Elizabeth's Mercian School", until 1 September 2011) is an 11–16 secondary school with academy status located to the north of Tamworth, a market town in Staffordshire in the Midlands north of Birmingham. It is often known simply as QEMS (pronounced "quems").
Since 1 September 2011, the school has been owned and operated by the Landau Forte Charitable Trust, after being transferred from the Staffordshire LA control.
It is situated in Perrycrofts, on the eastern side of the A513, at the junction with the B5493 (former A453), around a half-mile north of Tamworth town centre.
Specialist status
As a state school, it was awarded specialist status to teach as a Music College. QEMS gained status as a Specialist Music College, under the UK Government's Specialist Schools scheme, in 2005. This specialist status also gives funding to other departments, most notably ICT.
History
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School
A school may have existed in Tamworth since the refounding of the Church of St Editha by the Saxon King Edgar around the year 960 thus perhaps making QEGS (QEMS) one of the eight oldest schools in England. Tamworth's Grammar School is documented as being in existence in 1384 and Queen Elizabeth the First refounded the school in the second charter that she granted to the town in 1588, the school was to be known as the Free Grammar School of Elizabeth Queen of England in Tamworth. The official name of the school became The Grammar School of Elizabeth, Queen of England in Tamworth and was known to its pupils and staff as QEGS before its amalgamation and name change in 1979. In the mid 20th century QEGS developed a notable reputation for academic excellence and achievement under its then headmaster Mr B Baker MA.
It was the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School on Ashby Road, it became a co-educational grammar school when it amalgamated with Tamworth Girls High School in 1960.
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The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6484325. Authority coordinates are 52.641, -1.693. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2011, 2005, 1384 and 1588.
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