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In a QE first, an entire year group headed off to a West End theatre to watch a Shakespeare production.

The 190 Year 9 boys saw Hollywood A-lister Sigourney Weaver starring in The Tempest at the Theatre Royal, Old Drury Lane.

Their visit came shortly after QE’s Year 12 English Literature students took part in a two-day joint event with The Henrietta Barnett School that included a visit to a performance of Richard II at the Bridge Theatre in Bermondsey. QE has a long-standing partnership with the girls’ school, and this event was designed to stretch pupils of the two schools, giving them a taste of what studying Shakespeare at university might be like.

Head of English Robert Hyland said: “Giving students opportunities to experience live theatre remains a central part of our philosophy as an English department. In particular, given the density of language in Shakespeare’s plays, seeing them performed brings them to life in a way which the classroom simply cannot achieve.

“We were very lucky, therefore, to secure tickets to see two sell-out shows in The Tempest and Richard II. Taking just under 200 Year 9 students to see The Tempest will remain a highlight of the academic year. For many, it will have been their first experience of professional theatre, and one which I hope will last for many years after they leave the School. Even afterwards, I could still hear students around the School and in class discussing features of the performance, which hopefully balanced enjoyment with a richer and deeper understanding of the text.

“Working with our colleagues at Henrietta Barnett allowed us to put on a brilliant day and a half of activities. From a standing start, students became fully acquainted with the characters and themes of the under-appreciated Richard II. It was a treat to see students fully engaging in the dramatic activities, and speaking so knowledgeably about the Bridge Theatre performance.”

The Year 9 boys students studied The Tempest in the Autumn Term, with the trip therefore forming a conclusion to their studies. Sigourney Weaver, the star of films including Alien and Avatar, played Prospero in a Jamie Lloyd Theatre company production. It was, said Mr Hyland, “a rare opportunity for students to see a world-class actor and production company in real life”. Fourteen staff, drawn from all departments, accompanied the pupils.

Asked to write their own reviews, the Year 9 boys were enthusiastic about their visit. Ridit Bhor praised the “wonderful chemistry” shared by the characters, Miranda and Ferdinand, while others praised the set design, described by Pothan Bobba as “nothing short of spectacular” and by Avi Aggarwal as “hauntingly beautiful”.

The two-day Sixth Form event centred around the production of Richard II at the Bridge Theatre production, which starred Jonathan Bailey, of Bridgerton and Wicked fame. In addition to seeing the production, the event involved:

• An introductory lecture on the play from Dr Diana Hallam, A-level specialist and founder of Literary Lectures, which explored the contextual significance of the play;
• A drama workshop from Mandy Dassa (from QE’s drama partners, RM Drama), exploring the play from a practical perspective;
• Seminars exploring key scenes and speeches from the text, led by Mr Hyland and teachers from the girls’ school;
• A tour of the Globe Theatre combined with a drama workshop on Richard II, led by Royal Shakespeare Company and Globe Theatre actor Chu Omambala.

“We wanted to take students away from their exam specification, and help them understand what it might be like to study Shakespeare at a higher level and through different methods than the A-level allows,” said Mr Hyland. “By picking a text they were unfamiliar with, and allowing them to explore it beyond the normal classroom setting, students were able to develop their skills of interpretation and analysis. And by pairing up with our colleagues at HBS, they could also work with new faces, gaining new ideas and original perspectives.

“With the range of activities on offer, from university-style lectures, seminars, drama, and fieldwork, this partnership event really did give a sense of how exciting and varied studying English at a higher level can be.”

QE’s annual Rugby Dinner brought together players from throughout the School who share a love of the game. With awards galore, the evening was a celebration of the 2024-2025 season so far, which has already seen more than 400 boys playing for QE teams.

Staff and students reflected on the benefits of playing the game. Research into the impact of rugby in schools found 63% of participants reported improved leadership skills, 69% were more confident, with positive outcomes for improving mood (57%) and self-esteem (58%), as well as supporting over 70% to be more physically active.

In a positive season thus far, across the 123 fixtures played by the date of the dinner, QE teams had won 64, drawn 5 and lost 54, with plenty learned in victory and defeat.

There was a look forward to coming highlights – including next month’s QE Rugby Sevens, this summer’s senior rugby and cricket tour to Sri Lanka, and next year’s rugby tour to Holland for Years 9 & 10.

And the diners heard from Old Elizabethan guest speaker Nabil Haque (OE 2010–2017), a former First XV captain, who went on to play university rugby at Cambridge, where he took a double-first degree with distinction in Architecture. He subsequently went on to a two-year scholarship at Yale. He flew in to QE from Berlin, where he is now working as an architect.

Director of Sport Jonathan Hart said: “Our second annual Rugby Dinner was an excellent occasion, giving us the opportunity to reward success and celebrate endeavour among those committed to the game.”

During the evening, both Nabil and QE’s current Head of Rugby, Oliver Di-Lieto, paid tribute to the School’s former Head of Rugby, James Clarke, who died in January in Bermuda, where he was working for the Bermuda Rugby Football Union.

Nabil played predominantly for the second team at Cambridge (known as the LX Club). He paid tribute to all that he had learned about rugby at QE, stating that not only was it fulfilling athletically, but also came with social perks, such as giving him entry to certain clubs! He had relished the chance to play at a high level, including the opportunity to play alongside those in the Blues squad who had been international players, but stated that, in fact, his best memories of the sport were from QE, such as lining up with his teammates to defy the odds against physically bigger players from schools with better financial resources.

Rugby, he said, had shaped him as a person: he encouraged all those at the dinner to embrace its values and the opportunities it presents.

The dinner featured awards for players in Years 7–11 and for the Second XV and First XV, including a Most Improved Player, Player of the Season and a Players’ Player (voted by the boys), with the latter awarded both to an A team and a B team player in the first five years.

There were Senior Colours for 14 pupils, while a highlight of the evening was the naming of the QE Rugby Team of the Year – a staff selection of boys from across the year groups judged to be the best in their position. The line-up featured eight starting forwards, seven backs and another eight replacements.

The chosen line-up was:

1. Marcus Ingal (U13)
2. Krutharth Behera (1st XV)
3. Sachin Saddi (U13)
4. David Hirtopanu (1st XV)
5. Niketh Putta (U14)
6. Thinuka Kapugama (U15)
7. Aashir Irfan (U16)
8. Junu Park (U14)
9. Shradan Venkatesan (U12)
10. Lakshmi Chirumamilla (U15)
11. Yashwant Sunkara (U16)
12. Jake Owens (1st XV)
13. Darsh Singh (U12)
14. Ubayd Uddin (1st XV)
15. Ryan Goyal (U14)
16. Tanush Madadi (U15)
17. Rohan Mukherjee (U13)
18. Kyan Syed (U16)
19. Saami Mansur (U13)
20. Kevin Gajera (U14)
21. Roshan Patel (U15)
22. Thomas Young (U16)
23. Yashinth Sivananthan (U16)

Three Year 12 Sports Leaders were singled out for special mention: Aadam Aslam, Zain Ahmed and Hashim Khan have been coaching Year 7 boys on Friday afternoons as well as helping the PE department by managing Year 7 teams in rugby fixtures. Encouraging others at the dinner to get involved in helping younger boys, Mr Di-Lieto said: “These three have given a lot to QE rugby this year. They themselves have developed skills such as leadership and communication, but the boys they have coached have learnt even more.”

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Queen Elizabeth’s School pupils have secured 49 offers from Oxford and Cambridge this year – a figure only surpassed by last year’s all-time record.

This year’s tally, comprising 34 offers from Cambridge and 15 from Oxford, takes the total number of Oxbridge places offered to QE pupils over the past three years to 157.

2025 is also shaping up to be another strong year for QE applicants more generally: other universities have not yet completed the process of making offers, but already 94% of Year 13 already hold at least one offer, many of them from world-leading universities on prestigious courses, from Medicine to Modern Languages.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “I extend my sincere congratulations to all our successful Oxbridge applicants. This stellar success is due reward not only for their dedication to their A-level studies and to wider interests, but also for their careful preparation for the university admissions tests and interviews.

“I thank my colleagues in the QE Futures programme for providing deeply informed and meticulous support and advice to the boys both before and during the admissions process. I am also grateful to the many alumni and other friends of the School who conducted mock interviews for these and other university applicants in the autumn.”

This year’s offers have come from 25 colleges, with the single highest number – five – from Gonville & Caius at Cambridge. They are for a considerable breadth of courses, from Oxford’s famous Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) degree to Architecture and Materials Science.

Ten boys have offers to read Medicine at Oxford and Cambridge, and nine to study Mathematics. The five boys securing offers for Computer Science constitute a new QE record.

Boys have also gained apprenticeships with blue-chip firms such as Goldman Sachs and Deloitte.

Assistant Head (Pupil Destinations) James Kane said: “While we congratulate these Oxford and Cambridge applicants, they will be very aware that it’s not over yet: they will need to continue working hard to achieve their required grades! But they are an excellent group and we have great confidence that not only will they take up their places, but will then enrich their respective colleges in the years to come.

“More broadly, we are delighted with the successes across the Year 13 cohort. Although many universities have not yet completed their offer processes – including LSE, all American universities and several universities offering Medicine – 38 UK universities have awarded offers to QE students so far. These include all four universities in the top 10 of the QS global rankings, namely Imperial College London, Oxford, Cambridge, UCL.

“A special mention goes to musician Harrison Lee, who has received offers to study Composition at both the Royal Northern College of Music and Trinity College of Music, as well as an offer for the joint course between the Royal Northern College of Music and Manchester University. Receiving offers from specialist Music conservatoires is an absolutely tremendous achievement – these are very competitive and specialised courses.

“As ever, we are mindful that some excellent Oxford and Cambridge applicants will be disappointed, but looking to the other offers being received by the year group it is clear that there are many different routes that will be similarly exciting and rewarding.”

This month’s edition of the Econobethan, entitled Halfway to Tomorrow, looks both backwards and forwards.

QE’s student-run Economics journal reflects in its first section on the profound changes of the past five years, looking especially at the lasting impact of the pandemic.

In its later pages, the focus shifts to the future – although not without exploring the current moment in global affairs: there is extensive coverage of the impact of US President Donald Trump’s economic actions since he took office.

Economics teacher Celia Wallace said: “The students have outdone themselves with this 22nd edition, which is a thought-provoking exploration of the economic, social, and political transformations shaping our world in 2025 and beyond.”

The 36-page publication features 20 articles from boys in the senior years. The contributors, all drawn from Year 10 and above, include the editorial team, which comprises four Year 12 A-level economists: Zain Ahmed; Shourya Garg; Adithya Raghuraman; and Shuban Singh.

In their introduction, the team draw attention to how the global economy has changed since the pandemic – “a world reshaped by necessity”.

As to the future, it is “exciting yet unnerving”. They highlight the challenges presented by a “global duality”, with “the promise of growth-driving technological advancement through global cooperation standing in stark contrast to rising nationalist protectionism.

“As you delve into these pages, the editorial team encourages you – the readers – to ponder on the ideas you’re introduced to. Beyond merely predicting our collective future, some of these voices may help shape it,” the four editors conclude.

The first section of the Econobethan examines shifts in consumer behaviour, supply chain disruptions, and evolving labour markets. It offers a nuanced analysis of how different industries have adapted – some thriving, while others continue to navigate post-pandemic uncertainty.

The articles include:

• The COVID-19 Recovery: A Flop? by Adam Liang, Year 12
• The Israel-Hamas Conflict by Jasmaan Sahota, Year 11
• The Rise of Remote Working by Advay Bhat, Year 11.

The second section assesses the economic implications of current geopolitical events and covers topics such as nuclear risks, potential trade wars, technological growth, and sustainability challenges.

Here is a sample of the titles of the 12 articles in this section:

• Slowbalisation: The Advent of a New Trade War by Vu-Lam Le-Nguyen, Year 11
• The Political and Economic Impact of Refugees by Muhamad Mohamed, Year 12
• The Future of Growth: Tech by 2030 by Daksh Vinnakota, Year 12.

Those with access to the School’s eQE portal can read the Econobethan here.

Following his success in an international artificial intelligence competition, Year 11’s Paarth Aggarwal has now spoken at a globally acclaimed education technology exhibition and show.

Technology giant Intel asked Paarth to speak at the 2025 BETT UK after he took the national title in his age category in last year’s Intel AI Global Impact Festival. He won after impressing judges with his multi-lingual Navigate Ninja app, which uses storytelling and animated video to offer personalised learning to children with autism.

Paarth spoke in a session in the arena at the Docklands ExCel convention centre entitled Getting real about AI. “Intel requested me to talk about my project, passion, challenges encountered, value delivered, and the next steps I am taking in scaling up this solution on to the global stage,” he said.

After preparing heavily for his talk, he began by introducing himself as a QE student and then said: “I am extremely passionate about technology as I strongly believe that it has the potential to solve almost any problem that humanity ever faces.”

Reflecting afterwards, he said it had been “an overwhelming and once-in-a-lifetime experience. Speaking in front of such a large audience was an incredible opportunity to share my passion for leveraging the new-age technology, such as AI, GenAI [Generative AI], NLP [Natural Language Processing], cloud computing etc. to transform education. I talked about how my GenAI-powered app could empower millions of people around the world through personalised learning.”

It was, he added, a “golden opportunity to exchange thoughts, ideas and suggestions with my fellow Intel presenters, technocrats, industry leaders, and renowned organisations”.

Paarth explained that people with autism and with similar disabilities often struggle with the processing of information, making correct inferences, developing reading skills, and understanding information. He realised that existing methods of learning offer insufficiently peronalised learning. “Therefore, I developed an app which allows autistic individuals to have 24/7 access to personalised learning, multilingual learning in the language of choice, wider subject choices, and animations for enhanced comprehension and retention.”

With a basic form of his app now available on the Google play store, Paarth is working on connecting with investors and technology partners. “My next step is to refine the app and release it to a wider audience to allow millions of people from all over the world to have access to personalised and improved learning for free.”