QES_The_Elizabethan_Spring_2024

Queen Elizabeth's School

The Elizabethan

From the Headmaster

Dear Parents,

Parallels between academic and sporting excellence were to the fore this month when we welcomed Olympian and retired international sprinter Derek Redmond to present the prizes at Senior Awards. This was the first time that a professional sportsman has been the guest of honour at Senior Awards, and it was apt that he was with us in an Olympics year.

Sport has the power to speak to our broader nature and to invite parallels with other aspects of human endeavour.

At the Olympic Games in Paris this summer, we will watch athletes at the peak of their powers achieving remarkable feats of performance across a very diverse range of activities. Just as those athletes’ successes are rightly applauded, we similarly celebrate the achievements of the many QE boys who win awards and competitions; achieve very high grades at GCSE and A-level; secure places at the world’s leading universities; and accomplish other feats of great distinction in the academic realm and in a host of other fields.

If medals were given to schools as they are to athletes, very strong

A-level results and a good number of Oxbridge offers would surely help any school secure a podium finish. And in this respect, Queen Elizabeth’s School has emphatically now taken gold! Our average point score at A-level last summer surpassed that of every school, state or independent, other than St Paul’s Girls’. And in the cold, dark days of January came news that brought further great cheer to all of us here: no fewer than 62 of our pupils had secured offers from Oxford and Cambridge universities. It was a new QE record, and by a considerable margin: last year’s figure of 47 was itself a substantial increase on a previous best of 40.

WINNERS: Senior Awards had a sporting theme this year, with Olympian Derek Redmond presenting the prizes. Turn to p11.

For Olympians and Elizabethans alike, their lofty achievements are, of course, testament to great natural talent. Yet talent alone is not enough: to become an Olympian, or to achieve highly in the competitive environment of Queen Elizabeth’s School, requires many other qualities besides. They invariably work tremendously hard, preparing meticulously and often forsaking immediate gratification for the sake of later gain. Like international athletes, our top performers exhibit high aspiration and a strong work ethic. They dedicate themselves to their studies and cocurricular involvements. They demonstrate the grit and resilience needed to overcome the disappointments, setbacks and other challenges that come their way. They practise their craft and stretch themselves beyond what is merely expected of them.

What ties all the above examples together is: firstly, that they stimulate intellectual curiosity and provide pathways by which boys can pursue their interests; secondly, that they are, to one degree or another, shared experiences involving collaboration and cooperation.

“Working in partnership”

One of the elements that undoubtedly sets QE apart in terms of our pupils’ ultimate performance is our emphasis on free-thinking scholarship, both in terms of curriculum delivery and of all that the boys do through our Flourish programme. The breadth here is remarkable. There are almost weekly trips to the theatre, as well as opportunities for the boys to perform on stage themselves. We run frequent academic symposia and conferences with a number of partner schools. And oracy is developed through the resurgent Elizabethan Union, as well as through external debating events and competitions such as Model United Nations.

For just like top sportsmen, QE pupils do not achieve success in isolation. Consider where athletes would be without the massive day-to-day expert contribution of their coaches, without the succour of teammates to spur them on, or without the support of loved ones and of spectators cheering them from the stands. Similarly, at QE, while we certainly encourage boys to be unashamedly ambitious in pursuing personal performance, we also recognise that individual achievement is in fact the result of many people acting together in unison and cooperation. My colleagues dedicate themselves to working hard throughout the year, drawing on their professional knowledge, experience and intuition to help each individual fulfil his potential both inside the classroom and beyond. I am also acutely aware of, and grateful for, the huge contribution of QE families, who love and support their sons through thick and thin, taking pride in their achievements and maintaining aspirations for their futures. Superb though the individual performances of our boys may be, they are nonetheless a product of our School community working together in partnership.

One further aspect of free-thinking scholarship is that it mitigates against stereotypes. Almost by definition, great minds rarely think alike. It is always encouraging to see boys pursue their interests into areas entirely of their choice which are not covered in the classroom. Research, writing and editing skills are honed through participation in the School’s pupil-run publications – the Econobethan, Arabella and now Bioquest, while external essay-writing and journalistic competitions provide other opportunities for our students to flex their intellectual and creative muscles. You can read about some of their successes in these pages.

I am pleased to report that this term has seen significant progress with the development of The Robert Dudley Studio. The initial construction phase will enable the space to be brought back into use, with the tiered seating due to be installed in May half-term. The challenge will then be to raise the significant funds necessary to purchase suitable lighting rigs and sound equipment so that it can fully function as a drama studio. More on this next term!

“Emphasis on free-thinking scholarship”

In the meantime, I hope all our families enjoy a relaxing break ahead of the Summer Term, and I wish those senior boys with public examinations coming up all the best in their revision.

Neil Enright Headmaster

GUIDING HAND: OEs strongly supported Year 11’s Careers Convention. See p9.

COOL! 80 boys enjoyed the ski trip to the French Alps.

Higher and yet higher!

First came great news from Oxford: 16 offers, a new QE record. And when the Cambridge figure of 46 offers arrived a few days later – setting another School high – it became immediately clear that the all-time record Oxbridge total of 47, achieved only last year, had been comprehensively beaten.

The final total of 62 means that a third of Year 13 received an Oxbridge offer. The offers cover disciplines from Law and Medicine to History and Asian & Middle Eastern Studies, and come from 33 colleges.

The Headmaster said: “It is brilliant news, and I warmly congratulate our

candidates. Their success is due in no small part to the guidance and assistance we provide through QE Futures. This term’s activities have included a workshop on university life for Year 13 led by last year’s leavers – our preuniversity USP programme increasingly involves alumni – as well as this week’s Year 12 University Convention.”

Setting the scene

Work is now under way on The Robert Dudley Studio to convert what was built as the School’s gymnasium in 1932 into a 21st-century drama and spokenword venue. The programme includes fitting a new roof, perimeter drama studio curtains, projection equipment, and tiered seating. The 200-seat facility within Main Building will be able to accommodate an entire year group at once.

Organ Scholars announced

Sixth-former Joel Swedensky and Noah Morley, of Year 10, are the first Organ Scholars under a new musical partnership between QE and Barnet parish church. They will play the organ at services and rehearse the choir at St John the Baptist Church, while also being fully involved in the extra-curricular Music programme at the School, where a new organ club has been started. The pair are able to practise regularly at QE, thanks to the new electric organ supplied by the Royal College of Organists (RCO). The scholarships also include an honorarium.

Chamber Choir at King’s College Cambridge

Following successful Evensongs at Barnet parish church and Southwark Cathedral, at 5.30pm on Monday 29th April, QE’s Chamber Choir will sing Evensong at King’s College Chapel – probably the world’s most famous venue for church choral music.

Above and beyond: free-thinking scholarship in action

Queen

Elizabeth’s

School expects boys to do more than master the requirements of the curriculum: we seek to cultivate independent learning and deep intellectual curiosity, or, in short, free-thinking scholarship.

As the phrase suggests, free-thinking scholarship often takes boys far beyond the trammels of the classroom syllabus, even into areas not covered by QE’s curriculum at all.

Both through the co-curricular activities of the Flourish programme and through external activities – such as national and international competitions – pupils pursue their genuine academic interests. Sometimes that’s on their own; at other times, they work together, their teammates pushing them towards new heights.

The result is an astonishingly diverse set of activities and accomplishments, covering a rich span of human endeavour. Examples from this term include:

CHEMISTS IN NATIONAL FINAL:

A QE Year 9–11 team headed north from King’s Cross to the water-themed final of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s

Top of the Bench competition final at Edinburgh Napier University. After completing a written paper, they took to the laboratories to have a go at a redox titration – normally an A-level topic.

FASHION CRITIC WINS IN US:

Sixth-former Suryansh Sarangi’s review of fashion house Balenciaga’s autumn collection was one of only nine overall winners in a New York Times writing competition. Read it here

MASS SUCCESS IN MATHEMATICS:

No fewer than 280 QE boys progressed from the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge to its follow-on Kangaroo and Olympiad rounds.

GAINING PERSPECTIVE AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY:

The Art trip to the Entangled Pasts exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts gave Year 10 pupils a reference point for developing their artwork, while more generally providing a lens through which to view the politics of power.

PERFORMING SHAKESPEARE:

Acknowledging that Shakespeare’s plays are meant to be heard, this competition requires participants to learn and perform a speech. QE hosted the North London round, with Year 8’s Vihaan Pal, as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, progressing; Daiwik Khedekar, as Henry in Henry V, narrowly missed out.

HARRY POTTER EXPERIENCE:

All of Year 8 visited the Warner Bros Studios on an Art trip, drawing inspiration from the thousands of intricate and beautifully made sets, props and costumes used in the films, and enjoying a special workshop on the design-and-make process, with a focus on Hagrid and his hut.

LANGUAGE EXCHANGES:

As well as trips to venues such as the Sea Life Aquarium, London Eye and Globe Theatre on the UK leg, QE’s German and French exchanges give great opportunities to improve language skills and develop greater cultural understanding.

ESSAY COMPETITION WINNER:

Year 12’s Avi Juneja’s essay on the gig economy not only won him the Economics section of the Northeastern University London competition, but also overall first prize, with £1,000 in prize money.

POWER OF THE PRESS:

This term saw the launch of Bioquest, a Science journal. Together with QE’s other pupil-run publications, the Econobethan (for Economics and Politics) and the Arabella (a literary journal), it offers pupils avenues for writing in depth on topics of their choosing and opportunities to try their hand at editing.

Working together: teamwork, co-operation and sharing with others makes us all stronger

While QE is justly renowned for the individual achievements of pupils, those successes result from the strength of the whole Elizabethan community.

Both in lessons and in extracurricular activities through the Flourish programme, boys are encouraged to collaborate and work in teams, contributing to QE being a culturally rich, happy and inclusive educational environment.

In addition, as the current School Plan puts it, QE promotes generosity of spirit, with pupils giving their time and skills

to work for the greater good, while the School itself often welcomes others in to share the facilities at Queen’s Road.

Here are just a few instances of teamwork, collaboration andsharing of resources this term.

Of the 17 QE ensembles which entered the Pro Corda Chamber Music competition, 12 made it to the semi-finals,

and two in the U19 category reached the national final. It was, said Director of Music Ruth Partington, “a wonderful and stretching musical experience”.

The Pro Corda qualifying round and semi-finals were hosted by QE in The Friends’ Recital Hall. Similarly, every year, the PE department welcomes leading rugby schools from around the country to the QE Sevens tournament (see p12).

Pupils from QE’s six local partner primary schools attended an enrichment morning in The Queen’s Library. This was aimed at ‘reluctant readers’. Activities included a creative writing workshop, treasure hunt and quiz – one that encouraged engagement with books through challenges such as guessing which country a book was from based on the jacket. QE pupils from Years 12 and 7 assisted.

Of course, collaboration sometimes takes pupils outside the Queen’s Road gates. QE enjoys partnerships with a

number of schools, including North London Collegiate School. This term, 20 Year 7 boys headed there for an academic symposium on the environmental crisis. Boys and girls together explored the power of persuasion, studying the speeches of Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, before enthusiastically writing and delivering their own.

QE Together, the partnership with Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School, was also focused on the environment. Sixth-formers from the two schools

joined local group, The Friends of Dollis Brook, to clean up rubbish blighting the otherwise beautiful Dollis Valley.

QE is developing a relationship with the charity, Sebby’s Corner, which last year moved into premises on the Queen’s Road industrial estate. The House Captains and their deputies took part in a ‘packathon’, preparing 100 bags for new and expectant mothers. Many went to Barnet Hospital, with some given to refugees, mothers in poverty or those escaping domestic violence.

From the archives: The Elizabethan Union

A look at the long history of QE’s thriving debating society, The Elizabethan Union, shows how its fortunes have waxed and waned over the decades, while the motions debated often give a fascinating glimpse into the preoccupations and concerns of generations past.

The Union’s distant ancestor, The Literary and Debating Society, which held its first debate on 6th October 1910, was founded by Mr Freeman (thought to have been

an English teacher). The Elizabethan of December 1910 reports that he had “thrown himself with great energy into the work of establishing it on a proper footing, and…most ably discharged the duties of President”.

In 1923, the name changed to The Debating Society, but thereafter there are no more mentions in the archives until 1929 when it was “revived”. The February 1929 edition of The Elizabethan

stated that the society “hopes to hold at least three meetings this term, commencing with a debate on the Channel tunnel project.” (It was, in fact, another 65 years before the Channel Tunnel opened!)

Head of English (1944-1971) Jack Covington [pictured left] is perhaps the true progenitor of the Elizabethan Union as we know it today. In 1946, he formed The Baconian Society, named in honour of English philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon. That name persisted until the start of the 1950s, when it briefly became the Queen Elizabeth’s Debating Society. In 1951, the name changed, for the final time, to The Elizabethan Union –described in Secretary M Rose’s report “as our new and slightly revolutionary title” (The Elizabethan, December 1951).

The Union in those years did not then generally meet in the Summer Term “as games must be given priority” (The Elizabethan, July 1952). The first “Old Boys’ Debate” took place on April 1st, 1952, the motion being That this House considers that equality of the sexes is irrational and undesirable. This innovation, with the OEs “enriched by their University experience” and speaking with “affable ease”, was evidently a success. The following year, the second such debate was preceded for the first time by a dinner “which happily laid the foundation for a good set of after-

dinner speeches and… for one of the best debates in the history of the Union.” (The Elizabethan, July 1953).

1961 saw the introduction of an Elizabethan Union House Debating competition, which Leicester won. In July 1968 “an innovation at the Dinner Debate was the admission of female guests, who added to the enjoyment of the evening”. In the same academic year, fifth-formers (Year 11) were allowed full membership for the first time, where previously this had been restricted to sixth and seventh-formers (Years 12–13 and Year 14 respectively) .

The Union subsequently had its ups and downs until longstanding teacher Neil Kobish stepped in: an unlabelled local press report reveals

that after a ten-year break, Mr Kobish restarted the Dinner Debate in March 1985. Almost 140 people attended, including pupils from QE Girls’ School. After a four-course dinner prepared by FQE, the motion This House believes that Britain should not have fought to recover the Falklands was narrowly carried.

In the intervening period, the event has continued to flourish [shown above is the 2008 Dinner Debate]. The growth of QE’s Sixth Form means only Year 13 can now be accommodated, while the girls attend their own school’s Sixth Form debates. Today The Elizabethan Union’s regular debates are popular as perhaps never before, with the Annual Dinner Debate still the jewel in the Union’s crown.

Scaling the rhetorical heights

With the historic Elizabethan Union flourishing and pupils winning success in prestigious conferences and competitions, debating is enjoying a golden era at QE.

The 57th Annual Dinner Debate, pitching Old Elizabethans against final-year debaters, was conducted with customary good humour. Year 13’s Anish Kumar and Shubh Rathod, proposing the motion, This House believes governments are more responsible for climate change than citizens, carried the day, albeit by a narrow margin. Opposing them were alumni Siddhant Kansal and Mark Markov (both 2015–2022).

Earlier this month, nine Year 12s headed to the LSE for a three-day Model United Nations conference. Other schools attending included Eton College, Harrow and City of London. Two of QE’s party – Saim Khan, representing Malta, and

Chanakya Seetharam, an International Criminal Court Justice – earned top delegate awards. “I loved being able to engage with real issues of international law with people who shared my interest,” said Chanakya. The programme featured a ball for delegates and tours of the campus.

There was team success in the South Hampstead High School’s Spring Debate Competition. With delegates drawn from Year 8 to 12, three of the four QE teams won three out of four debates, while one senior team – comprising Uday Dash, of Year 12, and Year 10’s Rithwik Gururaj and Orko Ghosh – swept all before them to win overall.

Alumni show the way

Dozens of Old Elizabethans were among guests who turned out to help Year 11 find their future path at the 2024 QE Careers Convention.

The day featured morning talks and a series of workshops, as well as a careers fair, where boys had the opportunity to gain one-toone support and guidance.

Assistant Head (Pupil Destinations) James Kane, who heads QE Futures, said: “We find that the large number of our alumni who help are especially able to understand the current boys and their perspective.”

As well as role-specific guidance, many guests spoke of the importance of broader skills, with those working in business, finance and insurance emphasising that to really get ahead, good verbal communication and the ability to build strong personal relationships based on trust are a must.

A good business? You be the judge!

Sixth-formers were involved in a real-life Dragons’ Denstyle pitching competition at a two-day entrepreneurship festival hosted by QE.

The QE delegates, together with counterparts from North London Collegiate School, also took part in a workshop run by entrepreneur Nikita Khandwala and a team from LSE Generate (the university’s entrepreneurial hub). All the businesses pitching had to explain how they are contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The students could ask questions and vote to decide the recipients of a £2,000 grant, awarded in addition to grants from other judges.

Politicians of every hue

The Politics Society welcomed Liberal Democrat heavyweight Sir Vince Cable and Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Chipping Barnet, Dan Tomlinson, as speakers this term.

Several start-ups won funding. Top prize went to Haja Isatu Bah for Uman4Uman, which provides reusable sanitary pads in Sierra Leone.

The Headmaster said: “Hosting this was a brilliant way of celebrating innovation and leadership among entrepreneurs of all backgrounds, giving our boys insight into business and seed-funding. The workshop got students thinking together about how they can empower themselves and others to solve problems in society.”

Before taking questions from an audience drawn from all year groups in the Main Hall, former party leader Sir Vincer gave advice to any aspiring politicians, urging on them the importance of: being a good communicator; building a team; and having stamina and resilience.

Dan Tomlinson spoke about civic engagement and how to campaign. The society has previously hosted Theresa Villiers MP, who has held Chipping Barnet for the Conservatives since 2005.

Rhapsody in rainbow: LGBT History Month

The charity Just Like Us gave separate, age-appropriate talks about growing up queer to Years 7-9 and 10-12, as QE marked LGBT History Month.

Along with these special assemblies, a range of other activities publicised and celebrated the month, including the distribution of rainbow ribbons for blazers, a session making rainbow bead bracelets, and the screening of Bohemian Rhapsody, about Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury. A competition to design LGBT historythemed computer desktops attracted colourful winning entries from 2023 School Captain Darren Lee.

The School has strengthened pupil leadership in Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion, recruiting 27 EDI Ambassadors from Years 9-11 to support the Year 12 ViceCaptains assigned with this role. An EDI Ambassadors’ Club has been established and now meets fortnightly.

Topping the tables in Telford

After an impressive display in the VEX Robotics national finals, three QE teams have qualified for the world championships in Dallas next month.

Head of Technology Michael Noonan reports that the qualification by the Gearsquad, Constellation and Circuitbreakers teams comes even though the number of places on offer to UK teams has been halved this year, with the Year 8 Circuitbreakers’ success “all the more remarkable given they are in their first season”.

Eleven teams travelled to Telford for the nationals, where Hybrid were divisional finalists and fellow Year 12 team Override the divisional top-ranked team in the VRC (Years 10 & 12) age group. In the

Five minutes of pure gold

Sixth-former Nikhil Banerjee’s fiveminute presentation on the ethics of genome-editing to eradicate genetic diseases won him the Gold Award and more than £10,000 in an oracy competition run by London’s historic Gresham College.

VIQRC category (Years 8–9), there was a trio of awards apiece for Gearsquad and Circuitbreakers, and single awards for Hybrix and Constellation.

Unable to go to the world championships because of examination commitments, both Year 12 teams travelled to Calgary, Canada, in February for a competition involving 132 teams.

QE also hosted a robotics challenge in January – the VIQRC Full Volume QE Battle for Barnet – where Gearsquad were among the winners.

Engaged and online

The roll-out of the innovative 1:1 programme has continued apace. Year 7 were the first to gain their tablet devices, with Year 9 following suit this term. QE’s strategy is attracting interest: representatives of EdTech Austria visited to learn more, while Assistant Head Sarah Westcott was interviewed about it at the BETT 2024 education technology exhibition.

Backing winners

Olympian Derek Redmond, Guest of Honour at Senior Awards, told prizewinners to enjoy their moment of glory – and advised them on how to overcome future setbacks.

The former international sprinter was plagued by injury during his own athletics career, but went on to take up other sports and is now a sought-after motivational speaker. His definition of success is “getting up one more time than you’ve been knocked down”, he said, adding that to do so you need determination and self-belief.

Popular across the board

Soaring demand from younger pupils led to the School running separate chess tournaments for the first five year groups.

Arthur Gold, Aayush Dewangan, Rohan Katkar and Rithwik Gururaj emerged as champions in Years 7, 8, 9 & 10 respectively, with perfect scores of 6. In Year 11, a thrilling play-off saw Daiwik Solanki take the crown after he

Battling in Barnet

Teams from leading rugby schools had an extra opponent at the 48th QE Sevens – the atrocious weather. Weeks of rain ruled out use of Barnet Elizabethans RFC’s pitches, so only the U14 tournament took place. But when rain set in on the day itself, the players battled well, producing exciting rugby. Harrow successfully defended their Cup title. Head of Rugby James Clarke said: “Competition was tough, but our home U14 side acquitted themselves well in their three group-stage matches.” Full results can be viewed here

and Ishanth Thangella amassed 5.5 points apiece.

Teacher in charge of chess, Geoff Roberts, said: “More than a third of all the boys in the first three years took part! It is very encouraging to see further growth in the popularity of, and participation in, chess at QE, and it certainly augurs well for our future performances in external tournaments.”

For love of the game

Leading players from across the year groups gathered for QE’s inaugural Rugby Dinner. The evening featured inspirational speeches, prizes and the opportunity for boys to relax with fellow lovers of the game.

For more information on the Rugby Dinner, the skiing trip and other sports news, see Edition 7 of the QE Sports Bulletin