School Performance

A leading all-rounder

Having achieved a clean sweep of 11 A* grades at GCSE, Aashish Khimasia repeated the feat at A-level, with A* grades in Biology, Chemistry, History and Mathematics. An outstanding all-rounder, he avoids narrow specialism and has chosen his university studies accordingly, securing a place on University College London’s unusual Arts & Sciences degree course. “The focus is on inter-disciplinary education and on developing skills you can apply in the working world to the sort of big problems I have been interested in.” Recently, for example, his interests have focused on the study of consciousness – which requires understanding of neuroscience and philosophy – and animal rights matters, including cell-based meat – for which expertise in subjects including biology, psychology, economics and statistics are all helpful.

School Captain in 2018, Aashish enjoyed the challenge of the role, even in its demanding aspects, such as the weeks of preparation for the Founder’s Day Fete as well as oversight of teams of prefects responsible for setting up stalls on the day. Aashish, sang in the School Choir and Barbershop group, and played his flute in various ensembles, including the Concert Band. He credits the School for helping him progress with the instrument to achieve his post-grade 8 ARSM (Associate of the Royal Schools of Music) performance diploma.

“For me, the highlights of QE have been the experiences and memories that are created with friends and other people and the chance to do things you would not normally be able to do.”

A passion for education

John Tan will be heading to Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, to read Education after gaining straight A* grades in his Economics, Geography and Sociology A-levels. The course focuses on the field of technology and education, thus closely matching John’s own particular interests. Over the past two years, he has developed two web apps: CoverShr, creating a community of writers where they can share articles on subjects they are passionate about, and Edzuki, offering young people an opportunity to create an educational profile that is based on who they really are. In addition, he started a weekly lunchtime creative innovation class for younger boys at QE that encompassed business, technology, psychology and design.

John was involved in extra-curricular music, playing in the Lower School Jazz Band and Saxophone Group, while remaining a keen rugby player both in his younger years and into the Sixth Form.

And what lesson does this young educationalist draw from his own school career at QE? “If you put trust in people to make the right decisions for themselves and for other people, the community as a whole will grow.”

Making the most of opportunities

Binu Perera achieved A* grades in his four A-levels – Biology, Chemistry, Geography and Mathematics – thus securing his place to read Medicine at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. “Most people think that if you study Medicine, it’s a parental choice, but for me it wasn’t. I have wanted to become a doctor since I was eight or nine.”

His experiences offer a striking example of the great variety of opportunities available to boys at QE. A talented musician, playing the piano and oboe, he has conducted both the School Concert Band and his own wind ensemble. “Lots of my really good friends are through music, so hopefully I will be able to make friends the same way at university.” He was also a leading light in the School’s Combined Cadet Force. “I joined in the first place because most of my friends were joining, but then I started to enjoy the leadership, team-building and first aid – so much so, that I took a life-guarding course.” He has given his own time freely to help others: in addition to volunteering for two hours a week at Barnet Hospital, he threw himself into mentoring at the School, working with three or four younger boys over a four-year timespan. Last year, he was a Senior Vice Captain – a leading role in the prefect body. But undoubtedly the most unusual opportunity to come his way was the chance to attend last year’s royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. He was one of 1,200 members of the public invited to Windsor Castle for the day, based on nominations from the nine regional Lord Lieutenant offices. Binu was selected by Assistant Head David Ryan for the honour. “It was pretty amazing – I was really close to them.

“There are many opportunities at the School and I think it’s fair to say that I took most of the ones I had. What is really important is that after being given these opportunities, if you do choose to take them up, there is support to really take them as far as you can go with them.”

Reaching for the stars

Niam Vaishnav achieved four A* grades, easily beating the one A* and two As he needed to secure his place to read Mathematics and Computer Science at Keble College, Oxford. He has been at the School for seven years and has a younger brother, Kamran, who has just completed GCSEs at QE (“We have been trying to distract each other to stop us thinking about the results!”) “I have really enjoyed my time here; it’s been very stimulating and the amount of competition you find at the School has helped, not hindered, me. The things that really stick out are the trips.” For Niam, these have included a once-in-a-lifetime visit to Beijing last autumn to represent the UK at the International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad, where he won a silver medal. “It was great meeting 200 other students from all over the world who enjoyed Maths and Physics.”

He also explored a space theme in his Extended Project Qualification in Year 12, in which he took a detailed look at two simulations of the universe, winning a QE Senior Award for his work. A grade 8 pianist, Niam has been a member of the School Choir ever since Year 7 – “It’s a nice break from study.” He has also enjoyed clubs, including those for Mathematics and Physics, and mentoring younger pupils as he progressed up the School. He is still considering his future after his first degree: “I might go down the PhD route into research, or I might look at software development.”

Made for medicine

For Tharunkumar Muthu Gurunath, it’s all about people. Having devoted much of his spare time to serving others through a variety of charities, he had first thought about studying Chemistry at university, but then set his sights on Medicine: “I really enjoyed Chemistry as a subject, but realised that studying it further would largely involve research in a classroom, whereas Medicine was more connected with other people,” he explained. That is of a piece with his experiences volunteering with a riding school for the disabled, with Barnet Hospital and with his continuing voluntary work with Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice. “I really enjoy meeting a wide range of people from a wide range of backgrounds: it always feels good and of course that doesn’t happen if you are just sitting at home.” Tharun found taking part in the School’s mentoring scheme an enlightening experience: “Seeing how young children see a subject that you have learned and having to simplify it for them, you start to understand what teachers have to go through.” As captain of Underne House, he relished the experience of leading a team of his own and organising charity events, often fitting this work in while contending with tight deadlines for his studies.

At QE, Tharun set a good example not only in his devotion to service, but also in his studies. Requiring an A* and two As for his Medicine course at University College London, he in fact gained A* grades in all four of his A-level subjects (Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Geography), matching the A* he achieved last year in his Extended Project Qualification.

Going for gold

With his straight A* grades in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Further Mathematics in 2018 Showgo Kimura comfortably outstripped his university offer and takes up his place at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, to read Natural Sciences in autumn 2019. Since leaving QE he has been taking a gap year in Japan to work on his judo, a sport in which he is already a national champion. “I am looking at possibly Tokyo 2020 [Olympics], although that may be too soon – so definitely Paris 2024.”

At QE, Showgo’s sporting prowess was mainly seen in rugby – he was no. 9 in the First XV. “I really enjoyed the rugby: after school, after all the work, being able to relax and have fun.” He is also a talented musician who plays the violin and was part of both the School Symphony Orchestra and Camerata. Showgo highlighted the support the School, and particularly his Sixth Form tutor, gave him in preparing for university. This included help with his personal statement for his UCAS application and bringing in interviewers, including old boys of the School, to conduct mock interviews. He would eventually like to go into pharmaceutical research.

Bouncing back

Milan Shah bounced back from a disappointing performance in his History AS in 2017 to achieve straight A* grades in History, Art and English Literature in 2018, which was more than enough to confirm his place at University College London to read History. He recalls how QE’s teachers helped get his studies fully back on track: “I went through things with my form tutor and the head of department, looking at areas of weakness and learning different techniques to use for the questions. Actually, the support is not just for A-levels, but right from Year 7 there are clinics and lunchtime sessions where teachers offer one-to-one and group help.” Like several of this year’s A-level success stories, Milan is the first in his family to go to university.

Milan is a self-confessed “big fan” of 1920s America – its sport, politics and culture. He has enjoyed exploring this interest further not only through his History studies but also through English – F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was one of his set texts – and even through his Fine Art. His Year 13 project looked at both British and American politics, including the not-so-new notion of ‘fake news’, and featured collages and paintings, as well as a 7ft artwork that draws parallels between the Berlin Wall and President Donald Trump’s plan for a wall along the US-Mexico border.