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Want to make the best use of your study time at home? Deputy Head (Academic) Anne Macdonald  has produced these handy hints to help you with your remote learning.

Keep to a routine: Undertake work Monday-Friday, following a timetable to build variety into your day and week, take breaks to rest, pursue hobbies and interests, and to exercise (whilst following Government guidance about social distancing).

Use eQE: Make the most of the support being offered by your teachers via eQE – ‘add comment’ to tasks set on eQE if you want to ask questions about the work or if you are stuck.

Be organised: Click ‘complete’ for tasks that are finished, archiving them to keep your task list organised; ensure you are following teacher instructions about how to set out and organise your work, printing and filing anything you are asked to by your teacher.

Collaborate: Where possible, collaborate with your peers on your work. You may already by doing this, but there are opportunities to test each other on new vocabulary or content, help each other when stuck, converse in French and/or German, play musical duets etc. This could be achieved, with your parents’ permission and guidance, via social media/communication platforms (some of which you may already be using) e.g. FaceTime, Google Hangouts, Zoom, Skype etc.

Challenge yourself: When you have completed the set work, explore the subject pages on eQE, visit The Queen’s Library page to use the online resources such as links to free Audible audio books, The Day newspaper (including exploring the Become an expert links on any articles that are of interest) and so on.

Revision: Regular revision has benefits for your long-term learning; follow the guidance you are given by departments about how to develop/organise your revision notes, memorise new content and test yourself on it.

More information: After Easter, we will issue further information about how teachers will monitor and assess your learning.

David Ryan, Deputy Head (Pastoral), has some tips for boys and their parents on how to maintain psychological wellbeing during this challenging time.

Routine is important, as it gives us a sense of purpose; without that sense of purpose, it’s easy to feel down, so having a routine that we keep to helps us through a period of isolation, such as the one that we are experiencing. Differentiating Monday to Friday from the weekend, and doing something different then, is very helpful.

Talking is important, too, for all of us. Many people will talk as much to their work and school colleagues as to their family members, and losing this contact can make us feel a little lost. Ensuring that we talk as a family is definitely important. Also, while too much ‘screen time’ is not good, young people are very good at communicating and staying in touch with each other electronically and we shouldn’t under-estimate this as a way of keeping up spirits and alleviating boredom.

Positivity: In the time of a national emergency, it’s very easy for young people to perceive the world in a negative way. Therefore, it is important to encourage them to consider the many positive aspects of life that we see, even in a crisis. Many, if not all, QE parents will be able to tell stories of their parents, grandparents and other relatives in their family’s history who have had to overcome similar, if not greater, challenges than that which we are facing now. Reminding young people that while we are vulnerable to illnesses like this one, the human story is ultimately one of survival, can help the boys maintain perspective at this worrying time: there are many inspirational stories within families.

Re-thinking: Seeing the situation that we are in as an opportunity for reflection, re-thinking and doing some things differently is no bad thing, whatever our age. Having time to think about how we study or work; what our future plans are; what in life is important and what isn’t – these are all ways to help us get through the time that we have on our hands and to plan positively for the future.

Never be too proud: Some families may go through challenging times in the weeks and months ahead, personally, emotionally and financially. As a school, we want to do all that we can to assist all of our students and families; we would encourage you to let us know how things are for you, whatever the situation might be, and to tell us if they are problematic.

Further help: One of the biggest challenges of the current situation is how little time we have had to prepare for it, and that can affect people, as life seems to have changed radically, very quickly, and this can even lead to a sense of loss. Ensuring that the boys are looking after their mental health is very important, and we have a counsellor available to work online with students, if a parent has a concern. The advice available at this site is really helpful – hopefully it will be useful to you.

All QE entrants to the Royal Society of Chemistry UK Olympiad were awarded medals after successfully completing the first round of this testing and highly-regarded competition.

Last year’s School Captain, Bhiramah Rammanohar, and his fellow Year 13 pupil, Alejandro Lynch Gonzalez (pictured centre above), both secured gold. This put the Oxbridge-bound pair, who have offers to study at Jesus College, Cambridge, and Magdalen College, Oxford, respectively, in the top 8 per cent of the nearly 3,000 candidates who competed in the élite event, now in its 52nd year.

Chemistry teacher Charani Dharmawardhane said: “All the boys should be proud of their achievement: the competition consists of challenging questions that stretch pupils beyond the A-level specification.”

QE’s eight other participants – Fozy Ahmed, Manas Madan, Tai Oyama  and Sathujan Manmatharajah, pictured above, as well as Abilash Sivathasan, Dhru Patel, Pratham Upadhyay and Rushil Shah – all won either silver or bronze medals. All are from Year 13.

“Nearly a third of the contestants in the RSC Chemistry Olympiad did not receive any award at all, so our boys have done exceptionally well,” Miss Dharmawardhane added.

The RSC describes the competition as “a unique opportunity for students to push themselves further and excel in the chemistry field”. It adds that the olympiad helps develop critical problem-solving skills and creativity, while giving entrants the “chance to test their knowledge in new, real-world situations”.

Usually the first round is followed by a residential weekend for the top performers, with a national team selected from that for an international olympiad competition, but these stages have been cancelled this year.

Head of Technology Michael Noonan is putting the School’s 3D printers and laser-cutters to good use by manufacturing protective visors for the NHS – part of a co-ordinated effort to support the national fight against the Covid-19 virus.

In addition to coming into School twice a day to set up and run the machines, which would otherwise be idle, Mr Noonan is also co-ordinating 3D-printing efforts among volunteers from schools and individuals. The face shields and ventilator components are being produced for hospitals, GP surgeries and social care organisations.

He is being supported remotely by boys (many from the School’s robotics teams), who are working from home using their own 3D printers to boost production still further.

Mr Noonan says: “It’s a wonderful example of how design and innovation can help solve some of the big problems we face in the world.”

Headmaster Neil Enright added: “We are very proud to be able to play our part in supporting doctors and other medical staff – who include many of our old boys – working on the frontline to combat the virus and save lives. At a time of great national uncertainty, it is good to be able to report on something positive.”

QE staff are currently working from home because of the crisis, but Mr Enright was happy to grant Mr Noonan’s request to make short, twice-daily visits to use the machines in the School’s Fern Building.

The face shields are part of the Personal Protective Equipment (or PPE, in medical jargon) which are currently in short supply because of the heavy demand as the number of people confirmed as having the virus continues to grow rapidly.

Welsh engineer David Sims initially came up with the idea of using his home 3D printer to make the shields after a discussion on Facebook with others around the world working on designs to help health workers. He was quickly contacted by NHS doctors from around the country who placed orders with him.

The idea was then picked up by Tony Ryan, Chief Executive of the Design & Technology Association, who appealed to school Design & Technology departments to help.

Mr Noonan, who is a specialist in Computer-aided Manufacture and Rapid Prototyping using 3D printers, 3D routers and laser-cutters, immediately stepped in, not only producing the specialist masks and ventilator components, but also setting up dedicated a Facebook page and Twitter feed  (‘Design and Technology Education – Helping to fight the spread of coronavirus’) to guide other teachers.

“The idea is simple”, says Mr Noonan. “Individuals or schools use their 3D printers to print the visors using one of the many files that have been developed by teachers and designers around the country.”

After filling in their details on an online spreadsheet, they are then paired with a hospital close to them through the 3dcrowd, a volunteer group who are leading the national effort.

“I was one of the first London people involved, so I just kind of fell into coordinating,” Mr Noonan added.

“So far we here at QE have printed 20 visors, but now that we have the design finalised we are hoping to ramp up production to about 50 per day.

“We even have some of our wonderful QE students who have 3D printers at home helping us out.”

Eight QE boys are currently 3D-printing at home to help the effort: Year 9’s Niyam Shah and Soumil Sahjpal; Dillan Shah, of Year 11; Year 12’s Thomas Mgbor, Ukendar Vadivel, Deshraam Ganeshamoorthy and Devin Karia, and Akram Ahmad, of Year 13.

Several of these boys were recipients of this year’s Arkwright Engineering Scholarships and used their award money to fund the purchase of their 3D printers. Thomas is pictured, above, at work.

UPDATE: 3rd April 2020. Mr Noonan has now donated the first consignment of face shields to the NHS locally, handing over the supplies to Dr Ahmer Farooqi, Director, Barnet Federated GPs (and a QE dad), who have posted a thank you message on their website.

In recent days, the School has also donated its supply of 228 pairs of eye protection glasses to Dr Farooqi for use by GPs in Barnet.

To read more about the story of how and why Mr Noonan got involved, read Technology teacher Sean Kelly’s account, Designing a better tomorrow.

For more information on the national scheme, visit http://3dcrowd.uk

At this unprecedented time for schools and for society, our primary concern at the School is the wellbeing of all those in the Elizabethan community.

I am very conscious of the dedication and sacrifice of the many Old Elizabethans working so hard in the NHS and in other front-line professions. We are proud of the contribution they are making to the national effort.

We are doing what we can, too. Our Head of Technology, Michael Noonan, is currently using our 3D printers to manufacture face shields (a vital part of medics’ Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE) for the NHS. We have also worked with Dr Ahmer Farooqi, Director of the Barnet GP Federation (and a QE dad), to donate our supply of 228 pairs of eye protection glasses for use by local GPs in Barnet.

We are rapidly adapting to a new way of working and have instituted remote learning for all of the boys. Of course, eQE is already well established as a platform for complementary independent learning, but in the current situation it has now become our primary method for delivering education to the boys. We are challenging ourselves as a staff body to make lessons and activities as interactive and exciting as possible, and we are taking the opportunity to advance the School’s digital development, not just in terms of delivering the core curriculum, but also by thinking about what outstanding extra-curricular and pastoral provision looks like in this context. I am currently holding all staff meetings via Zoom’s video-conferencing software, for example, and we are looking at trialling this for learning activities, too. As we grapple with how we can ensure that the boys not only remain on track with their studies, but access as many opportunities to enrich themselves as possible, we are at the same time trying to maintain QE’s sense of community.

The strength of that community across the generations was evident in the numbers who contacted me to say that they wished to attend the memorial service that we had planned for Eamonn Harris. Unfortunately, the service had to be postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. I am pleased to say, however, that we have been able to include three profiles of School Captains from Eamonn’s time as Headmaster in this edition of Alumni News.

We have had to cancel all in-person alumni events, but I would emphasise that we want to be there for alumni, just as we are for current pupils and their families. In addition to this newsletter, we are continuing to publish content about old boys in the Alumni section of the School website. I also remind all Old Elizabethans that you can make useful connections through QE Connect, whether those are with current boys or with other OEs. At this difficult time, let us help each other.

Another cancellation arising from the current crisis has been of this summer’s public examinations. While I well understand the disappointment that many of our boys are feeling at being thus deprived of the opportunity to show their prowess, they are still to receive grades, so the transition to university should continue in a similar way to normal.

One undoubted highlight of this term was the news that 40 boys have been offered Oxbridge places. This is a new record for QE and represents a very considerable achievement, for the boys individually and for the School. Twenty-seven places are for Cambridge, the remaining 13 for Oxford.

For any school in pursuit of academic excellence, Oxbridge places constitute a useful metric. It is evidence that, as a state school and a meritocracy, QE is effectively providing pathways to world-leading universities for bright students, regardless of their social, racial or religious background.

As the speaker at our Year 12 luncheon, Sonita Alleyne OBE told our sixth-formers: “If you get the grades, you belong.” Since she is the first-ever black Master of any Oxbridge college and the first female Master at Jesus College, Cambridge, this message carries special resonance. During her visit, she also met the three final-year boys – Drew Sellis, Reza Sair and Bhiramah Rammanohar – who hold offers from Jesus College for the autumn.

Oxbridge offers should certainly be celebrated, and there has been great news for others, too, with many boys holding offers for courses such as Medicine and Dentistry, for example. There are interesting opportunities overseas, with 12 boys applying to US universities and one to Japan; one pupil has been awarded a $180,000 scholarship to study at the University of Toronto, based on academic merit – our first-ever offer from a Canadian university, as far as I am aware. Applications have been made across disciplines including Arabic, Classics, Criminology, Music, and Optometry, alongside subjects more commonly chosen by our boys.

Nottingham remains a popular choice of university here, with some 50 Elizabethan undergraduates currently studying there, not to mention post-graduate students. I was therefore pleased to welcome as our Senior Awards guest speaker, Professor Shearer West, Vice-Chancellor at Nottingham. At the ceremony, we recognised the scholarship and endeavours of boys from Years 10–12. In a new departure, we had planned a special valediction later in the year for Year 13; we hope this will still be able to take place.

Old Elizabethan help made a significant contribution to this year’s Oxbridge successes. Indeed, alumni now consistently play an important role in our senior boys achieving the best outcomes, lending their support through initiatives such as our USP (Universities Support Programme) and the inaugural Mock Interview Evening. Lectures and talks given by our alumni are also important in this regard: this term has seen Google manager Nikolai Donko (OE 2000-2007) enthusiastically championing ‘tech’ careers to the Upper School,  McKinsey Business Analyst Kiran Modi (OE 2007-2014) speaking to our aspiring economists, and Jordan Wan (OE 2004–2011) sharing with Year 9 boys insights into his work as an NHS Clinical Scientist Trainee. And when, during the winter, QE teams won two of the four main prizes (including the overall first prize) in the Institution of Civil Engineers’ #ICanEngineer competition in our first year of entry, another old boy, Karan Dewnani (OE 2006-2013) was on hand to greet them in the offices of engineering firm, Jacobs. Karan works for Jacobs as a Civil Engineer in the rail industry and, as a STEM Ambassador, was supporting the competition organisers on the day.

Very importantly, as I made clear in my speech at Senior Awards, the successes achieved by our senior boys are also the result of our emphasis on free-thinking scholarship throughout the entire School. Our focus is on the fundamental attributes that underpin scholarship, which include the nurturing of intellectual exploration beyond the bounds of the examination syllabus. We are open to expressions of scholarship which come in different guises and are inspired by different sources, such as the award-winning podcasts of George the Poet (George Mpanga, OE 2002–2009), or the work of another Old Elizabethan poet, Anthony Anaxagorou (1994–1999). We recognise that scholarship involves creativity (in the sciences as well as the arts), and that it can be emotional as well as empirical.

We are highly committed to excellence and to ensuring that it is evident in all the different facets of the School’s life. Our new Music School will be important as a venue for the creative arts and we recognise that the physical environment is a factor in the encouragement of scholarship. Alongside all the other ongoing improvement works taking place here, we are now out to tender for the build phase. We have ‘specced out’ the building, which will include a valuable social space (the atrium), and a recital hall.

While the operation of the School is inevitably disrupted at this time, as we look to the future, we are fortunate that the Elizabethan community is so strong. That strength will certainly see us through the present crisis, just as it has helped Queen Elizabeth’s School withstand other grave challenges in our 447-year history.

My very best wishes to you and your families. Thank you for your understanding and support, please stay in touch and, to repeat a widely used but nonetheless appropriate sentiment: stay safe.

Neil Enright
Headmaster