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In his video address at this year’s Junior Awards, Headmaster Neil Enright acknowledged that, with the disruption, uncertainties, anxiety and “very real pain” caused by the global pandemic, people might feel there is little cause for celebration.

“Yet, despite all of this, indeed perhaps because of all of this, it is hugely important that we take the time to recognise and celebrate your exceptional contribution and performance over the course of the academic year,” said Mr Enright to the Year 7, 8 and 9 award-winners.

With the normal ceremony not possible because of Covid-19 restrictions, this year’s event was switched to an online format. This combined video messages with other innovations such as a message board where teachers have been able to leave messages of congratulations to the prize-winners on the School’s eQE digital platform.

Mr Enright spoke of “the high aspirations and common purpose that drive you, your parents, your teachers and other members of staff [and] the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s who continue to support our endeavours so generously, and our alumni who have been so engaged”.

He said that he hoped that the School would be able to return from what has become the ‘new normal’ to just ‘normal’. He added, however: “Our ‘normal’ at QE is anything but normal or ordinary; we are quite extraordinary. We were before Covid-19, we have been during it, and we will be after it.”

The Headmaster introduced a video address by Guest of Honour Jay Shetty (OE 1999–2006): “He is himself an extraordinary man – an author, a story-teller, a podcaster and former monk with a mission to make wisdom go viral. Having made the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and with 35 million social media followers, he is successful. I thank him for his support at this event.”

In his inspirational address, Jay echoed Mr Enright’s comments about the importance of celebration and said: “Even if today isn’t the celebration that you imagined, take time to celebrate today, make it special, make it important.”

Addressing the boys directly he said: “You’ve had the odds stacked against you; it’s been a difficult year – a tough time. But you’ve shown your courage, your resilience and focus even in tough times and this is an incredible ability that will stay with you forever.”

He recalled his own years at QE, and while acknowledging that he himself had never won one of the accolades or awards, he nevertheless believed the School to be an amazing institution. “I am grateful every single day that I attended QE. I know you may not feel like it now sometimes, it may feel like a long journey ahead, but I promise you, in the future, you will be so grateful to your parents; you will be so grateful to the teachers; you will be grateful to everyone that you went to such an incredible school. And I can’t wait to visit again, and I want to thank each and every single one of the teachers and the staff for making my experience there so open to evolution.”

Jay talked about his podcast, On Purpose, and about the inspirational individuals he has sat down and talked with, including the late Kobe Bryant, Alicia Keys, Yuval Noah Harari and billionaire Ray Dalio. “He [Ray Dalio] shared an equation with me that I wanted to share with you – I know it’s QE, hence the equation! – he said to me: ‘Pain + Reflection = Progress.’

“Now, the reason I love this equation is, if you remove the word reflection, all you are left with is pain, and it’s been a painful year for so many of us, but when we reflect, we find meaning, growth and evolution.”

Jay talked about the importance of reflection and of learning from success as well as failure: “If you reflect when you win, you will know how to do it again. And if you reflect when you lose, or fail, you will know what not to do again.”

He exhorted the boys: “Reflect on why you succeeded this year. Reflect on what you did differently. Deeply reverse-engineer and analyse the growth that you have made. Because when you do that, you’re going to be set up for success.”

He talked about his love of football and recalled the words of his coach when he was growing up in London. “He would always say to me: ‘When you lose, cry for a night and, when you win, celebrate for a night, and then move on.’

“And this is the best message that I can give you today: celebrate today, make it really important and special, but remember, tomorrow has more opportunities, tomorrow has more possibilities, and you’re creating an incredible future for yourselves.”

Pranav Challah, of Year 7, gave the traditional vote of thanks to Jay, saying: “We are sorry we did not get to meet you in person, but your willingness to assist us and the thoughts you have shared give us an insight into what it is really like to be part of the Elizabethan community and how the values of our community can help us thrive in the outside world. We wish you every success in your future endeavours and hope that one day we will be able to emulate your achievements.”

Announcing the Year 7 winners by video, the Head of Year, Tom Harrison, said it was important to understand the magnitude of the honours being bestowed: “In a year of 192 boys, to be the sole recipient of an award is no mean feat; it is a fantastic achievement.” The recipient of the Charles Fitch Memorial Award for Outstanding Commitment – and thus the overall award-winner for Year 7 – was Giuseppe Mangiavacchi.

Saim Khan, of Year 8, won the Rivlin Award for Outstanding Commitment. Head of Year Sean Kelly said: “He has gained an incredible number of merits this year and last year. He has worked conscientiously and is an inspiration for his peers. He embodies that great Elizabethan spirit that we want to see in all our boys.”

Head of Year 9 Rosemary Hall told the boys: “Winning an award is testament to your hard work and dedication to your studies and extra-curricular interests. I am very proud of all of you and all you have achieved.” Darren Lee received the Bob Govett Memorial Award for Outstanding Commitment.

The traditional musical interludes during Junior Awards were performed by:

• Leo Sellis (Year 7), saxophone – The First Movement of Sonata in G Minor by J. S. Bach
• Harrison Lee (Year 8) violin – A Trip Down Memory Lane, a selection of Sinfonietta pieces
• Nathan Woodcock (Year 9) – Scaramouche Movement 3 – Brazileria by Darius Milhaud

The Headmaster concluded by saying that he missed the usual opportunity provided by the Junior Awards Ceremony to shake the boys by the hand. Nevertheless he offered them congratulations and best wishes for the summer holidays.

 

Despite the most difficult circumstances this term, Queen Elizabeth’s School has continued in extraordinary times to do all of our ordinary things well – not, of course, that there is anything ordinary about QE and the Elizabethan community.

I have been concerned by national media reports about children being educationally disadvantaged during lockdown. Thanks to the hard work of teaching and support staff, QE boys do not find themselves in that situation.

Staff have been hugely active in finding new, creative ways of working. It has been difficult, but we have provided pupils with their full curriculum entitlement. Every lesson has been delivered; academically strong, purposeful teaching and learning has been maintained. That we have been able to do so is thanks to the heavy investments made in the development of our digital eQE platform in recent years.

Those eQE investments have generally been funded through voluntary giving, and I am deeply grateful to the many alumni who give generously to the School. Our biggest annual fundraiser is normally Founder’s Day – and I am pleased to report that, the pandemic notwithstanding, this year is no exception. We easily exceeded our £20,000 target in the first Virtual Founder’s Day in the School’s 447-year history; the current total stands at more than £22,000, including Gift Aid.

The programme, presented through the YouTube Premiere facility, was a carefully curated combination of traditional elements, adapted for a digital environment, and innovative features, such as our video curry cook-along. Robert Rinder (OE 1989–1994) made a special guest appearance. My thanks go to him and the many old boys who supported us.

Founder’s Day was also a very public reminder of the philanthropy underpinning the work of The Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s – one aspect of the uniqueness that makes QE a state school like no other. It is as a direct result of FQE’s work and of our success in a Department for Education competitive bidding process that we are in a position to go ahead with our Music School project: construction work will start during the holidays. This, again, is far from ordinary: our boldness at this juncture speaks volumes about the confidence I and the Governors have in the future of the School.

Just as we have continued to provide all boys with a full timetable of lessons, Old Elizabethans have continued to support our senior pupils by providing careers and university guidance remotely during lockdown. They included, among others, Sam Colman (OE 1998–2005), Rohan Shah (OE 2012–2019) , Kiran Modi (OE 2007–2014), Karan Dewnani (OE 2006–2013) and Binu Perera (OE 2012–2019). My heartfelt thanks go to all who have given their time so liberally.

George Mpanga (OE 2002–2009) has again been prominent on our TV screens and radios this term, and I was pleased to learn he had gained further critical recognition, too: his podcast (entitled Have you heard George’s podcast?) is the first-ever UK podcast to win a Peabody Award. Peabody Awards are one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious media awards series, so this is a considerable achievement.

I would also like to honour the many Elizabethans working for the NHS and in other key-worker roles, both here and overseas. Service has always been an important value for our School, and I know that the example of our alumni in these difficult days has inspired current boys as they think about their own futures. Indeed, some pupils have spent considerable amounts of their free time during lockdown volunteering in hospitals and in the community, or putting their engineering skills to good use by manufacturing PPE using equipment such as home 3D printers.

As Covid-19 continues to have a massive impact around the world, another important development during this period has been the global rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. I have now been here for 18 years, half of that time as Headmaster. I know how warm, respectful and kind Elizabethans are, and what a high value we place on diversity. Yet I recognise that we, in common with all organisations, do not always get everything right, and that there is more we can do.

During the term, our new, pupil-led forum, Perspective, was launched to look at issues such as racism and other forms of prejudice and discrimination. The Hughes brothers, Kelvin and Elliot, (OE 1999–2006 and 2002–2009 respectively) were invited as special guests to a Perspective discussion on Zoom for Years 11 and 12, in which I was also pleased to be able to take part. They made a very telling contribution to the discussion, bringing their own experiences and reflections from a generation above the current boys.

In this last week, Bilal Harry Khan (2003–2010) and Kam Taj (2004–2011), two alumni with whom the School has forged an ongoing relationship, have been among our very few physical visitors to the site during the term. Both came in to deliver workshops as part of a special pastoral day for our Year 12 boys, who have been spending increasing time here as lockdown eases, in line with Government policy. Bilal spoke on Tackling discrimination and prejudice and Kam Taj (2004–2011) addressed the sixth-formers on Intrinsic motivation.

Also this week, we have had Jay Shetty (OE 1999–2006), global podcaster, broadcaster and motivational speaker, as the guest speaker for our virtual Junior Awards ceremony.

While the current situation is unprecedented for all of us, I take heart from our proud heritage and from the strength of our Elizabethan community. The great contribution made by our old boys is a major element in this strength. That contribution continues to grow: QE Connect, our alumni platform, was launched at the start of the academic year and its membership has expanded steadily ever since, with more than 800 users now signed up.

QE has overcome past challenges quite as serious as Covid-19, including wars, financial crises and the plague. The dedication, generosity and loyalty of alumni, boys, parents, staff and Governors have carried us through before; they have sustained us during this lockdown, and they are enabling us now to emerge on the other side in a very strong position.

I have never been prouder of the School and would not want to be anywhere else. As we come to the end of a term unlike any other, I wish all our alumni a safe and enjoyable summer.

Neil Enright
Headmaster

Medic Neeral Patel is loving life in Toronto, where he is on a two-year mixed research and clinical fellowship – even if, at first, he wondered if making the move had been a big mistake.

“I vividly remember landing in Toronto a year ago with a very uneasy feeling in my stomach, thinking ‘what on earth have I done?’ Life in London was relatively comfortable, and I had left my family, friends and partner, Jasmin, in the UK. I was certainly excited about the opportunity, but naturally quite apprehensive at the very beginning.”

He fell back, however, on the lesson imparted on his first day at QE by his Headmaster, Dr John Marincowitz, who recited a quotation attributed to Confucius in a talk to the new boys: “Man who stand on hill with mouth open will wait long time for roast duck to drop in.”

“One of the lessons I’ve learnt along this journey, particularly related to training, is that it is necessary to force yourself to leave your comfort zone in order to progress,” says Neeral (OE 1999–2006), pictured above with his co-fellows in Toronto.

After leaving QE, he studied Medicine at Imperial College London from 2006–2012. He was vice-chair of an outreach programme called Vision, which ran conferences for secondary school pupils aimed at widening participation in Medicine. “Sometimes talented students just need a bit of advice and direction which they may not otherwise be exposed to, in order to reach their aspirations.”

As well as making life-long friends at Imperial, the highlights included his elective in Kilifi, Kenya, at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust facility under the tutelage of Professor Kath Maitland: “She has done great work on malaria and malnutrition in the region.”

An opportunity to travel around South East Asia for five weeks with friends got off to an unfortunate start when he was put into isolation in a public Bangkok hospital for a week with H1N1 flu (during the 2009 pandemic). But after making a full recovery, Neeral re-joined his friends and visited Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Borneo.

His biggest inspiration at university was Professor Simon Taylor-Robinson, a hepatologist with an interest in translational research – in particular, imaging techniques to assess liver disease. “Undertaking my BSc project under his mentorship initiated my interest in medical imaging.”

After university, he moved to Birmingham for two years to undertake Academic Foundation Training, which is a dedicated programme for those who may wish to pursue a mixed clinical and academic career.

He then returned to Imperial College NHS Trust in 2014 for clinical radiology training, during which he developed his nascent interest in interventional radiology – “an exciting field in which minimally invasive techniques are utilised to treat a spectrum of diseases across a range of body systems using image guidance, whether that be fluoroscopy (x-ray), ultrasound, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.”

Certain diseases for which surgery was the only previous option – with associated morbidity and mortality – can now be treated through a pinhole in the groin or wrist, using catheters and wires.

“The list of minimally invasive procedures offered by interventional radiology is endless and ever-increasing as new medical devices are innovated. Ultimately, patients are almost always able to go home the same day with no incisions, improving quality of life and reducing the risk of potential complications.”

Through his research interests in the subject, he has attended and presented at conferences in cities across the globe including Lisbon, Barcelona, Dubai and New York.

“During my time training in London I continued my interest in outreach by co-organising a careers day with the Royal College of Radiologists and Imperial College London for students interested in medicine. Those attending were exposed to hands-on activities related to diagnostic radiology, interventional radiology and clinical oncology.”

The photo shows him with Professor Nicola Strickland, past President of the Royal College of Radiologists and one of his consultants when he trained in radiology at Imperial.

Having completed diagnostic and interventional radiology training in London, the opportunity came to go to Canada. “The benefit of doing training in another country includes experiencing a completely new healthcare system and, particularly with procedural specialties, developing new skills and learning new techniques which I can then bring back to the UK in my future career as a consultant. Enjoying the new culture and all Toronto has to offer is, of course, a bonus.”

He soon overcame his initial qualms. “Having lived here for a year now, Toronto is a fantastic city, very diverse, with an excellent food scene. The national dish, poutine, is a particular favourite – how can you go wrong with chips, cheese and gravy! There are also great ski slopes very close by. The summers are glorious; however, the winters can be harsh, reaching -20C! The natural beauty of Canada is incredible, perhaps Banff and Whistler being the most well-known spots to visit, but other areas such as Newfoundland, Quebec City and Nova Scotia also have their own charm.”

Prior to the pandemic, he was able to fly back and forth at regular intervals to see friends and family. While Covid-19 has a huge impact on healthcare workers across the globe, he is complimentary about the Canadian government’s handling of the pandemic. “Although anxiety levels have been palpable within the hospitals at which I work, particularly at the height of the pandemic, we have seen incredible acts of kindness and a real coming together of the profession.”

Now that Canada is past the peak, he reflects, “the research and clinical experience I have gained here has certainly been exceptional and worthwhile.”

Neeral cherishes very fond memories of his time at QE. Among the highlights were:

• “A School trip to Russia, which was huge fun and included seeing the Moscow state circus, getting the overnight train from St Petersburg to Moscow, and attempting to order a McDonalds in Russian.”
• “Playing for the cricket First XI in the Sixth Form (without question, to make up the numbers).”
• A Nuffield Bursary summer placement at the National Institute for Medical Research in Mill Hill, where his work on a project investigating novel TB vaccines helped to foster an interest in medical research.

He attended his ten-year School reunion dinner in 2016. “It was fantastic to catch up with many old classmates, some of whom I hadn’t seen since leaving QE, and great to see the diverse career paths taken, from social media influencers, start-up entrepreneurs and music producers to leaders in the arts, law and science.”

Neeral also visited QE to give a talk to sixth-formers who wanted to pursue a career in Medicine. “I spoke specifically on my specialty of interventional radiology, which is a field many aspiring medics may not necessarily have even heard of, and so I wanted to give them a flavour of what we as clinicians can offer patients in the modern era.”

“On a brief tour, it was impressive to see how far the School has come under the leadership of Mr Enright, both in terms of academic achievements as well as new facilities, in particular the swimming pool – I remember the days of swimming in the old, damp and cold pool in the winter months, an experience I really wouldn’t want to relive in a hurry! It was also great to meet some of my teachers again, including Mr [Mev] Armon, Dr [Malcolm] Russell and Mr [David] Ryan who were, and still are, first-class educators and mentors.”

He has been pleased to see leavers in recent years take up offers at US and Canandian universities, including, most recently, Aly Sayani, who has won a place at the University of Toronto.

Neeral heartily recommends that younger Elizabethans consider Medicine: “a fantastic career with a specialty to suit all interests and personalities, with opportunities across the globe, whether it be a developed or developing country. It is a truly transferable career path, and some of my friends have even left clinical medicine completely to take up positions in healthcare technology and consultancy firms.”

In conclusion, he says Dr Marincowitz’s strictures about roast duck still resonate with him to this day: “I am grateful to QE for nurturing their students to seek and make the most of all opportunities that are presented in life.”

Finalists in QE’s Mars Lander project not only impressed with their knowledge of space travel, but also showed they had got to grips with the more down-to-earth requirements of academic research. 

Assistant Head (Pupil Progress) Sarah Westcott paid tribute to the finalists in the Year 7 contest, praising them for eschewing all plagiarism and crediting references accurately. 

The boys had to put together a PowerPoint file with facts and figures about the requirements, challenges and risks of sending a manned spacecraft to Mars, with shortlisted entrants then submitting a video of themselves delivering the presentation.  

While their space knowledge was an important factor, the main purpose of the project included teaching the boys about what constitutes plagiarism and how to carry out basic referencing, and developing their fact-finding skills, both online and written. The project was part of the Summer Term’s Personal Development Time scheme of work. 

After shortlisting nine pupils to submit a recording of their work, Head of Year Tom Harrison had the difficult task of selecting just four for Dr Westcott to assess and judge. Placing Colin Copcea first, Dr Westcott said: “Colin really impressed with his presentation – not only his grasp of scientific facts and choice of images, but also his use of references and sources.” 

Daniel Macholl took second place, with Kayilai Dinesh and Akhilesh Karthikeyan sharing the third spot. 

“I was very impressed with the amount of effort the boys had put into their research and presentations,” said Mr Harrison. “It was really very difficult to select just four as the finalists, as the standard was very high. All the participants did very well.” 

Dr Westcott was also struck by how well the boys presented their findings and the way in which they had clearly grasped the essentials of referencing and the unacceptability of plagiarism. “They generally chose highly reputable sources for their research – NASA, the BBC – and looked carefully at the file extensions, for example .gov, which give a fairly good indication as to whether a particular website is likely to be reliable.” She told them that although Wikipedia could be a good starting point for research, it should never be quoted as a primary source, as its independence could not be guaranteed. 

In a recorded adjudication for Year 7, she praised the boys for their high level of scientific content and offered advice on how their work could be even further improved. 

Architecture student Nabil Haque has enjoyed stellar academic success in his final year at Jesus College, Cambridge, winning a string of prizes and accolades.

Nabil (OE 2010–2017) graduates with the highest-possible class of degree – Double First with Distinction – and an overall score of 80 out of 100, which is the top mark recorded by the university’s Architecture department in five years.

He thus won the award for the best Architecture student of his year, having also secured several other college prizes for academic performance, including the Sir Leslie Martin Prize for Architecture.

“The grade I received this year makes me eligible for the BASS Fellowship, a fully-funded, expenses-covered two-year scholarship to Yale University, where I wish to pursue my Part II Architecture Master’s. I am currently completing my year in industry at Caruso St John Architects, winner of the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2016.”

He has been nominated by Cambridge for the: Architects’ Journal National Student Awards; Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) President’s Medal Bronze Award for Undergraduate Portfolio, and RIBA President’s Medal Dissertation Award. “The RIBA President’s Medals in particular are the most prestigious architectural awards in the world, and it has been an honour to be nominated by the university for them.”

Yet, says Nabil, his final year at Cambridge “has been by no means an easy one, with strikes for eight weeks during the first term and coronavirus relegating my final term to home-based learning”.

Nabil says QE has remained at the forefront of his mind throughout his time at Cambridge, where, he found, the School’s reputation preceded him: “It is no exaggeration to say that professors, tutors and even my peers always recognise a ‘QE boy’.”

He was involved in many areas of School life, for example, captaining the First XV and winning a place on the Royal Academy of Arts’ attRAct programme in the Sixth Form.

He pays particular tribute to Head of Art Stephen Buckeridge for the instrumental role he played in the formative stages of his education, pointing out that he was one of no fewer than three QE boys in his year on Cambridge’s extremely competitive Architecture degree course (together with Danny Martin and Tochi Onuora). It was, he said, the “freedom, confidence and individuality” that Mr Buckeridge fostered during their Sixth Form years which enabled them to navigate their design projects so successfully. “QE is the most represented school across all three years of Architecture undergraduates at Cambridge,” Nabil says.

He also maintains strong links with other QE alumni in his year at Cambridge, counting Christopher Deane, Viral Gudiwala and Tomas Viera-Short among his close friends.

“My time at Cambridge was by and large a direct extension of my time at QE. I represented the university for rugby (Second XV) and athletics, I held positions on the Jesus College Student Union (including Black and Minority Ethnic Officer), was a student representative for the Jesus College Legacies of Slavery Committee and was, in 2019, responsible for the first-ever art exhibition exclusively for BME exhibitors.

“The confidence to take up such positions, pursue my interests and further myself physically, mentally and academically all stem from the foundations I laid down at QE.”