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A Year 12 athlete is celebrating his best season so far after picking up gold and silver medals at championships this year.

John Otugade competed in the 100m at the English Schools Athletics Championship in Newcastle in July and picked up an individual silver medal. He was then selected for the England U17 team which competed in the Schools’ International Athletics Board Championships in Cardiff, where he won gold in the 4x100m relay and came fourth in the individual 100m.

“John had an amazing season,” said his mother Ms Adewale. “In addition to his gold and silver medals he also set a new personal best of 10.87 seconds; we’re very proud of his achievements.”

Ten Year 13 QE pupils took part in a four-day European Youth Parliament event in Durham.

Led by the School’s teacher in charge of debating, Nisha Mayer, the boys engaged in team-building exercises, committee resolution writing and a European Youth Parliament forum.

“All of the boys delivered excellent speeches to students from 14 other schools on EU relations with Arab nations and on the future of nuclear power," said Mrs. Mayer. "Ali Shalchi, Krishan Shah and David Alam in particular (pictured on the left, with team member Ryan Murphy) delivered memorable speeches on their chosen topics. The team thoroughly enjoyed the experience and plan on continuing their involvement in EYP."

The school considered by the judges to have performed best went through to a European event. “It was more a collaborative than a competitive event, although we were given general feedback and an indication from the judges of roughly where we were placed, which was fourth,” Mrs Mayer added.

Queen Elizabeth’s School has maintained its position as the country’s top boys’ state school in the Sunday Times’ 21st annual Parent Power schools guide.

QE was second overall, with a girls’ school, The Henrietta Barnett School in Hampstead, taking first place. The primary measure used in compiling the tables was the proportion of A-level grades at A*-B. HBS, on 98.4%, was closely followed by QE on 97.7%, with third-placed Wilson’s School in Wallington further behind on 93.0%.

The table also recorded the percentage of A* and A grades at GCSE. Here, QE’s 90.1% was marginally ahead of HBS (90.0%).

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “This summer’s examination results at both A-level and GCSE were very strong indeed and represent a tribute to the sustained hard work of our students and also to the dedication and expertise of our staff. It is gratifying to see those efforts recognised nationally.”

QE’s success in the Parent Power table is the latest in a number of recent national accolades for the School. In March this year, it was ranked as the top state school in the Financial Times’ top 1,000 schools table. The FT’s is the most demanding of all league tables as it measures the schools’ performance in difficult “core” academic subjects.

During the summer, research published by the Sutton Trust revealed that Queen Elizabeth’s sends a greater proportion of its students to Oxford or Cambridge than any other state school in England. The research also found that, in terms of placing students at the country’s leading 30 universities, QE is the top state school. In fact, it is the only state school among the top 37 schools nationwide, sending 87% of its pupils to the most selective universities.

QE has been awarded the Geographical Association’s Secondary Geography Quality Mark (SGQM). The Award reflects the high standard of teaching and learning in Geography at the School as well as effective leadership and management in the subject.

“I am very pleased that we have achieved the Quality Mark,” said Headmaster Neil Enright, who is himself a geographer. “Geography is a very popular subject at QE and each year many boys achieve top grades at both GCSE and A-level. The Award reflects the quality of leadership of our Head of Geography, Anne Macdonald (also one of the School’s Assistant Heads), the commitment of the teachers and the enthusiasm and hard work of our boys.”

The Geography Department underwent a rigorous moderation process to gain the Mark. It involved the completion of a self-evaluation exercise to identify areas for development and improvement, before external assessment. The Quality Mark is valid for three years.

The Quality Mark will be officially awarded at the Geographical Association’s Awards Ceremony at the University of Manchester in April 2012.

The School’s Combined Cadet Force is celebrating after a successful biennial inspection.

The Reviewing Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Alan Cliffe, of the Royal Engineers, commended the cadets’ “exceptional personal standards” and the unit’s “cohesion and enthusiasm”. He concluded his report: “Queen Elizabeth’s School is a first-class example of how cadet units can produce first-class young men. With co-ordinated support, I am certain that the unit will continue to flourish.”

The unit’s Captain, Mev Armon, who also teaches Biology at the School, was singled out for praise for “his inspiring personal leadership style and sacrifice, which, together with the School ethos, sees the cadets being given responsibility and developing very good leadership and military skills”.

Headmaster Neil Enright has welcomed the inspection report: “Many boys are involved in the Cadet Force; more than 120 were on parade for the inspection alone. It is very unusual to have such a strong CCF in a state school and it is gratifying to receive such a commendation from the assessor.”

The report was ratified by Army HQ Cadet Staff who wrote: “In terms of motivation, strength and in many other respects this is an excellent contingent, as evidenced by their enthusiasm and numbers.”