Queen Elizabeth's School
The Elizabethan
NE WSLET TER TO PARENTS
AUTUMN 2018
HEIGHTS OF SUMMER: QE pupils continued to set new records at GCSE and A-level this year, consolidating a long record of unbroken success.
From the Headmaster Dear Parents,
Since then, external sources have further
that we encourage, train and nurture
confirmed and corroborated our success.
our pupils so that they can excel in our
This term began with Queen
First came a Government league table
increasingly interconnected world. This
Elizabeth’s School still in celebratory
showing QE as the country’s leading
term’s commemoration of the centenary
mood following our superlative
selective school in terms of the progress
of the 1918 Armistice stands, among other
results at both GCSE and A-level.
made up to the end of GCSEs. Then we
things, as a warning, a sobering reminder
New records were set in August, with
were crowned the top state school in the
of the potentially disastrous consequences
the number of GCSE examinations
influential Sunday Times Parent Power
of narrow nationalism. And whatever the
awarded the A* grade hitting 78%. At
survey.
outcome of the current turbulent period
A-level, we recorded our highest-ever
surrounding Brexit, Britain’s future leaders
total of A* grades, while 2018 was the
QE may perhaps with some justification
in society, commerce and academia will
13th consecutive year in which the
now lay claim to being considered the UK’s
need to be equipped to thrive both in
proportion of examinations awarded
leading state school. Precisely because
Europe and beyond.
A*–B grades – a commonly used
of that, it is important that our horizons
benchmark figure – has topped 95%.
as a school are broad and expansive, and
Major employers frequently lament the
SCHOOL OFFICIALS ANNOUNCED: 2019 School Captain Bhiramah Rammanohar is pictured, centre-front, with his senior team.
SUCCESSFUL FQE EVENTS: This team of Year 11 parents won the annual FQE quiz, while the Friends’ inaugural Christmas Fayre, with 30 stalls, proved highly popular.
dearth of readily employable graduates
Bilal Harry Khan (2003–2010), addressed
abroad. A sizeable group of our Year 12
who are globally-minded, cross-culturally
the sometimes-tricky areas of identity,
boys have been working this term with
competent, and, preferably, able to speak
masculinity and gender roles when they
our visiting interns from the University of
another language other than English.
visited this term, with Bilal speaking to
Connecticut and others as they prepare
To gain such a global perspective, boys
Year 11 and Anthony delivering a Sixth
to submit applications to US universities.
need to acquire ‘soft skills’ such as
Form assembly. Alongside and related to
Visits from recent leavers, such as Valavan
open-mindedness, the ability to listen
these areas, we recognise the importance
Ananthakumaraswamy (OE 2009-2016),
carefully to others, interest in other
of boys looking outwards in their
the first QE boy ever to be offered a place
cultures, adaptability and curiosity. All of
relationships, adopting habits of kindness,
at Stanford University, provide further
these attributes are in fact adumbrated
thoughtfulness and respect for others. By
inspiration.
in aspects of our mission, which, for
so doing, not only do boys establish better
example, enjoins the School to encourage “independence of thought” and to focus “the boys’ attention on their own development and aspirations, both at
“ broad and expansive horizons”
the School and beyond”.
relationships, but they also
Many of our QE families are already
stand to gain themselves.
international in the sense that it is very common for them to have connections,
For those seeking to learn how
family and otherwise, overseas. Boys
to operate effectively in a global
should embrace the opportunities that
environment, it is important,
this heritage affords. Foreign languages
too, that their relationships
are an asset for boys seeking to make
include some with people from other
their way in a global market, and that
walks of life and from other cultures. As
applies to community languages spoken
As part of our School Development Plan,
the centrespread of this newsletter shows,
in the home or wider family just as much
we are starting work on our Lower School
there are frequent opportunities for
as to foreign languages taught in the
curriculum, following the reforms of recent
boys to broaden their horizons through
classroom. I urge parents to encourage
years to GCSEs and A-levels, and taking
purposeful international travel. Whether
language proficiency at home and their
into consideration especially employability
these are sports tours or subject-related
sons’ language-learning at School. In
skills. A greater focus on such skills is
trips organised by academic departments,
addition, I ask parents to do whatever
also to the fore as we look at careers
such visits always
education in the School. Our USP Sixth
deepen intercultural
Form programme, with its use of MOOCs
understanding.
(Massive Open Online Courses), equips
Indeed, boys
boys in this way.
who gain the opportunity to
“ globally minded, cross-culturally competent”
they can to instil in their children an appreciation and understanding of the wider world. It is helpful, in particular,
It is tremendously important that boys
mingle with equally
develop and maintain a broad outlook
accomplished young people from
our efforts to introduce our boys to global
alongside their achievement of very strong
other countries and cultures when they
issues and concepts by making time for
academic results if they are to thrive. One
reach the latter stages of prestigious
such conversation at home.
foundation of such a holistic approach is
international competitions often report
that boys begin reflecting upon their own
that they found this aspect to have been
I wish all our families a Merry Christmas
lives and attitudes as they start finding
the highlight of their adventure.
and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.
poet Anthony Anaxagorou (1994–1999)
For our senior boys, we are encouraging
Neil Enright, Headmaster
and social entrepreneur and podcaster
the increasing aspiration of many to study
if they can support
their place in the world. Two of our alumni,
Powerhouse! QE’s academic performance recognised Queen Elizabeth’s School’s position at the top of two authoritative league tables has demonstrated the outstanding nature of the education it delivers for boys from Year 7 all the way through to Year 13. Earlier this term, a Government league table revealed that QE is the top selective school in England when measured against the Department for Education’s Progress 8 figure, which records progress
“ Once more unto the breach...” once more!
between the end of Key Stage 2 (the last
QE boys took on Henry V for their Shakespeare Schools Foundation performance for the second consecutive year – but for the first time, their production was in partnership with Rough Magicke. This drama school prepared and directed the large cast of QE boys, with Rahil Shah, of Year 13, taking the title role at the ArtsDepot in Finchley.
15th out of the 6,530 schools and colleges
English teacher and Extra-Curricular Enrichment Tutor Micah King said: “A particularly moving moment was the battle scene between the English and French troops, performed in an emotional and visually stunning way with most of the cast on stage. I thought the students were a real credit to the School.”
year of primary school) and GCSE results in Year 11. Its Progress 8 figure of 1.22 placed it ahead of any other grammar school and measured. Furthermore, QE comfortably outperformed all 14 schools above it when compared against two other Government measures, Attainment 8 and the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), both
Top table
of which are methods of recording pupils’
A QE team comprising Amogh Bhartia
More recently, QE was named the
and Heemy Kalam, of Year 9, Bikiran
country’s top state school in the Sunday
Behera, of Year 10, and Year 11’s Hari
Times Parent Power survey, overtaking
Gajendran has reached the national
the 2017 winners, The Henrietta Barnett
final of the prestigious Top of the Bench
School, to head the table comprising
chemistry competition after winning the
the 150 leading state schools. Widely
Chilterns and Middlesex Regional round.
read, the survey determined ranking
achievement in key GCSE subjects.
based on the percentage of examination Organised by The Royal Society of
entries gaining A* to B grades at A-level
Chemistry, the competition presents
this summer (which is given double
children with scientific challenges
weighting) and the percentage of entries
which take them beyond the confines
awarded A* and A grades at GCSE.
of the curriculum.
Going global: QE on the world stage Whether in academic visits, in the final stages of international competitions or in extra-curricular activities such as sports tours, Queen Elizabeth’s School pupils are increasingly making their mark around the world. The reports on these pages represent a snapshot of international activities in which QE boys have been involved in the second half of 2018.
TRANSATLANTIC TOURISTS: A QE touring party of senior rugby players spent a memorable 10 days in Canada. Read more on p8.
BERLIN TORONTO
NORMANDY
NEW YORK
POWER OF ATTORNEYS: A SixthForm team’s success in a UK mock trial competition took them to New York. See p7.
Putin and palaces Sixth-formers on a six-day History and Politics trip to St Petersburg and Moscow learned about Russian life from the era of the Tsars right up to the present day. The 30 boys deepened their understanding of a culture that is very different from the UK’s, gaining insight, for example, into the reasons
for President Putin’s evident popularity there. In St Petersburg, they were, said Head of History Helen MacGregor, “blown away by the beauty of the palaces,” while in Moscow, a varied programme included a visit to Lenin’s Mausoleum, a trip to an ice hockey stadium and a chance to sample traditional Russian fare, including borscht and cabbage soup.
ST PETERSBURG MOSCOW BEIJING
A week in Normandy
European debate
Boys enjoyed the chance to immerse themselves in French language and culture during a week at a Normandy château.
Five members of QE’s debating team qualified for the international round of the Berlin-based European Youth Parliament competition.
Fifty pupils, drawn mostly from the current Year 8 and with a smaller number of Year 13 boys, stayed at the Château de la Baudonnière, near Avranches. While the younger boys practised their conversation skills with native speakers and enjoyed team-building activities, the sixth-formers went on workexperience placements.
Ibrahim Al-Hariri, Aditya Ravindrakumar, Mipham Samten, Akshat Sharma, Anake Singh put in strong performances at the national session at Liverpool Hope University, engaging in formal debates that looked at the very diverse challenges facing Europe. They were all assigned to different European locations for the international leg.
Star quality of sixth-former shines in China Niam Vaishnav returned triumphant from Beijing, where he won one of the UK’s two silver medals at the International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad and cemented his position amongst the world’s foremost young astrophysicists. He relished meeting other young astronomers: “We had lots of fun learning about our different cultures and exchanging card games!”
From the archives: The
Old Elizabethans Association Dinner, then and now While the venue may have changed, a modern Elizabethan calling in on the Old Elizabethans Association Dinner in the early years of the 20th century would find much that was familiar. A recently discovered menu card, c1924, reveals a familiar format: in fact, the only significant difference is that the food is described in French, as was then common for formal dining. The association itself began life as a dining club in 1886, and there have been 123 recorded dinners, including those shown here – one just after the Boer War (c. 1902, pictured below), another also in the early 1900s (pictured middle right) and one
from 1930 (pictured top right). The fourth photograph (shown bottom right) shows this year’s dinner, which featured the customary speeches and timehonoured toasts, as well as opportunities to catch up with old classmates. There was a strong turnout from the ‘tenyear leavers’. Guest speaker Alan Ingham (OE 1987–1994) entertained with his recollections of School life during an era of great international uncertainty, recounting the confident prediction of one teacher that the Berlin Wall would not fall in his lifetime – just months before it did.
US politics red and blue Helping the homeless
Broughton battle through
A group of sixth-formers are
In a fiercely fought battle, Broughton
developing a new charity called
overcame Stapylton in the final of the
youthconnectionlondon to help
QIQE inter-House quiz. Both teams,
the homeless in the capital. Kieran
each comprising one boy each from
Dhrona, Humzah Hameed and
Years 7, 8, 9 and 10, had topped their
Kabishan Sivarasan, with a dozen
respective groups in the earlier round.
QE friends and some from other
The contest took the format of the BBC’s
schools, handed out packs of
University Challenge, with a starter-
essential non-perishable provisions.
for-ten, then three bonus questions.
Two former US congressmen from opposite sides of the political fence shared accounts of their time in the House of Representatives at a conference at the British Library. Visiting QE A-level Politics students benefitted from the insights of Republican Tom Petri and Democrat Martin Lancaster and from the expert analysis of leading academics at UK universities. The boys also enjoyed the opportunity to look around the British Library itself.
Going on to great things QE’s Careers Convention brought Year 11 boys and their parents together with a record number of volunteer advisers – many of them Old Elizabethans. Several visiting experts gave structured presentations, while on the main conference floor, delegates seized the opportunity to ask questions of volunteers. Representatives from more than 50 businesses and organisations attended. Separately, more than 300 sixth-formers
Sangani (OE 2005-2012) and Izzet Hassan
participated in a careers event at the
(also 2005-2012), as well as Civil Service
School attended by representatives
economist Andrei Sandu (OE 2007-2014).
of some of the largest employers and professional associations. Among
Evidence of the School’s success in
the ‘hot’ topics were new graduate
providing high-calibre careers education
apprenticeships that allow students
emerged in a national survey conducted
to earn and gain practical experience
by recruitment consultancy Rare, which
while they study.
found that more boys from QE apply to graduate recruitment programmes
Alumni continue to support QE by giving
run by blue-chip law, finance and
careers talks. This term’s included lawyers
management firms than from any
Samir Manek (OE 2001–2008), Suraj
other state boys’ school.
Young lawyers head stateside Seven sixth-formers became the
Riseborough reports that the
first-ever QE team to take part in
judges praised the QE boys on
the Empire Mock Trial competition
“their knowledge and grip on the
in New York, after qualifying through
procedures of the US court format”.
the UK Bar Mock Trial finals. Team member Mipham Samten Although not among the overall
said afterwards: “We felt we
winners, the team achieved close
represented what Britain has to
results against the four schools
offer on the world stage: Confident,
they faced and won their final case.
capable individuals with open minds
Academic Enrichment Tutor Lucy
and buckets of enthusiasm.”
Different perspectives Two visiting speakers gave boys the opportunity to consider Brexit from opposite sides of the media fence. Firstly, Finchley and Golders Green MP and former QE governor Mike Freer told sixth-formers that media reports about divisions within the Conservative Party over the Brexit negotiations were well wide of the mark. But Mark D’Arcy, the BBC’s Parliamentary Correspondent, gave a journalist’s perspective during his separate talk to the Politics Society. Politics had not been “normal” over the last two years: “It is unusual that you have Cabinet ministers threatening to resign, or actually resigning, almost daily.” Mr Freer described an MP’s job, explaining that it is to scrutinise the law, not to make it. However, he outlined how MPs can achieve a change in the law through lobbying, building consensus, and trying to amend legislation as it progresses through Parliament. Mr D’Arcy added that politics is currently split into Brexit and ‘everything else’, including all the usual big issues such as the NHS, housing and education.
International camaraderie
The show must go on
QE’s first-ever rugby tour to Canada not
The first concert of the academic
only offered the experience of a different
year featured many of QE’s younger
culture but also had a positive effect on
musicians, with a dozen ensembles
senior rugby back home, reports Head of
taking part. Showcasing the breadth
Rugby James Clarke.
and depth of talent especially in the Lower School, it especially featured
During the ten-day visit, the 19 senior
music from the world of show business.
players took on several leading youth rugby sides, losing two matches and
Hits from The Greatest Showman
winning one, and enjoying the post-
were performed alongside the Queen
match camaraderie. They also visited
song borrowed for the concert’s title,
Niagara Falls and the theme park,
The Show Must Go On. There was great
Canada’s Wonderland.
diversity, too, with the programme including both Mozart’s Eine Kleine
Thanking QE’s Canadian hosts for their
Nachtmusik, played by the Flute
hospitality, Mr Clarke reflected that the
Ensemble, and Paapanaasam Shivan’s
trip had been especially beneficial in
Singara Velavan, performed by the
enabling the tourists to ‘gel’ as a squad.
Junior Indian Ensemble.
Lest we forget Service and sacrifice informed the special remembrance assembly held at the School to mark the centenary of the Armistice in 1918. All boys from Years 7–10, together with staff and many senior pupils, took part in the ceremony, which featured music, poetry and a procession by the Combined Cadet Force. The Headmaster, Neil Enright, read aloud the names of the 48 Old Elizabethans killed during World War I, whilst the names of the 65 who died in World War II were projected on to a screen. The two-minute silence at 11 o’clock was heralded by six of QE’s senior trumpeters sounding the Last Post.
Year 12 historians had a special tour of the Imperial War Museum’s World War I centenary exhibition, courtesy of alumnus Ian Kikuchi. Dr Kikuchi (OE 1997-2004) curated the exhibition and answered questions both about the war and about the logistics of curating major exhibitions.
Stars of the future Joshua John and Andreas Angelopoulos, of Year 7, made significant contributions to the School’s achievement in finishing fourth at the 2018 Millfield International Schools’ Chess Tournament. After performing strongly in the two qualifying rounds, the QE team were selected for a place in the Championship section as one of the top six teams.
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