Queen's Today 2023

Queen’s Today

Foreword W

e hope you enjoy this new look issue of Queen’s Today, which is bigger and (we hope) better than ever before! This term you will see we have changed the format of our Summer edition, so that it serves more as an overview of the whole academic year and showcases some of the exceptional highlights from Queen’s in terms of Sport, Music, Drama, Dance and Art. And what a year it has been! We hope you enjoy reading about the array of concerts, sporting triumphs, drama productions, dance shows, trips and overseas tours across both the College and the Prep School.

This academic year has been particularly special, of course, as 2023 marks the 175th anniversary of Queen’s, which were we delighted to mark by holding Founder’s Day on the actual anniversary, 175 years to the day, that F. D. Maurice had founded the College. Not only is this an important anniversary for the Queen’s community but, of course, it is also significant historically as it marks the founding of the very first school to offer academic qualifications to women. We’ve had lots of highlights so far surrounding this big anniversary, but one of the most

memorable was welcoming back nearly 300 alumnae to visit our Archive Exhibition (which you can read more about on page 3.)

We will be celebrating our anniversary throughout the full calendar year of 2023 and are keenly anticipating next term’s culmination of our 175th celebrations in the form of an ambitious production of ‘Annie’, where pupils from both the College and the Prep School will perform on a real West End stage, as we’ve hired the Shaftesbury Theatre for three days in late November. We can’t wait!

Best wishes,

Richard Tillett and Laura Lamont

Mr Richard Tillett, Principal, Queen’s College, London

Miss Laura Lamont (formerly Hall), Headmistress of Queen’s College Preparatory School

Mr Tillett and Miss Lamont with the oldest and youngest Queen’s pupils, March 2023

Highlights from our

Archive Exhibition

As part of our ongoing 175th Anniversary celebrations this year, in the Lent Term we staged a fascinating exhibition from the College’s archives in the Waiting Room. The exhibition was expertly curated by OQ Julia Rank and beautifully staged by our Alumnae and Development team. On display were a range of artefacts, each showcasing a different aspect of the College’s history. Alongside what you might expect to find in a school’s archive, such as certificates of proficiency from the 1850s and journals from former staff members, there were also more unusual items including a leaf from the wreath that the College sent to Queen Victoria’s funeral! We were delighted to welcome nearly 300 members of the Queen’s community to the College for the opening of our 175th Anniversary Archive Exhibition. It was wonderful to see so many alumnae catching up with each other and their former teachers, while collectively learning more about the College’s illustrious past.

Founder’s Day

We also hosted a wonderful Founder’s Day celebration at St Marylebone Parish Church on the exact anniversary of the College’s founding 175 years ago. Mr Tillett spoke about our founder F.D. Maurice, the very early days of Queen’s and the lessons we can learn today from Maurice’s extraordinary life.

“We owe it to him I think, to our College, and to ourselves to be tolerant, reflective and courageous. If we can do that, we will do him proud, we will help ourselves, and, in our own way, we might just make the world a slightly better place. That, ultimately, is what F.D. Maurice was all about, and what we are all here for.”

Richard Tillett, Principal

175th Anniversary

Our 175th Anniversary celebrations are still ongoing until the end of 2023 – watch this space for more news about how we are marking this historic occasion, including a joint College/Prep production of ‘Annie!’ at the Shaftesbury Theatre in November!

175th Summer Concert in Regent Hall

In June, more than 150 pupils performed in a very special Summer Concert to mark our 175th Anniversary. The concert was held at an external venue – the Regent Hall on Oxford Street, which has fantastic acoustics and often hosts professional concerts – to enable as many parents and friends of Queen’s to join as possible. The audience was treated to an array of talent, with performances from a host of ensembles, choirs and our orchestra, as well as some exceptional solo performances. A very big thank you to the Music Department, led by Mr Hughes (aka Elton John...!) for putting on such a wonderful show to celebrate our very special anniversary. For photos of this event, see page 15.

Sports Highlights

Overview of the Year

In the Sports Department at Queen’s we have had a year of “firsts” as we continue to build our sporting profile and widen the physical education opportunities we offer here at the College! For instance, this year has seen the introduction of the Queen’s Netball Academy, where girls from all year groups trialled for a place and now train weekly at Seymour Leisure Centre at 7am on a Monday morning. We have also added to our outdoor provision with the inclusion of sailing at West Reservoir in our Seniors PE Programme that runs on a Friday, which is an amazing opportunity for all the pupils involved.

Fixtures

We started the year by entering a team into the Senior Netball Competition, hosted by the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA), which was another first. The weekend, up in Shropshire, offered a mixture of outdoor adventurous activities, an inspirational talk from England Netball star and 2018 Commonwealth Champion, Beth Cobden, as well as a series of masterclasses led by England coaches and players. On the final day, all the schools participated in the GSA netball tournament. Despite a very long and physically challenging weekend, the Queen’s team played some brilliant netball and finished in the top five girls’ schools in the country. This was a fantastic achievement in a national competition and great preparation for the season ahead. This was a springboard into an extremely busy year of just under 100 fixtures, across all seven year groups

and involving nearly one third of all our pupils. After the restrictions during the pandemic, it has been lovely to see so many of our pupils involved in matches this year. In addition to our half termly interhouse competitions, and our weekly fixtures against local schools, we have also participated in several tournaments in both netball and football. This included us attending the first GSA U12 football tournament, where we took a mixed team from the Prep and the College and came away with a silver medal. Our Cheerleading success has continued this year with a win at the end of the Michaelmas Term and a second-place finish in the Spring Competition, putting us in a strong position to regain our overall title at the finals this year. We also participated in the Westminster Athletics Championships, where our team of over 40 pupils won 26 medals between them – an amazing achievement!

Barbados Trip

This year we took a group of pupils to Barbados on a Netball and Cricket Tour. They had the most incredible experience, taking a jeep safari around 80% of the island, playing netball and cricket against various Barbados teams, snorkelling in the ocean with turtles and taking a catamaran cruise for the day. Our next major tour is planned for Summer 2024 with a netball trip to South Africa!

London Pulse Trip

As a reward for the commitment and effort our new Queen’s Netball Academy have shown this year, we took them to watch a Netball Super League match between London Pulse and Surrey Storm at the Copper Box Arena. It was a very close match, showcasing some of the best netballers in the country. The pupils then had the opportunity to meet some of the players at the end of the match to get their autograph (and take some selfies!). It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for all involved and hopefully it has inspired the pupils to aim high in their sporting careers.

Sports Day

Sports Day in June was the perfect way to round off a fantastic year for sport here at Queen’s. The sun was shining at Finsbury Park for what proved to be a fun day of athletics for all pupils. For the first time, we held an opening ceremony which set the scene wonderfully. During the day pupils ran, jumped, and threw with enthusiasm to win points for their House, as well as medals for the top three. Well done to all pupils who competed on the day! Particular congratulations are due to Parks, who were the winning house overall, and to those pupils who set new records.

In Class 2, Talia broke the record for the 200m; in Class 1, Tise and Rosa did the same for the 100m and Discus, and Parks set the record for the 4 x 100m relay; in I Juniors, Lila set the record for the 200m and again the 4 x 100m relay team, this time from Pankhurst, beat the record; and in the Seniors, Eloise smashed the previous record for the 200m. The last record to be broken on the day was in the House 4 x 100m relay, where one pupil from each year group takes part for their house, and Parks beat the record, running under a minute for the first time. A huge thank you to Mrs Emma Croker, our Director of Sport, and the whole PE team for their meticulous organisation of this wonderful day. Thank you also to Debbie Dunning, Gemma Knight and the QCPA for providing the delicious refreshments, including very popular ice-creams!

Dance Highlights

This year, we were very excited that the Annual Dance Show was held for the first time at an external venue, St Mary’s Marylebone, to mark the College’s 175th Anniversary. This exciting new venue allowed pupils the opportunity to perform on a bigger stage and explore more adventurous choreography. Pupils from every year group

across the College took to the stage, performing a wonderful range of styles, from Ballet and Tap to the Charleston and Commercial. The audience was captivated; it was a true celebration of talent, teamwork and the vibrant spirit of our Queen’s community.

Drama Highlights

Our whole College production in November 2022 was ‘The Visit’ by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, a vicious take on the nature of humanity, guilt, justice, sin and temptation. It is also a comedy, telling the story of Claire (Katia, Class 1) a woman returning to her hometown after forty-five years to exact revenge on the man that betrayed her (Alena, II Seniors)—or, as she puts it, to “buy justice.”

Mr Tillett wrote:

“It was simply magnificent. One visitor told me she had worked with the National Youth Theatre yet was ‘blown away’ by our production, and rightly so. Katia from Class 1 (Year 9!) in the lead role, superbly supported by Alena (II Seniors) and Eloise (I Juniors), with no fewer than eleven members of our new Class 3 among the rest of the fantastic cast. The quality of acting was outstanding, with the leads somehow managing to hold the stage just by walking on to it.

But it was the sophistication of the production that really made it so extraordinary. It really did not feel like a school show. The subtle touches to bring the plot to life - the Chorus representing the trains passing in and out of Güllen, the dismantling and reuse of the set throughout, the yellow shoes symbolising Schill’s impending doom as the townspeople increasingly became corrupted by credit, the use of the aisles and back of the Hall as they closed in for the kill – all gave it a sophistication that you simply don’t usually get at this level. Beckie Mills, along with her co-Director, Brendan Benson, did a truly extraordinary job.

We always knew the play would be bold and challenging, for cast and audience alike. We didn’t know they would pull it off quite so spectacularly - though we should have. It all added up to a genuinely unforgettable evening.”

“I enjoyed ‘The Visit’ because it was an amazing experience where you got to meet pupils from all different year groups and be part of something together. Being involved was an important experience because it helped me grow in confidence and improved my stage performance ability. I recommend being involved in a production at Queen’s because it’s amazing to be part of a drama community and work together to create a wonderful show.”

(Rachel, C3)

“I had an AMAZING time performing in ‘The Visit’. It has boosted my confidence and overall made me understand what a play is all about. I was surprised that the rehearsals flew by so fast. I recommend being involved in a production at Queen’s because it’s an amazing place to make memories.”

(Meela, C3)

Music Highlights

At the end of another very busy and highly successful year for the Music department, we reflect on the achievements of our pupils and highlights of our extracurricular programme. In September, we welcomed Magdalina Vutova as our new Graduate Music Assistant and it has been wonderful to see the positive impact she has already had on our team and the flourishing string department. We have also welcomed several new Visiting Music Teachers, expanding our team to nineteen peripatetic music teachers, catering for the ever-increasing numbers of pupils having individual lessons. We even reached the landmark figure of 1% of QCL pupils learning the tuba – which is quite a feat for any school! Do keep up to date with all that is happening by following our Instagram page @qclmusic.

Concerts and Trips

This has been one of our busiest academic years yet, with five informal concerts, all of which were heavily subscribed and of an impressively high standard. We also hosted one of our favourite annual treats, a Jazz Evening in March, where sixteen of our pupils sang solos and duets with the Harrow School Big Band. As 2023 is our 175th Anniversary, we also had the perfect excuse to explore beautiful external, local venues for our larger concerts, including the Summer Concert at Regent Hall and the ‘Come and Sing’ event which was held at The John McIntosh Arts Centre at the site of the London Oratory School. This year our students also went on several trips to see concerts and other events at some of the major London venues, including the Music Scholars’ trip to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s Christmas Concert at Cadogan Hall and the A-Level Music trip to see ENO’s production of Wagner’s ‘Das Rheingold’ in March.

Brass Tour, October 2022

The Music Department ran its first ever overseas music tour to in October 2022! Fifteen pupils from Brass Ensemble travelled to eastern Belgium for a seven day tour of Hasselt, Brussels, Antwerp, Vervier, Ypres and Wavre. We also popped into the Netherlands to visit Vaals and Valkenburg too! Pupils performed at five outstanding concerts to hundreds of people over the week. Our concert venues ranged from local churches to bandstands in city main squares. The standout moment of the tour was our Brussels Cathedral concert where, for the first time ever, Brass Ensemble performed a one-hour concert entirely made up of classical repertoire. We enjoyed performing in such an immense space with a beautiful acoustic, which was full of applauding audience members! Brass Ensemble are now very much looking forward to their October 2024 tour, where 25 pupils will travel for 8 days in Italy performing in Lake Garda, Padua and Venice!

Masterclasses

One of the newest additions to our full events schedule this year has been a series of masterclasses in which we have welcomed experts to coach and perform alongside our pupils. These have included a singing masterclass with former Queen’s singing teacher Felicity Hamilton, the strings masterclass with Dr George Zacharias (our highly accomplished Head of Music at QCPS), a brass masterclass with international horn soloist Ben Goldscheider and a piano masterclass with the highly talented and dynamic pianist Janneke Brits. We also held our first Music Scholars’ Day in which we worked with all our Music and Performing Arts Scholars. Throughout the day we focused on good wellbeing for musicians, practice and performance techniques and how to harness performing nerves, before finishing with a concert celebrating the talents of the pupils. Our next masterclass will be for woodwind players, taking place in September.

Musical Achievements Beyond the College

At the start of 2023, our Chamber Choir entered the Girls’ Schools Association’s Senior Choir of the Year Competition, and were highly commended for their renditions of ‘Deep River’ and Queen’s ‘Somebody to Love’. This is a significant achievement, especially considering this was our first time entering the competition. Additionally, one of our exceptional A-level musicians has spent the year on the newly established Musical Theatre course at the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department and has recently gained a place at the competitive musical theatre summer course at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Other pupils have also gained places at the various London music college junior departments, including the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. We are especially pleased that our brass players will be performing in a joint concert with the Guildhall Junior Brass Department this summer. It is a joy to see so many of our pupils developing their musicianship beyond the College, forging meaningful connections and gaining further invaluable experience.

Music Department Fundraising

We are proud to have raised record amounts to support excellent charitable causes over this academic year. For instance, we raised £3,731.04 at our ‘Top of the Pops: Come and Sing’ event in February with all proceeds going to the Queen’s Bursary Fund and Guide Dogs UK; we even raised enough to participate in the ‘Name a Puppy’ scheme at Guide Dogs – watch this space for puppy name updates! Our Brass Ensemble also raised over £500 for various charities with their Christmas carolling on Oxford Street. It is such a pleasure to know that our pupils are seeing first-hand the positive impact their music-making can have on others and we greatly look forward to finding new opportunities for them to do so again in the next academic year.

Art Highlights

This has been another year packed with Art highlights at Queen’s!

Trips and Workshops

The I Junior trip to the Strange Clay exhibition at the Hayward Gallery kick-started this year’s extensive array of creative trips and was an exciting way for the pupils to delve into the world of contemporary ceramics. The Art Scholars were also lucky enough to take part in the Pupil Takeover Day at the Hayward Gallery, where they were able to explore and gain insights into the ceramic works through workshops and conversations led by their peers at other schools.

Thank you to Talisa in I Seniors who, as part of her role as subject representative, organised a trip for her class to see the captivating and immersive experience of David Hockney’s work. In another I Senior outing, students visited the Allison Jacques Gallery to view the thought-provoking exhibition by Veronica Ryan. Through her diverse artistic practices, Ryan explores themes of identity, race and memory.

Class 3 pupils were lucky enough to visit the Tate Modern, where they experienced the captivating works of the renowned painter, Cezanne. To ignite a sense of wonder and curiosity in our Class 2 pupils, they went on a fantastic trip to the Grant Museum of Zoology. This excursion combines art and science as students explored the fascinating world of zoological specimens and artifacts, which formed the starting point to their own sculpture projects.

The Art Department were also delighted to invite Sheyamali Sudesh to lead an Art Scholars’ workshop which explored pupils’ ideas and associations with safe spaces. Seeing the groups work together and forge relationships across year groups was delightful, alongside their ability to problem-solve and create.

As part of trips and activities week in the Summer term, Class 2 pupils experienced all of the Arts in action! Thank you to Talia, Theodora and Efimia for sharing their thoughts….

“Tuesday’s workshop was such a fun experience! We spent the whole day taking part in a variety of activities to do with the arts - dance, drama, art and music. We created our own painting tools with different materials such as bamboo, sponges, and recycled fabrics. This was used in the mark making activity. We then dipped our feet and art tools into ink and danced to the background music, which allowed us to open our feelings and express ourselves. As well as this, we learned how to play the djembe drum, a West African instrument and were taught how to choreograph a fight with bamboo sticks! Overall, it was a fantastic day!”

Talia, Theodora and Efimia, C2BV

Art Exhibition

We were delighted to host the annual GCSE and A-level Art exhibitions in June and, once again, the exceptional talent of Queen’s students was on full display. The showcased artwork was not only thought-provoking but also brimming with energy and diversity. The students demonstrated remarkable ambition in crafting their bodies of work, employing a wide range of media to explore captivating themes such as vulnerability, surveillance, social media and transience. Visitors were treated to a mesmerising array of sculpture, installation art, textiles, drawings, paintings and printmaking.

Many congratulations to all the artists for their dedication, hard work and creativity, which radiated throughout the exhibitions. Their artworks stood as a testament to their skill, talent and ambition.

Academic Festival

The theme of this year’s Academic Festival was Fashion! Pupils were invited to attend the day in 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s fancy dress (which each House choosing a different decade.) Costumes ranged from ‘Clueless’ characters to Audrey Hepburn and Janis Joplin. The timetable was collapsed for the day so pupils could attend various fashion themed workshops including ones on sustainability, AI and smart materials. There were also special themed lessons in Maths, Art, Politics, Music, History and PTE. A big thanks to all the teachers who worked hard to help pupils enrich their appreciation of Fashion across all their subjects. Pupils were asked to write down accounts of what they learnt throughout the day in their workbooks and the most informative ones received family tickets to the REBEL Fashion show at the Design Museum.

We welcomed many guests from the Fashion Retail Academy, Jimmy Choo Academy, Reskinned, Drapers and many more. The day ended with a fabulous Q&A session with the designer Roksanda Ilinčić, fashion businesswoman Aizel Trudel, as well as Jimmy Choo’s best friend and Fashion Retail Academy’s top student. This was chaired by Chanda Pandya, senior lecturer at Fashion Retail Academy. The panel was followed by the wonderful dance performance and a surprise teacher catwalk show, accompanied by the Brass Ensemble. We will never forget Mr Tillett’s pink suit! Thank you to all involved for a really memorable day.

Queen’s College Preparatory School

This academic year has been a veritable whirlwind of activity over on Portland Place! Here are just some of the many highlights from this year at QCPS.

Opening of Lilibet’s

Our long-anticipated new kitchen and dining room were opened in September to improve our lunch experience, both aesthetically and gastronomically! For the first time, all food is being freshly prepared on site, overseen by our own Head Chef, Keith Cresswell. The girls voted for their favourite name for our refurbished restaurant with the overwhelming majority choosing “Lilibet’s”. Lilibet, of course, was the childhood nickname of our Patron Queen Elizabeth II, and naming the dining rooms after her is, we hope, a fitting way for our pupils to remember her and pay tribute to her legacy.

Scholars’ Programme

This year we launched the Queen’s Scholars’ Programme! Our Queen’s Scholars have so far enjoyed several Masterclasses with specialist teachers at “Big Queen’s” to stretch and challenge their understanding and skills, as well as unlock deeper thinking by exploring a range of topics in more depth. The girls attended a masterclass in Politics: ‘How should we choose our leader?’ with Mr Tillett, and ‘Exploring Mathematics’ with Ms McKercher, to name just a couple. We also enjoyed a trip to The Houses of Parliament in June to round off a remarkably successful first year of Queen’s Scholars.

Ski Trip

Last February, girls and four members of staff packed their snow boots, ski goggles and thermals for an adventure of a lifetime! Staying in the picturesque and quaint town of Altenmarkt im Pongau, the girls were lucky enough to have seven days of brilliant snow and skiing in Zauchensee! The wonderful Snow Style instructors made sure all of the girls had fabulous days on the slopes which included many hot chocolates, chicken schnitzels and strudels. Not to mention Black runs, Blue runs, jumps and even daring to go off piste! The girls were also lucky enough to learn Austrian curling and particularly enjoyed snow tubing and shopping in the evenings.

Nativity

Parents and teachers were all very proud of Pre-Prep’s vibrant nativity production, ‘The Big Little Nativity’! Form II wowed us all with their joyful re-telling of the nativity story, with amazing singing, acting and dance moves. We also loved Reception’s role as joyful singing camels and Form I’s clear singing as shepherds! It was particularly special when all the Pre-Prep girls invited the audience to sing the encore of the final song ‘Sing the Good News’. Well done to the Pre-Prep team for their hard work and thank you for all the parents who came to support.

Spring Concert

This year Dr Zacharias introduced a Spring Concert to our music performance programme. In its inaugural year, the concert featured all of Forms IV, V and VI, along with the QCPS Orchestra and Choir. The girls built on the progress and successes attained in the Harvest, Marylebone Lights and Carol concerts of the Michaelmas term introducing challenging Grade 5 repertoire in all genres. Form IV even formed their own ensemble, which included pianists, lyre, recorders, clarinet and xylophones. It was an immensely successful and thoroughly entertaining afternoon, with a varied programme, stretching from Baroque to contemporary pop. The Spring Concert certainly showcased the breadth and level of musical talent at QCPS.

Dance and Drama Display

Just before the Easter holidays, we held our annual Dance and Drama Display over at “Big Queen’s”. The girls showcased their exceptional talent with various amazing performances! Form IV’s fantastic rendition of ‘Ease on Down the Road’ was particularly impressive. The success of the production was a testament to the choreography team, who had been painstakingly preparing for the performance since January!

Swimming Gala

In April, we held our first-ever House Swimming Gala! The event was held at Porchester Hall which boasts a beautiful 30m pool in a picturesque building. It was a brilliant celebration of each individual swimmer’s tenacity and growing athleticism, but it was also a celebration of our increased focus on collaboration, teamwork, and healthy competition.

Residentials

To develop their outdoor education, Form IV and Form V sailed to the Isle of Wight and Form VI ventured to Normandy, France. These were excellent opportunities for the girls to develop their independence and embrace the world without their parents or guardians. The girls in Form IV spent most of the week in wetsuits, kayaking, sailing, raft building and leaping into the ocean. Form V enjoyed teambuilding activities inland yet ended up just as wet after crawling through muddy obstacle courses! Each and every girl demonstrated resilience and determination, which is a true reflection of the QCPS spirit.

Dr Zacharias Performs at the Coronation

We were very excited that our very own Head of Music, Dr George Zacharias, performed during the coronation ceremony of King Charles III in Westminster Abbey! Dr Zacharias sang as part of a small, specialist ensemble who performed a hymn originating from the early 15th century Byzantine Empire. Dr Zacharias was invited as one of the UK’s foremost specialists in Byzantine music, due to the King’s wish to include music in the coronation service which reflected the Greek origins of his late father, Prince Philip.

Diversity Week

This year, our theme of “Inside Out” focused on Neurodiversity. Form groups and teachers participated in workshops that continued conversations initially started last year about how our brains are all different and how we learn differently. Girls also had the opportunity to listen to our guest author, J.T. Williams, who shared insights into her recently published books, ‘The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries’. The books are a thrilling mystery series, set in eighteenth-century London, inspired by real black British historical figures. We look forward to continuing these discussions in our everyday learning and creating a space where everyone is celebrated.

Lion King

The Form VI girls of Portland Place recently found their Pride Rock in Harley Street! When QCPS performed ‘The Lion King’ at the Somerville Hall over at “Big Queen’s” they brought the animation of the West End with them. With a cast too large to mention any names – some 76 of them – they were all masters of teamwork and enthusiasm. The singing was superb, the instrumentation stirring, the sets and costumes captivating. Here was the circle of life; seamless from the Form V ensemble to the top cats of the musical food chain!

Outdoor Learning Week

To begin the Summer Term, QCPS enjoyed their first ever Outdoor Learning Week! We sailed into the week with a whole school seaside visit where the girls enjoyed picnicking in the sand and paddling in the water. Over the rest of the week, there were plenty of opportunities to explore, discover and learn outdoors. Usual lessons took place in our local gardens and parks, each form group visited forest school, and everyone enjoyed a Lilibet’s experience by making their own school packed lunch for a teddy bears’ picnic. It was a fabulous week and has inspired us all to do more learning outside the classroom in the future!

Sports Day

The QCPS Sports Day this year was a complete and utter triumph! Not only did it showcase the girls’ brilliant sporting abilities, but also demonstrated how great they are at supporting each other. It was especially pleasing to witness so many parents at the event cheering their daughters on from the sidelines and then taking part with such competitive gusto in

the inaugural parent races. As always, the entire QCPS community did not disappoint and, together with bright blue skies and beautiful sunshine, it made for another wonderful school event. Well done to all the girls, but a special congratulations to the winning House on the day, which was Franklin!

In Conversation with...

Mr Eric Wilkins, Deputy Head (Operations)

How has the College changed in the 12 years that you’ve been here?

The College has changed a huge amount. I’ve worked under two Heads, Frances and Richard. They both made some big changes and have had a hugely positive influence in their leadership. It’s almost like in my career here has been in two halves, working under Frances and various other Deputy Heads and then Richard coming in 2017. I think it’s just kept getting better and better to be honest. It’s still got that friendly ethos that people coming in, whether they’re prospective parents, students or staff, have all noticed. Richard has kept the Queen’s values of positivity, openness and inclusiveness alive.

What has been the highlight of your teaching career at Queen’s to date?

WRITTEN BY EMILIE SITLANI

When did you start teaching at Queen’s?

I started teaching in September 2011, and there is actually a bit of a funny story about how I came to Queen’s. Before I started my teacher training, I was working as a trainee at a Big Four accountancy firm in Mayfair and realised quickly that it wasn’t for me. I started googling local schools and Queen’s came up, so I just randomly contacted the school and got through to David Willows. David was kind enough to invite me in, he allowed me to sit in on some lessons and he talked to me about what it meant to be a history teacher. And then, six months later, I was doing my teacher training and a job came up at Queen’s, and I thought ‘Wow! I’ve actually been there for a day, and I met David’. So, when I came in for the interview, I wasn’t doing it as a nobody, David had already met me and helped inspire me to train to be a teacher. When I’d left on that first day I’d said ‘I hope I work for you one day’, and a year later I actually had a job here!

I think it’s got to be the annual Academic Festivals. They’ve only been running for three years, but they have certainly become the highlight of the post-exam summer calendar. The themes so far have been Japan, Space and – at the end of this term – Fashion (see page 19 for photos). It’s such a great day, with pupils completely off their regular timetable of lessons, but it’s still so scholarly and academic.

What were you like at school?

I absolutely loved school. When I was a primary school pupil I said, ‘I want to be a primary school teacher’, because I adored my primary school so much. I always wanted to sit at the front, I would always put my hand up and was determined to get 10/10 on the little arithmetic quizzes. Hard to believe, I know!

What has been your favourite thing that you’ve participated in as part of the Queen’s community?

The event that springs to mind is when I was part of the staff team that ran the Tough Mudder to raise money for the Bursary Appeal. That was really fun, seeing Mrs Shapiro being rescued from that ice bath is something I don’t think I’ll ever forget.

“[Tough Mudder] was really fun, seeing Mrs Shapiro being rescued from that ice bath is something I don’t think I’ll ever forget. ”

Jane Somerville (OQ 1944-50)

Did Queen’s prepare you for life after school?

You gain independence as a day pupil in a city. I travelled to school by bus, had to arrive on time, looking tidy and properly behaved.

There was always good pastoral care, which was one of the things I really liked about Queen’s. You knew if you had a problem there was always someone to go to.

I also learned the ability to communicate confidently and also to teach, to convey information. Whilst at school, my friend and I were asked to teach for three weeks when the Chemistry teacher left suddenly. The Biology and Physics teachers would check to see how we were getting on, but we didn’t have much supervision. I really liked teaching and thought the easiest way to understand a problem was if you had to explain it to someone else. This stood me in good stead for my medical career.

WRITTEN BY DERRY-ANNE HAMMOND

Jane Somerville, (OQ 1944-50) is a leading cardiologist and British emeritus professor of cardiology at Imperial College, London. She is best known for defining the concept and sub-specialty of adults with congenital heart disease (GUCH) and was one of the doctors involved in Britain’s first heart transplant in 1968. She was recently awarded the Mackenzie Medal, the highest honour conferred by the British Cardiovascular Society, by HRH The Princess Royal at St James’s Palace. Jane served as a member of the Council at Queen’s from 1967 to 2010 and the Somerville Hall is named after her.

What are your memories of Queen’s?

I enjoyed Queen’s very much. The teachers cared and were interested in the girls. In terms of specific memories, when I was in the Senior College we went to Box Hill for a week-long residential trip. We studied fungi by day and watched badgers by night. Botany was a main subject at Queen’s then and it has remained a lifelong interest of mine.

I was also evacuated with Queen’s during the war to Brackley in Northamptonshire, which was not a success for me as I was too young to go to boarding school. I was delighted when the College returned to London when I was ten years old!

Did you face obstacles applying to Medical School as a female student?

I trained at Guy’s in the 1950s when they had no time at all for female medical students. It was quite an obstacle just to get into Medical School. Then only 9% of applicants accepted were female, now it’s 62%. I didn’t really have any significant problems, although obviously I had to cope with sexist remarks.

Were there any barriers for a female doctor once you started applying for jobs?

I think you got the first job based on your academic record, although there were certainly employers that did not want females. I always thought we were being paid equally, but now I ask myself if that was really the case. Pay was just not a subject for discussion. I don’t remember any prejudice from patients; they were glad to see someone who cared.

You were a member of the Queen’s Council from 1967 until 2010. What changes took place during that time?

The College expanded. The curriculum developed and computers came in, that was a major change. Queen’s was very early in introducing computers and having a computer room. We also opened the Preparatory School while I was Chair of the Council.

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Leavers’ Dinner

This year’s departing II Seniors enjoyed a very special Leavers’ Dinner at the end of term! It was a wonderful event that celebrated their time at Queen’s. There were speeches from Arabella, our departing Senior Student, from Mr Tillett and from the Senior College team. Pupils were also given back letters that they had written to themselves at the end of their GCSEs! We are enormously proud of this cohort’s sense of community and appreciation of one another. We expect great things in the future from the Queen’s Class of 2023!