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The whole of Year 7 found out more about the amazing musical potential of the human body in a pair of percussion workshops.

During the events, organised by the Music department as part of QE’s Enrichment Week, the boys had ample opportunity to try out for themselves techniques used to make music without any instruments.

Acting Director of Music Jennifer Brown said: “These activities were not only great fun, but they also really stretched the boys. Using the voice and/or body to make music as part of a group enhances pupils’ musicianship by providing strategies to help them achieve a collective sense of pulse and to memorise different rhythms, therefore allowing them to fully engage with musical material.”

In a two-hour Body Percussion workshop led by experts from music and dance organisation Inspire-works, pupils were shown how to produce exciting rhythms and sounds by stamping their feet on the floor, patting thighs with open palms, clicking fingers, clapping hands and patting or knocking their chest.

Mrs Brown said: “The morning culminated in a complicated dance routine that was challenging and exhilarating.”

The other workshop was on beatboxing (a musical style based on the vocal imitation of percussion sounds) and was led by QE Music teacher Hannah Morgan. Pupils explored a variety of vocal patterns and sounds that went well beyond the familiar ‘boots and cats’ sound typically learned by beatboxing beginners.

“For years, scientists have struggled to identify and classify the intricate sounds that emanate from a beatboxer’s mouth. Year 7 had lots of fun in this workshop, but as they discovered, beatboxing is definitely harder to do well than you might imagine,” added Mrs Brown.

Pupils at Queen Elizabeth’s School have topped last year’s record results with a GCSE performance that saw the proportion of examinations awarded levels 8 & 9 – the equivalent of A* – rising to 79%.

Forty-nine boys – well over a quarter of the 180-strong Year 11 – gained A* grades (8s & 9s) across all of their GCSEs. Over 55% of examinations were given the highest grade possible, a level 9. And 13 of the 49 achieved the ultimate clean sweep – all grade 9s.

In total, 55% of QE’s GCSE candidates (99 boys) learned today that they had achieved grades 7-9 (grades A*-A) in all their subjects. A 100% pass rate for the Government-supported English Baccalaureate (EBacc*) further underlines the strength in depth of this year’s GCSE performance at the School.

The GCSE figures follow last week’s very strong A-level results, which saw QE identified in the league table published by The Times as London’s top secondary school across both the private and state sectors, and as the leading state secondary nationally.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “This is a lovely day of great celebration at Queen Elizabeth’s School. We made a big leap at the very top end in last year’s GCSE results, so it is most impressive that this year’s cohort have been able to extend that record.

“The introduction of level 9 has been very helpful for our pupils, giving them the opportunity to distinguish themselves by demonstrating just what they can do at the uppermost end of the academic spectrum.

“I congratulate the boys both on their consistent hard work over the past two years and on their diligence in revising for their final examinations. Credit must also go to my colleagues: these results would not have been achieved without their often-inspirational teaching and the meticulous individual support they provide for the boys.”

Individual success stories included that of Aqif Choudhury, who was the top performer across the whole country in his GCSE Economics examination (OCR board).

Among other highlights is the performance of those who opted to take Latin, with 100% of candidates achieving grade 8 or 9 in this subject, which was re-introduced at the School in 2012.

Mr Enright added: “Important though examination results are, they remain only one facet of the rounded education provided at QE today, where we lay great emphasis on service to others and expect boys to participate in our full range of extra-curricular activities, including the performing arts and sport. I am looking forward to these Year 11 boys returning for the Sixth Form next month and to catching up with them on their adventures over the summer, when many have been on work experience placements and taking part in NCS – the Government-backed programme that brings together young people from different backgrounds.”

*The EBacc is achieved by gaining passes at levels 9-4 (equivalent to A*–C) in all of the following: English, Mathematics, History or Geography, Science and a language.

Civil engineer Karan Dewnani is relishing being part of one of Europe’s most high-profile projects, while also making time to contribute to society both through his career and through sport.

Karan (OE 2006–2013) first began working in the rail industry on internships while taking a Civil and Structural Engineering Master’s degree at Sheffield, which he completed in 2017. He works for the American civil engineering giant, Jacobs.

A project manager on the High Speed 2 railway, he says: “I have received great exposure to all the disciplines that are required to deliver the construction of a state-of-the-art railway. I look forward to seeing the day when the first passenger trains run between Euston and the West Midlands.”

His prior projects included a range of tube upgrades for Transport for London: “These have already been installed on the District line, improving the frequency of the service.

“In the medium term, I am working towards achieving Chartered Engineer status and Membership of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). This is a process that has required me to demonstrate my competence as a civil engineer and is achieved by writing progress reports and having a professional career review day, typically achieved around five years after graduation.”

Karan gave early notice of his engineering prowess, winning the ICE QUEST Award in 2013, while in his final year at QE.

“I have fond memories of my time at QE and made some great friends in the seven years. I particularly enjoyed my time in the Sixth Form. I’m sure other alumni will say this too, but you realise how far ahead QE is, in terms of developing students into well-rounded and intelligent individuals, once you go to uni and compare your school life with other students.”

Karan tries to stay in touch both with the School and with fellow alumni. Last year, he gave a talk to current pupils; he recently attended Founder’s Day and the QE Careers Convention, and he is looking forward to the new University Mock Interview Evening later in the year. “Such events provide a great opportunity to meet old friends and network.”

Other volunteering activities include his work as a STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics] Ambassador through the national, Government-backed scheme. “I take part in some events encouraging younger students to take up STEM activities and careers – most recently, at this month’s open day at the London Transport Museum aimed at primary school children, taking questions about jobs and careers in transportation and engineering.”

He remains a keen graduate member of the ICE and has been in touch with the School recently about the possibility of pupils participating in the #ICanEngineer competition run by ICE’s London region, which is sponsored by his employer, Jacobs, and is this year themed around the creation of new flood defences for the capital.

“In my spare time, I play tag rugby,” he adds. “This started off as a corporate league and I have continued to play with work colleagues for over a year.” He also works for the organisation, Try Tag Rugby, as a referee in its Hyde Park leagues. “I’d like to think that playing rugby in QE helped massively in me taking this up as sport, which is upcoming in the UK.”

QE’s youngest boys had to combine individual talent and good teamwork to succeed in the inter-House Year 7 Maths Fair at the end of the summer term.

Inspired by the UK Mathematics Trust’s Team Maths Challenge events, the Mathematics department’s annual morning of activities pits the six Houses against each other.

The boys take part in a carousel of mathematical challenges, some of which are more familiar problem-solving (such as the round entitled A Question of Maths), while others major on the practical (such as tangrams, which involve putting together seven flat shapes to create a specified shape).

One highlight of the event is the relay round, which combines speed in movement around the room with mental speed in solving a mathematical problem.

Assistant Head of Mathematics Wendy Fung said: “The idea is to show boys that mathematical problems come in many different formats as well as to help them to develop team-working skills.”

The overall winners were Pearce, with 767 points; second was Broughton, with 740, and third, Underne, with 688. Pearce were subsequently presented with a trophy – the Scarisbrick Shield – in assembly.

“From electricity to football, Maths is all around us. Winning the Maths Fair is an unforgettable achievement,” said Haris Shahid from Pearce.

This was the second year in which Year 12 pupils have supported the event. Each Year 7 team was supervised by one of the sixth-formers, who also provided essential logistical support for the fair.

Paying tribute to the Year 12 boys for their contribution and noting that they had themselves taken part in a similar Year 7 Maths Fair back in 2014, Miss Fung said: “The event would not have been able to run without their help. The sixth-formers certainly enjoyed issuing red cards to any Year 7 boys who did not follow the relay ‘no-running’ policy!”

All six Houses were also required to create a poster entitled What is Mathematics? Each of the multiple teams within each house had to create a part of the poster. They were asked to prepare in advance by coordinating the different sections so that their poster would encompass the many facets of Mathematics.

Having been chosen as the winning poster, Broughton’s entry was displayed in the Mathematics department.

Year 8 boys combined Mathematics and Science with some exciting new materials to come up with creative solutions to everyday problems.

The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) enrichment day involved pupils working in teams, with each allocated a different business role.

After first designing and building a prototype, they then pitched it to a team of ‘dragons’ – expert assessors modelled on those seen on TV’s Dragons’ Den.

The day was run by Simon Kettle, Executive Director of STEMworks, a not-for-profit company dedicated to promoting STEM.

He gave the boys a design brief, encouraging them to think about possible applications for materials such as D3o – a substance discovered at the University of Hertfordshire in 1999 that is soft and flexible when worn, but impact-resistant in a collision. The pupils also considered how the design of mobile apps might be used to help disabled people.

The boys worked in their teams in roles covering graphic design, marketing and product manufacture, and as the managing director.

The winners chosen by the dragons included a prototype for luggage that could be used to charge a phone whilst a passenger waited in an airport and a wristwatch to help those suffering with dementia remember to take their medication.

The day was supported by STEM ambassadors from German multinational Siemens and the London-based engineering consultancy, Waterman Group, who spoke to the boys about careers in engineering.