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Jin-Min Juan is now working as a doctor at Northwick Park Hospital after graduating from Cambridge this summer.

Jin, who left QE with four straight A* grades at A-level in 2011, excelled in his university research work into the mind, winning one of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ valuable Pathfinder Fellowship and presenting his work at several international conferences.

He says: “Nothing quite prepares you for the jump between secondary school and university, but, notwithstanding some very intense periods of pressure, it was all well worth it in the end.

“I had a great six years at Cambridge, and particularly enjoyed the company of the tight-knit community at Robinson College. I met a fantastic range of people, and made some very good friends in both the college and later at the clinical school. I am particularly thankful to my pre-clinical Director of Studies, Dr Andrew Sharkey, for his belief in me and also his unwavering support.”

Jin joined Northwick Park in August as the most junior (‘Foundation Year 1’) doctor in his team. “Working as a doctor has itself been another steep jump from university. I have had some very good moments with patients and members of the team, tempered by moments of acute stress and uncertainty. But overall it has been a great and humbling experience, packed (perhaps surprisingly) with lots of laughter and hilarity. After six years in Cambridge, it is nice to be back in London!”

Reflecting on his life and career to date, Jin acknowledges the huge influence of his past experience, not least his “fond memories of my time at QE”. In the summer of 2011, The Times featured a large photograph of Jin and his twin brother, Jin-Xi, together with another set of QE twins, Anup and Amit Desai, to illustrate an article about the School’s excellent A-level results.

He remains “extremely grateful” to his QE teachers and recently contacted his old form tutor, Mathematics teacher Victor Vigneswaran, to update him on his career.

“I am still in touch with friends from QE, and had a fabulous reunion recently at Zuhayr Sheikh’s wedding,” he adds.

After becoming interested in the mind, Jin did his Part II (intercalated degree) in Experimental Psychology. “In my final year, I worked with Professor John O’Brien and Dr Annabel Price on a novel research project using anonymised electronic case records to identify differences between the survival of patients with two different types of dementia: dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer’s dementia. I was selected for an oral presentation of this research at the International Congress of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and the research paper has just been accepted for publication in the BMJ Open journal.

Last year’s award of one of just ten national Pathfinder Fellowships, worth up to £5,000 over three years, was in recognition of his research and academic work. “This has helped immensely in furthering my academic pursuits,” he says.

“Whilst exploring my clinical interests I have found psychiatry and geriatric medicine alluring, and my research in dementia has combined the two. In the future, I hope to pursue a career in a medical specialty that closely involves both mental and physical health.”

Jin is pictured here, at his graduation in Cambridge, presenting research at a conference and on his first day as a doctor.

Old Elizabethan George ‘the Poet’ Mpanga was among the commentators turned to by the BBC for an insider’s perspective following the announcement of the royal engagement.

George is an ambassador for Sentebale, one of Prince Harry’s charitable foundations, which supports the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people affected by HIV in Lesotho and Botswana. Having observed the prince’s work there at first hand, he was interviewed for a primetime BBC1 documentary about the engagement, fronted by Kirsty Young.

“I have seen the kids react when Harry is around – they really take to him. Harry seems to have a way with the kids, man!” said George, who stated that the importance of the charity lies in the fact that there is still a stigma surrounding HIV.

Prince Harry’s motivation for being involved was clear, George added. “He cares. It bothers him that some people are just dealt a raw hand, and it’s important for people to know that someone in his position has that empathy.”

George (OE 2002–2009) has a growing national profile as a poet commenting on major issues of the day. Earlier this year, he released a video showing himself reading a poem on hate crime. The video was produced in collaboration with the Equality and Human Rights Commission to coincide with the anniversary of the murder of MP Jo Cox. He also performed in front of the Queen and Prime Minister Theresa May at the Service of Celebration for Commonwealth Day in Westminster Abbey.

During the documentary, George spoke out about the fact that the ethnic background of Meghan Markle has attracted comment in some quarters: “Why should it be controversial that someone is mixed-race? What’s the issue?”

He even had his own tongue-in-cheek assessment of the prince’s fiancée: “I perceive Meghan to be an amazing talent – you know, she’s a catch!”

George was a well-received guest speaker at QE’s Year 12 formal Luncheon, as well as leading a poetry workshop for the whole of Year 9.

It is with regret that the Association announces the death of David Pardoe (1942-52) on 27 October 2017.

QE’s musicians sounded the start of the School’s festive countdown in grand and seasonal style with the 2017 Christmas Concert.

Governors and other VIP guests joined parents and staff flocking to the Shearly Hall, where the School’s choirs led the audience in favourite carols and QE’s leading instrumental ensembles performed an eclectic selection ranging from Handel to Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “It was a wonderful concert, demonstrating once again the strength and depth of participation in Music at QE.

“The tenors and basses of the School Choir – now outnumbering altos and trebles for the first time – brought a real richness of sound with their performances of Barbara Ann (made famous by the Beach Boys) and the traditional Sinner Man, arranged by Roger Emerson.

“The Saxophone Ensemble’s excerpt from West Side Story and their rendition of Jingle Bells were of particularly high quality, while the Symphonic Winds (a new name for the former Concert Band) produced another highlight, their Selections from Home Alone evoking memories of what has become a Christmas film classic.

“It was fitting that this enjoyable evening was punctuated by the presentation of Senior and Junior colours to boys for their commitment and excellence,” the Headmaster added.

Director of Music Cheryl Horne and her colleagues directed most of the larger ensembles, while some other performances were pupil-led – the Senior Indian Ensemble, the Wind Quartet and the Barbershop group. The String Camerata is led by recent old boy Simon Purdy (2009–2016).

Composers featured during the concert included:

• • J S Bach – the Sinfonia’s Arioso from Cantata BWV 156

• • Madhurai Mani Iyer – the Senior Indian Ensemble’s Vilayaadum Pillaikal (The Joyful Children)

• • Irving Berlin – White Christmas, sung by the Barbershop group

• • J Iveson – whose arrangement of Christmas songs, entitled Christmas Crackers, was performed by the Brass Ensemble.

Among the distinguished guests were Cllr Wendy Prentice, representing the Mayor of the London Borough of Barnet, who was accompanied by Cllr Bridget Perry. Both are councillors for the High Barnet ward in which the School is situated.

The concert was held in association with the Rotary Club of Barnet, with which the School has enjoyed links for many years. The printed programme opened with a note of welcome from Brian Coleman, Old Elizabethan (1972–1979) and President of the Barnet Rotary Club.

A team of senior QE boys have reached the national finals of a competition that involves mock criminal trials in a crown court in front of real judges.

The QE team performed strongly in three initial rounds at the regional finals of the Bar Mock Trial Competition, before emerging victorious from the final round, where they were pitted against the day’s other best-performing school, the Reach Academy.

After seeing off all 11 of the other shortlisted London state schools at the regional event at the Inner London Crown Court, they will now compete in the national finals at Cardiff Crown Court in March 2018.

English teacher Lucy Riseborough said: “The boys did extremely well and the judges commented on how well the ‘barristers’ in our cases performed.”

Each team comprised not only pupils playing the part of barristers, but also others needed to create a realistic court scene, from witnesses and jurors to court reporters and ushers.

The QE contingent prepared two different cases in the run-up to the event. One was a theft and fraud case involving a carer accused of stealing £1,320 from the man she was looking after. She used to do his shopping and claimed that she had accidentally taken his bank card home and had left it in a safe place. Since she lived with five other people, she argued that one of them could have accessed the card.

The second involved a charge of grievous bodily harm: a couple had an argument and the defendant broke his partner’s tibia. However, he claimed she threatened him with a knife and that he was acting in self-defence.

Teacher Tom Jack reported that the boys not only performed well, but also improved through each round, with third-round barristers Laurie Mathias and Mipham Samten learning from the judge’s feedback from the second round, when the QE barristers, Anake Singh and Saifullah Shah, had successfully prosecuted the same defendant.

“The two barristers therefore restricted their questioning to crucial facts, meaning that their closing argument was a mystery to the opposition until the very last moment. Confident performances from the witnesses for the defence (Hector Cooper and Viraj Mehta) put the prosecuting barristers under pressure, leading them to halt their questioning earlier than planned. By the time the jury retired, the result was just a formality; they found the defendant innocent on both charges.”

Having done so well in the three rounds, the boys knew they had a good chance of reaching the final, but were nevertheless excited and proud when this was confirmed.

“This achievement afforded the boys the opportunity to prosecute a case inside one of the main courtrooms, an experience nerve-wracking and enriching in equal measure.” The final round brought intense questioning on both sides and “a tangible impression of strategising from the respective barristers”, said Mr Jack, who teaches Music. “During the exchanges, the QE boys had to contend with one defence witness who clearly had the potential to intimidate the opposition and throw them off their game with her lengthy and convoluted responses. However, after neatly extracting the responses required from the ‘difficult customer’, Saifullah Shah’s closing statement tied up the various strands of the prosecution’s argument, leaving the jury to retire with a difficult decision.

“Although they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict, a majority decision narrowly found the defendant guilty, but the boys still needed the marks to go in their favour to claim a deserved victory. After deliberating for a good ten minutes, the judge returned with the news that the QE team had triumphed!”

The Bar Mock Trial Competition, which is open to young people aged 15-18, aims to give pupils insights into the justice system and encourages the development of skills such as logical reasoning, clear communication and teamwork. Now in its 26th year, the competition is run by the Citizenship Foundation and supported by the Bar Council of England and Wales, the Faculty of Advocates, the Bar Library of Northern Ireland, HM Courts & Tribunal Service, the Circuits and the Inns of Court.

The QE participants were as follows:

Barristers
Laurie Mathias, Year 12
Mipham Samten, Year 12
Saifullah Shah, Year 11
Anake Singh, Year 12

Jury
Alex Beard, Year 11
Nathan Chu, Year 12
Shivam Masrani, Year 12
Benjamin Suen, Year 12
Sajan Suganth, Year 11

Witnesses
Hector Cooper, Year 11
Kieran Dhrona, Year 11
Haider Jabir, Year 11
Viraj Mehta, Year 11

Court Clerk
Rivu Chowdhury, Year 11

Usher
Akram Ahmad, Year 11