From a famous national chess win to a glittering cricket season, it’s been a term to savour

This has been an exceptionally full Summer Term. In addition to regular calendar fixtures, our Open Day, and public examinations, we received our first full inspection from Ofsted since May 2022: the results will be published in September. Significant steps forward in our estates strategy have been keeping us busy, with contractors on site and extensive consultations taking place about future plans. Furthermore, the boys have been fully occupied in an extraordinary breadth of co-curricular activities.

The £2.3m Main Building project is now in its final stages. What a treat it has been to see our signature building looking so smart now that the scaffolding has been removed! The complete refurbishment of the entire Biology department is under way. Installation of a mechanical climate control system in the Fern Building should make it more comfortable summer and winter.

As well as helping us maintain a superb academic learning environment here, improvements to our facilities also enhance co-curricular opportunities, and we are certainly seeing the fruits of our investments. Opened only last year, The Robert Dudley Studio was hugely appreciated by those putting on the 2026 School Play, The Father and the Assassin. Similarly, our robotics suite played its part in helping multiple QE teams compete again in the VEX Robotics World Championships, this year in St Louis, Missouri. Our chess players made history, becoming only the second state school to win the English Schools Chess Championship in the competition’s 40-year history. The Chamber Choir continued its recent history of singing Evensong at the country’s most iconic churches: this term, it was Christ Church, Oxford, where Oxford choral scholars Arjun Patel (OE 2017–2024) and Nikhil Mark (OE 2018–2025) joined them in the choir stalls. It has been a vintage season for our cricketers. The Cricket Celebration on Stapylton Field was a memorable occasion, with international cricketer Tymal Mills a very popular guest. On the field, the U13s became Middlesex County Champions, while the U15s, as well as reaching the final of their own county cup, have enjoyed a stunning run in the Knight-Stokes Cup – a new national competition for state schools. Their semi-final is being played today, with the mouthwatering prospect of playing at Lord’s in the September final if they win.

As we see young Elizabethans performing well in so many fields, it motivates us to upgrade still further. Our proposals for a new Sports Hall demonstrate the commitment given in the Boundless School Plan to the creation of new, high-quality facilities. With cricket and Fives both thriving here, these proposals, if successful, will see the creation both of indoor cricket nets and of ECB-compliant outdoor nets on Third Field, as well as no fewer than six Eton Fives courts. Please do take a moment to visit our dedicated web section and then submit your own message of support as part of the planning process.

The Sports Hall plans were unveiled during the afternoon of Founder’s Day. I was glad to see alumni there enjoying the afternoon and, earlier, to welcome Promit Anwar-Westander (OE 2002–2009) as our thanksgiving service guest speaker. During the service, I presented replicas of the First Great Seal of our founder, Queen Elizabeth I, to Mr Dan Clark and Dr Craig Cook, respective Founding Principals of QE Dubai Sports City and QE Gurugram, in India. Over the half-term holiday, I had the privilege of visiting both schools and witnessing the preparations for their opening.

I have also been out and about much closer to home, spending time with pupils in their activities beyond the classroom. It is always a pleasure: our boys are simply excellent company. The outgoing Year 13 are no exception, and their Valediction was an enjoyable afternoon – you can access the photos below – with the guest of honour Lord Karan Bilimoria (founder of Cobra beer) giving an entertaining address. I welcome the leavers to the ranks of the QE alumni.

I also welcome to a new role an illustrious alumnus of a very different generation, Roy Beavis OBE (OE 1969–1976). He succeeds former Second Master and current Governor Eric Houston as President of The Old Elizabethans Association. Although distinct from the School’s own work with our alumni, the association has a long and distinguished history of supporting former pupils. I thank Eric for his unstinting service in the role. He remains President of the Forty Society.

Our old boys continue to support and inspire current pupils. In an interactive workshop, entrepreneur Leon Zadeh (OE 1996–2003) drew on his experience of building Saint Espresso into a successful artisan coffee business over 15 years when he visited us. When Year 12 geographers went to UCL’s Department for Risk and Disaster Reduction, our own Hamza Mohamed (OE 2018–2025), who has recently completed his first year studying Medicine at UCL, was on hand to offer them the benefit of his own experience. US sports scholar Jonathan Collier (OE 2006–2013), who first represented England in 2023 at the Antrim Coast Half Marathon, featured recently in the OE Spotlight slot in our Sports Bulletin. Jonathan returns to QE in September this year as a trainee History teacher. In the final days of term, Daniel Garsin (OE 1999–2006; 2005 School Captain), an international business consultant who helps clients harness innovation in areas such as AI, has enhanced Junior Awards as our guest speaker.

I wish all our alumni an enjoyable summer.

Neil Enright

Headmaster

A perfect summer’s evening on Stapylton Field

More than 20 alumni turned out for the 3rd Annual Old Elizabethans Cricket Match, including those from as far back as the Class of 2003. The teams for the fixture were captained by Chris Deane (OE 2010–2017) and Bavan Gunaseelan (OE 2016–2023). Bavan’s side posted 114 from 20 overs, thanks largely to his unbeaten 30. Chris’s team then recovered from a slow start to record a convincing victory, Omar Mohamed (OE 2010–2017) leading the chase with an excellent 30*. Director of Sport Jonathan Hart says: “It was fantastic to welcome so many ex-pupils back here: what a great evening of cricket and of reconnecting with our alumni! My thanks go to everyone who played.” Bavan is taking on the organisation of next year’s fixture: any OEs interested in playing should get in touch.

No guarantees: helping the next generation in an unpredictable world

Rahil Shah (OE 2012–2019) and Bhiramah Rammanohar (OE 2013–2020) led a new aspect of the QE Futures programme – a special induction workshop for those joining the Sixth Form this September. Under the title Preparing for an Uncertain Future, the pair encouraged the soon-to-be Year 12s to reflect on their strengths, embrace new experiences, and develop confidence in making decisions without clear-cut answers. A highlight was a collaborative problem-solving challenge, where participants tackled a complex graduate recruitment task, discovering that there is no ‘right’ pathway forward in the ever-changing world of work.

OE Annual Reunion Dinner 2026: save the date!

Make sure you don’t miss the dinner by saving the date now: Friday 20th November. Last year’s saw a strong turn-out both from the Class of 2015 and the Forty Society – a happy evening when alumni caught up with old friends and also relaxed together with those of different generations. Tickets will go on sale in early September, available through the FQE online shop.

Help us maintain our golden university record

With well over two-thirds of QE’s 2026 leavers holding offers from a university in the QE World Top Ten (from Harvard, Imperial, Oxford, Cambridge, and UCL), the success of the School’s application programme is clear – but there is never room for complacency! Robert Hyland, new lead for QE Futures, is appealing for more OEs to conduct mock interviews: “We’ve been very encouraged by all the alumni who have signed up so far – thank you – but we would still like to hear from others.” Highly competitive courses – such as Medicine, Economics, Mathematics and Engineering – predominate again among leavers’ offers this year, while there are also offers for prestigious Art and Music degrees. “It’s an enviable record which we are keen to maintain, so please do help by signing up to give mock interviews in the new academic year,” said Dr Hyland, who is promoted from Head of English to become Assistant Head (Destinations & Progress).

QE pupil, teacher – and now OE Association President

Roy Beavis joined QE in 1969 in one of the last grammar-school intakes before it became a comprehensive. (The School reverted to selective admissions in 1994). “For two years, I was lost and fearful every day, feeling totally out of my depth…Then I found rugby and for the rest of my time at school was given huge leeway in the classroom as prowess in sport had currency.” After leaving, he worked as a teacher, returning to Queen’s Road for a year as a PE teacher, spending 1981–1982 working for then-Head of Games, Dave Maughan. He then went to Sandhurst and pursued a 26-year military career, seeing active service in all the well-known conflicts of that time. After leaving the army, he became a business consultant for 13 years, securing contracts with clients including London 2012 and several large oil and gas projects around the world.

Now retired and living in Wiltshire with his wife, Judith, Roy is positive about the QE of today: “The grammar school values that we all remember so fondly are still there and reinforced with this generation. Current QE pupils are polite, engaging, humble, moral, honest, forthright and opinionated, all in a good way. ‘No 1 State School’ in the country again! Who isn’t proud of that?” As to his new role, he says: “I see myself encouraging ex-pupils to at least retain a link with the association, even if active participation is not yet an option for them. Time may come, post-career and with grown-up families, that the bonds formed at school become a renewed focus.”

Supporting QE by giving

An increasing number of our alumni are supporting the School through financial giving: whether the gifts are large or small, we are deeply grateful for each and every one. As a state school, we need such support in order to continue offering life-changing opportunities to bright boys, regardless of background. To make a one-off or regular gift, click the button below. If you would like to sponsor an extra-curricular activity for current pupils, are interested in remembering QE in your will, or have any other questions about giving, our Development Office will be glad to help.

Act now on AGI – before it is too late, Demis warns

The world should do more to prepare for the arrival of highly powerful artificial general intelligence (AGI) before it is too late, Nobel laureate Sir Demis Hassabis (OE 1988–1990) warned this week. In a short essay posted on Tuesday, the co-founder of Google DeepMind said that there is a “precious window” in which to act before AGI is ready, and it may be a short one. “We've already seen the challenges frontier models pose for cybersecurity, and other threats including nuclear and bio risks may soon emerge as capabilities continue to advance,” he wrote. He proposed a US-led coalition that would review the most advanced models to ensure their safety before public release. His comments follow recent steps taken by the Trump administration to limit the release of AI models by OpenAI and Anthropic.

Investiture of Old Elizabethan economist as President of American university

Internationally respected economist Dr Sandeep Mazumder has been formally inaugurated as the ninth President of Georgia’s Berry College. Sandeep (OE 1993–2000), who frequently gives his time online to support Economics at QE, was welcomed by representatives of the college’s Board of Trustees, by faculty, by current students, and by alumni in a special ceremony.

Jay’s multi-million dollar rights deal

Video episodes of Jay Shetty’s hugely popular interview podcast, On Purpose, are exclusively available on Spotify and Podcast from this month. The switch from YouTube follows an unusual joint-exclusive deal with the two streaming companies, which reportedly paid around $100 million for the multi-year rights. Audio-only versions of the podcast continue to be available on other platforms. Jay (OE 1999–2006), who supported the opening of QE’s new Robert Dudley Studio for the spoken word, launched On Purpose in 2019. Earlier this year, he announced that his new production company, Perfect Strangers Media, was moving into TV and film and had closed deals on two series with Netflix.

Mustafa wins international award

Mustafa Sarkar (OE 1997–2004) has won the 2026 Association for Applied Sport Psychology’s Distinguished International Scientist-Practitioner Award. He is only the fifth UK recipient of the award since it was launched in 1996 and will be presented with it at the AASP’s annual conference in Minneapolis in October. Mustafa is Associate Professor of Sport and Performance Psychology at Nottingham Trent University.

And finally…

We trust you have enjoyed reading this edition of the QE Connect e-magazine produced by QE for all our old boys. What next? Well, if you haven’t already discovered QE Connect, our online social and business network, why not take a look.