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A recent visit by a team of boys who have qualified for the final of a courts competition gave them valuable insights into the life of a lawyer.

The 15-strong team of Year 11 and 12 pupils, who have progressed through three qualifying rounds of the Bar Mock Trial Competition, visited the Supreme Court in Parliament Square, where they had a tour and discussed some key cases. They were asked how they would have decided them. The boys then sat at the back of Court 2 and listened to part of a case regarding a disagreement between a solicitors’ firm and an insurance company.

Head of Philosophy, Religion & Society, Jack Robertson said: “The boys were impressed by the formality and ceremony, especially the way the barristers had to address the judge; but they were also surprised at how straightforward the language of the barristers was; they were very clear and easy to understand.”

In addition, the group enjoyed a look around the Royal Courts of Justice in Fleet Street, before walking through Middle Temple, one of the Inns of Court, and a potential future workplace for those considering a career as a barrister. The boys were able to watch part of a second case, where a man was accused of possession of cannabis with intent to supply.

“The boys found the experience inspiring and it undoubtedly gave them an excellent understanding of life as a barrister or solicitor,” said Mr Robertson. “They were able to watch skilled barristers and judges at work, and get a feel for the locations and buildings this work takes place in. There is no doubt it will help them when they participate in the final of the mock trial competition in Cardiff next month.”

It is with regret that the Association announces the death of David Shirley on 10th February 2018.

Traditional African methods of story-telling and linguistic style were to the fore in this year’s visit to Year 7 pupils by the Iroko Theatre Company, while for the boys themselves the highlights included the chance to try out massed drumming.

The company uses music, dance and oral traditions to educate people about African culture. The visit to QE supported the boys’ Expressions of Spirituality module – part of the Year 7 Philosophy, Religion & Society (PRS) course of study. The interactive sessions included discussion of how music and stories can be mediums through which spirituality can find expression.

Head of PRS, Jack Robertson, said: “The boys had a thoroughly enjoyable and significant time. They particularly enjoyed the djembes and other African drums; they were surprised at the extent to which they could harmonise when 40 of them were drumming at the same time.”

The name of the company itself comes from a tree. Founder Alex Oma-Pius says: “The roots of the Iroko tree go deep into the soil of Africa. The tree stands tall and strong against the African sky. Our sculpture, our architecture, our masks and our drums come from this tree and are permeated by its spirit. Through the Iroko tree, our culture is rooted in the soil of our land and from these roots it derives its strength. IROKO Theatre Company was formed primarily to nurture and uphold this culture.”

The company presents traditional African myths and legends, exploring the exploits of various characters including Ananse, the spider, and Ijapa, the hare. Through this, boys acquired an understanding of the style of African narrative and story-telling, such as call-backs, as well as non-verbal communication techniques used in African theatre.

A QE team gave a strong performance in the second round of a prestigious debating competition, only narrowly missing out on a place in the regional final.

Mipham Samten and Akshat Sharma, both Year 12 pupils, received positive feedback from the English-Speaking Union adjudicators in the Schools’ Mace competition after proposing the motion: This House would allow upper-rate taxpayers to redirect a significant proportion of their taxes to charities of their choice.

In their debate at the event hosted by The St Marylebone CE School, the pair faced girls from Francis Holland School, Sloane Square – the independent school which eventually went on to the West London Regional Final.

Academic Enrichment Tutor and Geography teacher Helen Davies said: “The boys debated very strongly, but unfortunately only one of the six participating teams was able to progress to the next stage.”

The ESU Schools’ Mace is the oldest and largest debating competition for schools in England.

In detailed feedback, the judges said that Akshat had “excellent expression and delivery and had been able to bring in humour – difficult in an economic debate”. They also praised Mipham, saying that he had done well, particularly since he was a deputy, in using “good material”, with a “well-structured and sign-posted speech”.

The judges had stressed that the point of the competition was not necessarily to win the argument, but to present a detailed case and provoke an interesting debate.

Teenage entrepreneur Akshay Ruparelia returned to the School to pass on to current pupils some of the keys to his success with his online estate agency.

Having raised £500,000 through an initial investment and subsequent crowd-funding, Doorsteps.co.uk emerged in the autumn as the country’s 18th biggest estate agency, with a valuation of £12m.  The story made headlines in a number of national media, with the Daily Mirror citing Akshay’s belief that, at 19, he was the country’s youngest self-made millionaire.

On his visit to QE, Akshay (OE 2009–2016) explained that he had been motivated to start the company by a desire for financial freedom. His parents, a care worker and a teaching assistant, are both deaf, so in addition to the customary demands on a QE boy’s time, he had faced the additional requirements of caring for them.

As a result, he learned ‘vigour and tenacity’, he told the boys, as well as developing empathy and acquiring skills in time-management.

While at School, he proved to himself and to investors that his dreams were viable by selling his first house during his A-level studies. In the end, he decided to defer going to university in order to pursue the opportunity of growing the business.

The road to success was not without its twists and turns, however. Akshay created and scrapped multiple businesses, all of which helped him improve the Doorsteps online offering. His age presented challenges when it came to seeking funding, but he was determined to regard his youth as meaning that he had less ‘baggage’, rather than less credibility.

He outlined a number of important elements in his success:

• • A service focus, inspired by the example of Steve Jobs with Apple

• • A strong work ethic – an attribute he ascribes to the struggles he faced in coping with the dual demands of a QE education and his family

• • A shock factor – like Ryanair, he aimed to attract attention.

“All I put into it was passion, hard work and belief,” said Akshay, adding that he was fortunate to be a grounded person blessed with a good family.

The key lessons he had learned were:

• • Never stop learning

• • Embrace family and friends

• • Don’t fear failure

• • Work hard (something he had learned at QE)

• • Do something you have a passion for

• • Take every opportunity that comes your way, even if it is something you don’t necessarily know how to do: it is better to take the opportunity and learn from it, rather than passing up something that could have changed your life.

In a question-and-answer session with the boys, Akshay enlarged on several of his themes. The deep focus on service, with an aim of combining the customer service appeal of High Street agencies with the cost savings offered by websites, had led to his company now being one of the highest-rated estate agency sites. Late nights and early-morning work had enabled him to start the company by himself.

Reflecting on his time at the School, Akshay wished that he could have been more involved in extra-curricular activities.