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This year’s QE Flourish Days saw more than 800 QE pupils head beyond the School gates for exploration and adventure.

The two days, a summer highlight of the QE Flourish co-curricular progamme, are hugely varied but have this in common: they make the most of the School’s location close to London yet on the edge of the countryside to offer boys exciting educational experiences.

New destinations for Flourish Days this year included Bletchley Park and the Tower of London.

Assistant Head Crispin Bonham-Carter (Co-curricular and Partnerships), who heads QE Flourish, said: “Despite the challenges of the recent heatwave, staff and students embraced our two Flourish Days with enthusiasm, resilience and a spirit of adventure.”

“From exploring the rainforests at Kew Gardens and uncovering the secrets of Bletchley Park to visiting the Roman Verulamium Museum at St Albans, the Globe Theatre, the Kelvedon Nuclear Shelter and undertaking a Year 12 hike, a huge number of our students took part in an amazing range of worthwhile activities.

“Thank you to all the staff who led visits and to the students whose positive attitude, curiosity and resilience made the days such a success. Together, they demonstrated the very best of the QE Flourish spirit!”

Alongside many popular tourist attractions, during their Flourish Days QE pupils headed to several academic destinations, including Imperial College and Queen Mary University of London’s Centre for Molecular Cell Biology.

Through the academic year, the QE Flourish encompasses the School’s many clubs, societies, competitions and charitable work, as well as a host of day trips, short residential trips and longer tours, home and abroad.

QE Flourish activities are organised under four headings – the four Cs – namely: Care, Challenge, Compete and Create.

Two very different London trips provided fresh inspiration for QE’s musicians: a visit to a hit West End musical brought a GCSE set piece to life, while the opportunity to play one of the capital’s great organs deepened keyboardists’ appreciation for the instrument.

Year 10 Music students headed for the Apollo Victoria Theatre, where they watched the award-winning musical, Wicked. One of the show’s most iconic numbers, Defying Gravity, is a GCSE set work.

On their trip, members of QE’s Organ Club not only played the historic four-manual organ at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, but also heard an internationally acclaimed organist perform in the City of London in what is believed to be the world’s longest-running organ recital series.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “The happy circumstance of QE’s location within easy striking distance of central London means that when we plan trips, we can take full advantage of all the wonderful possibilities that the capital has to offer. These two trips are a great example of that.

“As our GCSE Music students attested afterwards, there’s really no substitute for experiencing a theatrical piece in its original dramatic context. For our organists, playing on Westminster Central Hall’s magnificent organ was not only thrilling in itself, but also enhanced their ability to adapt to different instruments – an important musical skill.”

Wicked, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, has been running at the Apollo Victoria since 2005. It is based on a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, which was derived from a 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Known in full as Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz, the musical explores the relationship between the witches. Defying Gravity forms the finale to Act One.

Assistant Director of Music Caroline Grint said that experiencing the work on stage helped the boys develop a deeper understanding of the music, its dramatic purpose, and its emotional impact, supporting their GCSE studies.

The pupils reported afterwards that they had found the trip both enjoyable and inspiring. Aaditya Pimple said: “It is the first time I have seen Wicked. It gave me context about the story, and it was interesting seeing the instruments in the pit band.” Zhekai Mao added: “It made me appreciate live performances, after only ever watching movies on a screen. We now know the entire storyline and how it is set to music, supporting our GCSE work.”

Eight organists and 13 pianists from the Organ Club visited Methodist Central Hall, which hosted the first session of the United Nations General Assembly in 1946.

Each pupil performed a prepared piece on the organ, which was built by Hill & Son in 1912, rebuilt and enlarged by Rushworth & Dreaper in 1970, and had its layout altered by Harrison & Harrison in 2010–2011. The boys received expert advice from the hall’s Director of Music, Gerard Brooks, on both registration and performance.

Assistant Director of Music Jas Hutchinson-Bazely said: “I am incredibly grateful to Gerard Brooks for his invitation and kind words of encouragement for our pupils. Adapting to new and unfamiliar instruments is an essential skill for an organist, and our pupils rose to this challenge admirably. These experiences are invaluable for our young players, and they are incredibly fortunate to play on one of London’s most significant instruments.”

The visit continued with the recital at St Michael’s, Cornhill. The church has a foundation dating back to before the Norman Conquest; its present building is traditionally attributed to Sir Christopher Wren. Its organ is another famous London instrument, with origins dating back to 1684. The recital series began in 1914.

The recital the boys listened to was given by English organist and recording artist, Christopher Herrick. His programme showcased contemporary organ repertoire.

“As well as hearing a performer of the highest calibre, pupils were reminded that organ music is not only a rich historical tradition but also a vibrant and evolving art form,” Mr Hutchinson-Bazely said.

The pianists and organists who went on the trip were in no doubt as to its benefits:

• Justin Lo, Year 7: “It gave me the chance to look at two beautiful organs as well as play a piece on one of them – a great opportunity that has definitely inspired me to learn the organ.”
• Anay Banerjee, Year 8: “I think that I really learnt a lot about real-life organs, how each one is different and unique, and also how it felt to play one in real life.”
• Parth Gulati, Year 7: “I particularly enjoyed playing at Methodist Central Hall, as I have never played on such a big organ.”
• Kai Nam Tsang, Year 8: “It was a great feeling to be able to play on the organ, especially such a large and grand one with so much history behind it.”

High-flying business consultant Daniel Garsin, Guest of Honour at Junior Awards, told prize-winners that they will enter a world very different from the one that existed when he left QE just 20 years ago.

The continuing rise of artificial intelligence is “not a reason to be afraid”, he said, “but it does mean the old rules about how you get on in life are being rewritten”.

With AI already doing much of the careful, detailed work that young people used to do in their first jobs, Daniel, the 2005 School Captain, spelt out what that means for the boys: “It is no longer what do you know’, but ‘what can you do that a machine cannot?’”

Award-winners from across Years 7–9 gathered with their families and teachers in the School Hall for the formal afternoon event, during which Daniel (OE 1999–2006) presented the prizes.

The event included prizes for the academic subjects, for commitment, and for service in QE’s six Houses. There were also awards for co-curricular activities such as sport, drama, debating & public-speaking and supporting The Queen’s Library.

The Music prize-winners – Hercules Li, of Year 7; Julius Collins, of Year 8; and Ryan Hsu, of Year 9 – played piano pieces by Mozart, Debussy and Chopin respectively, while they and other award-winners formed an ensemble to perform the processional and recessional music for the ceremony. The VIP party included the Deputy Mayor of Barnet, Cllr Humayune Khalick.

In his introduction, Headmaster Neil Enright told the boys in the audience: “You are in pole position to be the leaders of your generation in your chosen fields; to be leaders of influence and valued collaborators.”

After leaving QE, guest speaker Daniel read History at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. He has since forged a career in consulting, firstly with Deloitte and, for the past 15 years, with Elixirr, which has grown in that time from a 30-person firm to one that is now listed on the London Stock Exchange with more than 800 employees worldwide.

He arrived at Junior Awards still captivated by what he had observed on a recent business trip to San Francisco. “Some of what I saw there was breathtaking and exciting, and some of it was genuinely unsettling. The pace of change is faster than anything I have witnessed in my career. Things that were impossible only a year ago are ordinary today.”

Echoing the Headmaster’s optimistic tone, he said: “The territory is being redrawn as we speak, and you get to help draw it. And you’re at the very best place to do this.”

Daniel reflected on how he is likely to recruit in the future and offered clear advice: “Do not try to compete with the machine. I will be looking for the deeply human things, because those are getting more valuable, not less. Can you win someone’s trust? Can you carry a team through a hard week? Can you walk into a tense room and read what is actually going on? No machine can do that, and I do not believe one ever will. I will be looking for curious people who can learn fast, and then learn again. And above all, I will be looking for character and personality.”

Daniel urged the boys to focus on three values.

• Be collaborative
• Be entrepreneurial
• Go beyond expectations.

“If I could swap places with you today, here is what I would do. I would try to learn how to use these new tools, but never once let them do my thinking for me. I would read more widely than I do today. I would say ‘yes’ to the things that scare me a little (and that I said ‘no’ to). And I wouldn’t worry about having it all figured out, because nobody yet knows what the world will look like in 5-10 years,” he said.

After Daniel’s address, the Year 7 debating & public-speaking award-winner, Parth Gulati, gave a vote of thanks. Everyone then stepped outside on to Staplyton Field for refreshments.

• Click on the thumbnails below to view the images.

Broughton House beat arch-rivals Stapylton to win the cup at Sports Day by a narrow margin.

With its 507 points, Broughton wrested the title from last year’s winners, Stapylton, on 500, as the red and blue Houses’ duel of recent years continued.

Notable changes to the day this year included the introduction of timing to the rowing competition, adding an extra level of excitement as all Houses had to change rowers at the same time. Just like a Formula 1 pit stop, good teamwork became essential to get the next rower into his seat as quickly as possible.

Director of Sport Jonathan Hart said: “Sports Day 2026 was a very good day of competition in the sunshine, involving hundreds of pupils from across the year groups. The day is always a real highlight of the year, giving everyone the chance to get involved, no matter what their ability, yet also providing opportunities for our best young athletes to shine.”

The day featured dozens of sporting disciplines, from table-tennis to tug-of-war, and included a full programme of track and field events.

Highlights this year included:

• Andy Hasanaj, of Year 9 jumping 1.45m in the high jump – 10cm higher than anyone else in any year;
• Year 7’s Kai Hau throwing the javelin 28.35m, further than anyone from Year 7, 8, 9 or 10;
• Doubles pair Habeeb Tharoo and Daiwik Budhwar, both Year 10, winning five out of five table tennis matches;
• Year 10 pupil Arinze Ezeuko’s sub-12s 100m;
• The 13.40m throw in the shot put by Raphael Gbadebo, of Year 9.

Dozens of staff from all departments were drafted in to assist with the logistics, taking on tasks such as timekeeping, race-starting, judging, commentary and photography, as well as general supervision.

“My sincere thanks go to my colleagues for helping make the day go smoothly,” said Mr Hart.

The final scores were:

Broughton: 507
Harrisons’: 465
Leicester: 495
Pearce: 460
Stapylton: 500
Underne: 428

• Click on the thumbnails below to view the images.

As part of the Government-backed National Year of Reading, Queen Elizabeth’s School has created a special list of 100 books for every pupil to read.

THE QE 100 features classics and new literature, fiction and non-fiction, poetry and biography, and even manga and graphic novels.

QE’s professionals in The Queen’s Library worked alongside the pupil librarians to whittle down the long list of more than 300 books nominated by students and staff to the final 100.

Headmaster Neil Enright says: “This a challenge like no other for all our young Elizabethans – a reading list tailored especially for them. With seven weeks of summer holidays now starting, there is no better time to begin!”

In choosing the books, Head of Library Services Jenni Blackford and Library Services Assistant Corinna Illingworth looked for those which reflected QE’s values, which would prepare the boys for life, and, perhaps most of all, those which were a pleasure to read. “Every book has been chosen to inspire, challenge and entertain, helping students develop a lifelong love of reading,” says Mrs Blackford. The QE 100 has something for everyone. Some books are perfect for Year 7, others better suited to sixth-formers. “The idea is to enjoy the challenge throughout your time at QE, choosing books that are right for you as your reading journey grows.”

Here are just a few of the authors who feature: Shakespeare; C S Lewis; Jules Verne; Michael Morpurgo; Harper Lee; J R R Tolkien; Robert Harris; Ray Bradbury; Charles Dickens; Yuval Noah Harari; Marcus Aurelius; Barack Obama; Jordan Peterson; Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky; Marcus Rashford; Homer (with The Iliad available both in Rosemary Sutcliffe’s retelling and in unabridged form); Suzanne Collins; Seamus Heaney & Ted Hughes; Antoine De Saint-Exupéry; Mark Haddon; and Rory Stewart.

The subjects covered span cultures and countries, from Hiba Noor Khan’s Safiyyah’s War, about a young Muslim girl living in the Grand Mosque of Paris during World War II, to the non-fiction title, Timelines from Black History, which chronicles events from ancient African kingdoms to the present day.

There are even two titles by Old Elizabethans. The list includes The Trial, a whodunnit by barrister Rob Rinder (OE 1989–1994) – TV’s Judge Rinder – and Mustafa Suleyman’s The Coming Wave, a warning that the rise of AI and biotechnology may impact global stability. Mustafa (OE 1995–2002), who is now the CEO of Microsoft AI, was the co-founder of Google DeepMind, together with Nobel laureate (and fellow alumnus) Sir Demis Hassabis (OE 1988–1990).

The National Year of Reading 2026, which aims to help more people discover or rediscover the joy of reading, is a Department for Education initiative, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust.

Ever the assiduous librarian, Mrs Blackford has one final suggestion for the boys: “Once you’ve finished a book, why not leave a review on the School’s library catalogue and share your thoughts with other readers? Happy reading!”

• Browse THE QE 100.