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Over the past couple of years, Jonathan Gunaseelan has done innovative fundraising for UNICEF, taught children in Tanzania, Cardiff and London and helped develop a water filtration system for first-nation Canadians.

All these opportunities, and others besides, have come about through Warwick University, where Jonathan (OE 2008–2015) is now completing his Civil Engineering degree.

“Warwick has provided me with an incredible platform to excel in both engineering and general life. Being the university with the highest number of societies for students to get involved with, you’re always busy and always meeting new people!

“Being a part of a campus university was something I was sceptical about before joining Warwick. But it’s like living in a little bubble where you know so many of the people, you get close with everyone very quickly!”

He recently returned to the UK after an exchange year in Canada, where he studied at Western University in Ontario. “Canada was incredible to say the least; a proper leap out of my comfort zone and a test of independence! I undertook several group projects, perhaps the most interesting being the development of a water filtration system for first-nation communities. Another project was a pavement design, as well a truss structure.

“Beyond academics, I was heavily involved with UNICEF and organised a fundraising initiative called FAST24 (a sponsored fast), which became a huge success.” There is now even talk of it becoming a national UNICEF campaign in Canada, Jonathan reports. “I got the opportunity to talk to the CEO of UNICEF Canada [David Morley, pictured left] and was invited to their annual AGM.”

In addition, he was involved in cultural societies and represented the university in dance performances in Toronto.

Jonathan has also taken part in the Insight Programme, which is part of Government’s Teach First initiative – “another amazing opportunity”.

After an initial week of training, personal development and workshops in London, he and his fellow trainees spent a week in Wales teaching at the Hawthorn High School near Pontypridd. “We got a hands-on approach to teaching and to tackling issues which teachers face every day!”

Between Canada and Teach First, Jonathan spent six weeks in Tanzania as part of Warwick University’s Warwick in Africa programme.

He spent this period at Mtwara Technical Secondary School in the city of Mtwara in the south-east of the country. Like QE, it is a selective school. It was a memorable experience, he says, during which he was struck by the lack of resources. “The painful part was that all the children were so keen to learn but didn’t have books.”

As he enters his fourth year at Warwick, Jonathan is looking forward to serving as a Team Leader, managing a group of undergraduate student helpers working to ensure that new students are happy and comfortable.

Through completing Teach First, and upon completion of its Insight Programme, he has received an offer to take part in the two-year Leadership Development Programme to become a fully qualified teacher.

“As for my longer-term ambitions, I am currently taking one hurdle at a time. I have my dissertation and group project this year, on the development of busways for megacities and the development of a new building worth £500m. I hope to dive further into either of these fields once I graduate, within construction or transportation.”

He maintains close friendships with a number of Old Elizabethans. “It’s amazing how all our lives have gone in different paths yet we always come back together to fill each other in, catch up and have a good laugh! Top tip to current students: forget quantity, and look for those few special friendships you form at QE that will come with you forever!”

Stapylton emerged as winners from the Year 7 House afternoon – an event designed as an enjoyable ice-breaker for the School’s youngest boys.

The reigning champion House and holder of the Eric Shearly Memorial Cup, Stapylton’s prospects for the new academic year were immediately enhanced by its new cohort’s victory.

Head of Extra-Curricular Enrichment Rebecca Grundy said, however, that the event, which came at the end of the first week of term, is primarily aimed at helping all the new boys get to know each other and learn about the key role that the House system plays in QE life.

“In order that they get to know more of their peers, we get them to work in close collaboration within their Houses on a number of competitive tasks against the clock.”

Alongside quizzes and word-searches, there was the challenge of trying to build the tallest self-supporting tower out of nothing but ordinary drinking straws and Sellotape. With only a short amount of time at their disposal, boys had to formulate a plan and execute it – finding a balance between, on the one hand, making it tall enough to be in with a chance of victory and, on the other, ensuring that it was stable enough to be free-standing and so avoid disqualification.

“It was fevered and, at times, frantic, but the boys all seemed very engaged in their attempts to win their first points for their House,” said Miss Grundy, who organised and led the afternoon. “Stapylton won both the tower challenge and the word-search, helping them to overall victory, with Underne in second place.”

A visit to a chateau in rural Normandy offered boys at both ends of the School the opportunity to throw themselves into French language and culture.

The 50-strong group, comprising mostly pupils from the current Year 8 together with a smaller number of Year 13 boys, spent a week based at the Château de la Baudonnière, near Avranches, on a trip organised by the Languages department.

The younger boys consolidated a year of language-learning, seizing the chance to practise their conversation skills with native speakers. The range of team-building activities provided meant the trip also helped the boys make new friends and deepen existing friendships.

For their part, the sixth-formers undertook work-experience placements in locations including a bakery, restaurant and shop.

Head of Extra-Curricular Enrichment Rebecca Grundy said: “We took a day out to see the Bayeux tapestry and the D-Day beaches, while the boys also watched a film about the Allied landings in June 1944 at a 360-degree cinema.”

The activities undertaken by the younger boys included rock-climbing, archery, raft-building and tackling an assault course, while there were also French lessons during the week.

QE’s Geography department has received a prestigious award in recognition of the excellence of teaching and learning in the subject at the School.

The Geographical Association announced that QE is among a select group of schools from across the country to receive the Secondary Geography Quality Mark (SGQM) for 2018–21.

QE previously won the award in 2015 and had recently submitted detailed evidence in the hope of having it renewed. In response, the association’s Moderator Justin Woolliscroft and the National Moderation Team gave QE’s Geography team a glowing report: “Your students are very fortunate to have access to a rich and varied curriculum allied with such a committed teaching team. It is clear that you are very proactive in a wide range of areas spreading good practice through your activities.

“Geography provision is clearly extremely strong and we are delighted to confirm the SGQM award for a further three years.”

The award recognises quality and progress in Geography leadership, curriculum development and learning and teaching in schools.

QE’s Head of Geography Emily Parry said: “The department are proud to have received this award in recognition of the high-quality geographical education delivered here. We strive to provide an engaging and topical curriculum.”

Rebecca Kitchen, GA Curriculum Manager, said: “The SGQM enables schools to focus critically on what they are doing and why, in order to provide their young people with the knowledge and understanding they need to live in the modern world.”

The moderators’ report singled out a number of areas for special praise: “The need for refreshed and revised curricula for both KS4 [Key Stage 4] and KS5 have understandably been an important focus for the department, and it is good to read that these have been accepted very positively by the students and that the new schemes are now influencing what is offered at Key Stage 3. We like the challenge offered through the extended homework essays which clearly support the students in becoming more independent, so helping them with the demands placed upon them at GCSE and beyond.”

The report also lauded the department’s:

• “Continuing collaborative work” with the University of Hertfordshire and the Prince’s Teaching Institute
• “Important role” in hosting the World Wise quiz for local schools – an annual Geography competition
• Fieldwork, which “remains a strength, with numerous exciting opportunities offered to your students”.

Old Elizabethan Piers Martin was part of a relay team that successfully swam the English Channel and raised more than £6,000 for Autism East Midlands.

Yet, even though the team were eminently suited to the challenge – Piers (OE 1987–1994) is a high-performance sport and business consultant and a former national-level swimming champion, while two of his fellow team-members are water polo coaches – the swim almost didn’t happen.

The authorising organisation – the Channel Swimming and Piloting Association (CSPA) – gives teams such as Piers’ a window of only just over a week, he explains. “After the glorious weather we have had this summer, the winds and swell broke and we spent our window waiting for it to clear. On the last couple of days, the CSPA told us that the weather was getting worse and we would have to look for a date in September, perhaps even next year.”

Devastated by the disappointment after more than a year of training to swim the 21 miles to France, the team packed their bags and left Dover.

A reprieve came unexpectedly. “As we arrived home we got a call for a small window, but it was going to be rough.” The ‘window’ started at 11pm, which meant the team faced the additional challenge of swimming at night.

“We returned to Dover and went for it. And rough it was. We started the swim at midnight from Shakespeare Beach, and the initial hours in the dark were against fairly strong swell. The waves did calm a little as the sun rose and we started making good time. Our pilot got us to within metres of Cap Gris Nez and we finished in 13 hours and 3 minutes.”

They had successfully negotiated the world’s busiest shipping route – among ferries, container ships and tankers – swimming against tides and in cold water without wet suits.

The team, comprising Piers, Sarah Dunsbee, Tim Dunsbee, Cara Saunders, Anna Lord and Jack Overtoon, was named Hayley’s Channel Relay Team. “I have known the Dunsbee family for a long time through water polo,” says Piers. “Tim and Sarah are both water polo coaches. One of their twin daughters, Hayley, is severely autistic and lives in a home which is run by Autism East Midlands (a leading autism charity), which is why we swam to raise money for that cause.”

Currently Managing Director of the Podium Performance Group – a consultancy that supports organisations, teams and individuals to develop optimised performance – Piers has also led and advised a range of Olympic and Paralympic sports.

He is the founder of GuruBox, a video-coaching platform that shares ideas and experience in less than a minute, and co-founder of the Sports Influencers (SP.IN) sports business network. Piers is Chair of UK Deaf Sport, a Director/Trustee on several Boards and Performance Advisor to various sports and performance programmes. He is also a member of the Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators for Sports Resolutions UK and the Institute of Directors (IoD) Cheshire Committee.
He is a keynote speaker and guest lecturer and sits on the Sports Advisory Board of Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU).

Piers has a Masters degree and an MBA from Manchester University and is currently undertaking a PhD in Psychology.