Viewing archives for

Ten sixth-formers headed to the West End to see a dark comedy set at the time of the UN’s landmark climate conference at which the Kyoto Protocol was adopted.

They returned to the School full of praise for what they had watched, with several declaring themselves more motivated to play their own part in combatting climate change.

Accompanied by Deputy Head (Academic) and Geography teacher Anne Macdonald, they went to see Kyoto at @sohoplace – a theatre opened in 2022 as part of the Crossrail project.

Written by Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson, the play is set in the Kyoto Conference Centre on 11th December 1997, with the world’s nations in deadlock, 11 hours past the time when the conference should have ended. With time running out and an agreement still seeming a remote prospect, the greatest obstacle is Washington lawyer and oil lobbyist, Don Pearlman.

Produced and acted by the Royal Shakespeare Company and Good Chance, the play was performed to great acclaim at the Swan Theatre last year before moving to @sohoplace in 2025.

It is not the first encounter by QE pupils with the work of Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson: the pair’s earlier play, The Jungle, which is about the unofficial camp for migrants and refugees in Calais, was the School Play in 2023.

Afterwards, Mrs Macdonald gathered the reflections of nine of the boys on the play.

Year 12
Simi Bloom: “Seeing Kyoto was a fantastic experience; watching a comic yet thought-provoking political thriller was a first for me but it did not disappoint. Every actor was extremely compelling – in particular, the delegate for Kiribati [actor Andrea Gatchalian] gave a sensational performance – and the ending has given me a lot of thought as to how I can do my part…[on] climate change.”

Felix Calder: “The performance was absolutely stellar. This play really helped me understand why diplomacy is fundamentally such a nightmare, and gave me a much broader understanding of the climate crisis. I’d love to see something like this performed at QE.”

Shailen Patel: “An amazing performance that was engaging and thrilling throughout. I left with a new hope and sense of urgency to make change on the world around us.”

Riyan Siyani: “The play was really good at highlighting just how much chaos and disruption the major oil companies caused in the progression of the world’s journey to a sustainable future, all for the purpose of increasing their own profits.”

Year 13
Andreas Angelopoulos: “Seeing the tension between economic interests and environmental responsibility portrayed so powerfully made me reflect on my future career path and how I can contribute to a more sustainable world.”

Ken Kajar: “The actors did an excellent job capturing the tensions between nations, highlighting why progress felt so slow. The endless bureaucracy engineered by the Seven Sisters [seven large oil companies] was a stark reminder of the power large corporations play through lobbying, and yet despite this, I felt moved by the performance to do more to reduce my carbon footprint.”

Saim Khan: “Whether it was the charming, suave demeanour of COP* Chairman Raul Estrada or the hard-headed and self-assured diplomacy of [former UK Deputy Prime Minister] John Prescott, the negotiations were brought to life in a truly spectacular way.”

Nikhil Mark: “The play was intensely interesting, full of humour but more importantly revelations about the true world of superpower negotiation and ugly truth about the response of the world to the growing climate crisis. I especially enjoyed its informative value and the crude but hilarious comments from Don Pearlman, a staunch climate change denier.”

Chanakya Seetharam: “I found the selection of Don Pearlman to be the most ingenious feature of the play. Pearlman’s mordant and deeply cynical narration offered a terrifying picture of the slow pace and frequent ineffectiveness of international climate negotiations. Particularly terrifying was his reminder at the end of the play that anyone who had driven a car or taken a flight had ‘paid [his] wages’. After a play which had largely highlighted the shortcomings of the international system, I think this ending, with its recognition of our collective complicity, was deeply important. I found Kyoto a brilliant piece of theatre and one which left me with all sorts of questions.”

*Conference of the Parties (COP) is the supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The results of a survey of pupils conducted by the School reveal that nearly four-fifths are ‘very happy’ or ‘quite happy’ at QE.

Conducted as QE undertakes the process of drawing up a new School Plan to cover the next five years, the survey showed that boys enjoy learning at the School and feel safe.

Almost 80% of QE’s 1,300-plus pupils responded to the voluntary survey, which featured 30 questions on subjects ranging from online safety to School trips.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “With wellbeing and mental health such an area of concern in society at large, it was hugely encouraging to read that the vast majority of our pupils are happy and get on well with each other. Friendliness between pupils is hugely important and I am delighted to see our boys reflecting so positively on this measure.

“We will now use this survey, as well as the results of a parental survey revealed last term, to inform our thinking as we prepare QE’s development plan for 2025–2030.”

Pastorally, 94% of respondents said they felt safe at School ‘all the time’ or ‘most of the time’, while 81% enjoyed learning at School most or all of the time.

Some of the questions mirrored those set in a similar survey in 2019. In most cases, the new pupil survey results showed a small, but appreciable, uplift over of the earlier survey.

The questionnaire responses were especially emphatic in answer to the question: Please tell us how you feel the School is helping you to develop the following qualities and skills. Listed were: honesty & integrity; mutual respect & kindness; personal moral code; resilience; responsibility; self-confidence; self-discipline; self-reliance & independence. All generated overwhelmingly positive responses, from 88% to 96%.

Asked which skills they felt they were actively developing at School, pupils gave as their top answers ‘critical thinking’, ‘communication’ and ‘resilience’.

One of the greatest changes since 2019 has been the development of QE’s digital strategy and 1:1 programme. In a new question, the statement QE encourages me to make effective and safe use of internet-enabled devices generated an 84% positive response rate.

Another key area of development for the School recently has been a focus on dialogic learning: 81% agreed that ‘classroom discussions support my learning’ in every lesson or most lessons. Out of lessons, 86% agreed that they ‘regularly take part in School activities…such as clubs, sports, music and art’ – another new question.

Other responses include the following, with the percentages indicating the proportion of pupils who ‘strongly agree’ or ‘agree’ with the statements (2019 percentage in brackets):                                               

• QE encourages me to look after my physical health: 71% (64%)
• QE encourages me to look after my emotional and mental health: 78% (74%)
• There is an adult at School I can talk to if something is worrying me: 76% (56%)
• There is a good range of trips/visits made available to me: 63% (53%)
• I regularly take part in school activities outside of lessons such as clubs, sports, music and art: 86% (n/a – new question)

The survey also helps to identify areas of demand for further provision, such as more interaction with alumni for those in the Lower School to balance with the great many opportunities for support and guidance from Old Elizabethans available to those older students more imminently making decisions about their futures.

The latest edition of QE’s creative magazine, The Arabella, includes a look at the eponymous Lady Arabella Stuart, exploring her tragic life but also her lively intellect and talent for writing.

Year 12 pupil Keon Robert’s profile thus demonstrates how apt it is that the magazine carries the name of this claimant to the throne (pictured here), who died in the Tower of London in 1615 at the age of just 39.

Her connection to the School is that she stayed for some months in Barnet in the house of Thomas Conyers, a QE Governor, after falling ill en route to Durham, while Rev Matthias Milward, also a Governor and subsequently Master of the School, attended to her spiritual needs.

Keon’s piece is among some 50 items to grace the pages of the richly illustrated magazine, which has as its overall theme, Legacy. Those with access to the School’s eQE may access The Arabella here.

The student editorial team were assisted by staff including Library Services Assistant Corinna Illingworth, who said: “We are grateful to writers and artists from all years to give us their interpretation of Legacy, from looking into influences from the past to investigating movements that will guide our duty for the future.”

The magazine includes colourful artworks supplied by the Art department, as well as poetry and articles on Politics, Science, Classics and Modern Foreign Languages. The Languages section includes boys’ entries to the national Anthea Bell Translation Competition.

Head Editor Timi Banjo, of Year 12, wrote in his foreword: “In this 13th edition of The Arabella, we celebrate the imagination and critical engagement of our students across a broad landscape of thought…Each page of this magazine is a tribute to Arabella Stuart’s defiance and brilliance, and the remarkable voices of our students who, like her, challenge the world through the written word.”

Timi leads a 12-strong team drawn from the senior year groups.

Here are just a few examples of the varied content:

• What will be left of the Conservatives? Poem by Ishaan Uplanchi, Year 7
• A villanelle on villainy. Poem by Adyansh Sahai, Year 9
• The Legacy of the British Rule over South Yemen. Politics section. Kabir Chadha, Year 7
• Portrait of Immortality: Legacy of Oscar Wilde. Politics section. Hari Rathakrishnan. Year 11
• How the Romans’ section impacted Britain. Classics section. Anirvinn Lakshmipuruam Sudarsan. Year 7
• Birth of German Nationalism – The Thirty Year War of 1618-1648. History section. Agam Chaudhary, Year 11
• The Evolution of Medicine Through History. Science section. Tanay Shetty, Year 9
• The Unsung Hero – Martin Cooper. Science section. Anish Bhattacharyya
• Country and Character: The Patriotic Yearnings of Joachim du Bellay’s ‘Les Regrets’. Modern Foreign Languages section. Vu-Lam Le-Nguyen, Year 11.
• Translations of an excerpt from coming-of-age book, ‘Wie der Wahnsinn mir die Welt erklärte’ by Dita Zipfel. Anthea Bell Translation Competition entries by Parth Jain, of Year 10, and Akshaj Vyas, of Year 11.

The 63 pages of the online magazine are interspersed with artworks in a wide variety of styles by pupils drawn from year groups throughout the School.

Shown here, top to bottom, are pieces by: Vineet Raaj, of Year 7 (which is used on the front cover of the magazine); Arin Gupta, of Year 9 (after the portrait of Arabella Stuart); Neel Sinha, of Year 9; and Yashinth Sivananthan, of Year 11.

QE’s in-house Economics magazine has proved so popular throughout the School that it has been opened up to younger boys for the first time.

Issue 23 of The Econobethan, which has as its theme South America Uncovered, features contributions from boys in every year group from Year 7 right through to the Sixth Form. In addition to Economics, it includes articles related to Politics, History and Sociology.

Economics teacher Celia Wallace said: “It’s another brilliant edition – this time on all things South American. This magazine is entirely student-run – their topics, their ideas, their articles.”

Twenty submitted pieces, spread over 35 pages, are divided into two sections – on Economic Development and Economic Setbacks.

In their introduction, the Year 12 editorial team of Shuban Singh, Adithya Raghuraman, Shourya Garg, Zain Ahmed explain this division: “The continent of South America currently stands at a crossroad of economic transformation…South America’s attempts at growth have been both dynamic and challenging; shaped by the different policy experimentation and integration into the global market. [The Economic Development] section delves into this pursuit of economic expansion, where reforms have coexisted alongside certain vulnerabilities.

“Yet, despite progress, profound structural weaknesses persist as financial crises, inflation, corruption, and political instability continue to undermine long-term growth. [The Economic Setback] section examines the vulnerabilities that have held South America back, as well as the policy choices that may determine its future trajectory.”

The young writers range far and wide both in terms of themes and geography. For example, Year 12’s Amogh Pai looks at The Ecuador-Canada Trade Deal, while Mukunth Natarajan, also of Year 12, explores How the Metrocable Transformed Medellin (covering the impact of a gondola lift in Colombia’s second-largest city). From among the Lower School writers, Year 7’s Ibrahim Abbas digs into The Lithium Boom in South America.

Year 11 pupil Shubhay Chawla focuses on 20th-century history with his article, US Cold War Policy’s Impact on South America, as does Zain Ahmed in his study of a famous South American dictator’s economic policy, Pinochet and Chile’s Intro to Neoliberalism.

Others, however, fix their attention firmly on the years and decades to come: Azlaan Ali, of Year 8, asks How will Foreign Direct Investment Impact South America? and Mayank Jagetia, of Year 9, considers Is Dollarisation the Future for South America?

• Those with access to the eQE portal may read this and previous editions of The Econobethan here.

Sixth-formers Karan Somani and Samrath Sareen have won the FT’s Schools Champion Award after stirring up huge interest in the news organisation’s work among their fellow pupils.

Having been selected for the FT Student Advocate Programme, the pair threw themselves into the role, securing 94 sign-ups from other QE boys keen to read the FT and find out more about its work. This figure was the highest for any school worldwide.

Head of Economics Krishna Shah said: “Karan and Samrath are to be congratulated on the great commitment they showed to the FT programme. I know they have benefitted significantly from all that it has to offer.”

The Student Advocate Programme gives up to three pupils from each participating school the opportunity to develop ideas on how the FT can better engage with young people and to raise awareness of the benefits of reading it.

Karan praised the programme: “As a student with a great passion for economics, it’s been helpful to learn more about stylistic writing and the technique to create informative content at the highest levels.

“The interactive webinars and sessions with members of the editorial team have been a great way to expand my knowledge around current affairs and the general economic state of the country.”

As part of their involvement, Karan and Samrath gave a talk to the Gresham Society (QE’s Economics society), in which they critically analysed the impacts of the most recent decisions of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on the economy. Another focus of attention was the economic policy of President Trump.

“The presentation at the Gresham Society was a great success, and it was very interesting to hear different opinions about Trumpian politics and its impacts on the politics and trade relations across the world,” said Karan.

During the programme, the pair were set a series of tasks. These, said Samrath, “allowed us to deepen our understanding and interest of key economic and financial principles, such as the large-scale impact AI is currently having on the economy”.

Samrath added: “It was great to see how many students in our School regularly read the FT to aid and enhance their studies. My favourite part of this programme was interacting with like-minded students from around the world.”

The pair won a £50 gift voucher and a certificate as their prize for winning the award.

As part of the School’s involvement with the FT, its Head of Visual and Data Journalism, Alan Smith, came in to give a lecture earlier this year.

He recounted to the boys his own educational journey. He had pursued A-levels and higher education when that was not the norm for those from his background, and he also seized an opportunity to study abroad, thereby gaining skills which he would not otherwise have learned.

Ahsan Rahman, of Year 11, said: “We heard about how technology and different forms of data analysis have helped Alan within his articles to display very complex information in a digestible form for their readers.”

Eesa Bhaijee, also of Year 11, added: “Alan stretched the boundaries of data presentation through his sonification [use of non-speech audio] of the US yield curve, making it accessible to a wider range of audiences, including the visually impaired community.”

Both Eesa and Ahsan were especially impressed by the work Alan and the FT team had done to bring to life the Moniac (Monetary National Income Analogue Computer). Designed as a teaching device, this was created in 1949 by London School of Economics (LSE) student Bill Phillips, using water to show how money flows around an economy. At least 12 were built.

In collaboration with Cambridge University, home of one of the last working original Moniacs, an FT project team created the FT Money Machine, which bridges the gap between the Moniac’s  historical analogue computing and modern digital learning, using the Apple Vision Pro headset to blend digital content with the physical world.

It was, said Eesa, simply “mind-blowing”.