Viewing archives for

Three Year 13 musicians holding offers of scholarships and places at Cambridge, Oxford and leading conservatoires were among the stars at this year’s Leavers’ Concert.

Performing for the last time alongside their fellow QE musicians were composer Harrison Lee, who has offers from the Royal Northern College of Music and Trinity College, together with vocalists Joel Swedensky and Nikhil Mark (pictured top), who have been offered choral scholarships from Cambridge and Oxford respectively.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “This was another brilliant concert, showcasing our senior musicians’ varied talents to very good effect.

“There were some spectacular performances, whether it was Joel’s Maria from West Side Story, Nikhil Mark singing Five Nights at Freddy’s with the Jazz Band, or Jason Tao’s virtuoso playing as first-chair violin, not least on Harrison’s original composition for orchestra, Of the Essence. That was a truly amazing piece: stirring, moving, filmic, so professional-sounding – and written in about a month alongside all his A-level work.”

The concert, held in the Shearly Hall, featured some 15 ensembles, from smaller groups, such as the Barbershop and Electric Guitar Ensemble through to the massed ranks of the Orchestra and the School Choir.

The music played ranged from Grieg, Mozart & Mahler through to Irving Berlin, Kenny Loggins & Metallica. The Indian Ensemble played three pieces, starting with Hindustani piece: Balama Re More Mana Ke by Raag Bihag.

In addition to Harrison’s composition, the programme also included original works by Year 12’s Ryuki Watanabe and Joseph Donovan, of Year 10.

The evening included the presentation of Music Colours by the Headmaster.

Director of Music Ruth Partington celebrated all that Year 13 had contributed, noting their selflessness and kindness as a group. They in turn thanked the music teachers and presented them with gifts.

Joel and Nikhil were among 49 boys offered Oxbridge places this year – a figure second only to last year’s all-time QE record of 62. Joel has been offered a place to read Computer Science at Trinity College, Cambridge; Nikhil’s offer is for Materials Science at The Queen’s College, Oxford, with a choral scholarship at Pembroke College, Oxford.

Choral scholarships, or ‘choral awards’, are offered, following auditions to strong candidates who have also received an academic offer from Oxford or Cambridge. Choral scholars are expected to sing with their chapel’s choir. They receive some annual financial support.

Harrison has secured offers to study:

• Composition at the Royal Northern College of Music
• Composition at Trinity College of Music
• On the GRNCM/MusB joint course between the Royal Northern College of Music and Manchester University.

Miss Partington said: “Receiving multiple offers to study at Music conservatoires is an absolutely superb achievement – there is fierce competition.”

In his inimitable fashion, Harrison thanked his Music teachers for their support – “one of the best parts of my experience at QE. When I’m a famous composer, I will always be grateful!”

• Click on the thumbnails to view the images below.

Two major events took place under the QE Futures programme, with one giving Year 9 pupils insights into entrepreneurialism and the other providing sixth-formers with up-to-the-minute information on what to expect from university.

Education technology entrepreneur Amanda Slavin paid a return visit to QE to lead an interactive day for the whole of Year 9 on Developing Employability Skills through Entrepreneurship.

And Year 12 enjoyed the opportunity to hear from last year’s leavers, who returned to the School to give their first-hand experience of life as an undergraduate in QE’s University Convention.

Assistant Head (Pupil Destinations) James Kane said: “These two events demonstrate the breadth of QE Futures. I am grateful to Amanda Slavin for delivering such a stimulating day – one which helped the boys strengthen their communication and teamworking skills, as well as developing their creative and critical thinking.

“The main point of the University Convention was that last year’s leavers share their experiences and pass on advice to current QE students who will be making choices as to where to apply. But it was also a wonderful opportunity to catch up with them and hear how they are getting on in ‘the real world’. They seemed to enjoy the opportunity to see each other and to catch up with their ‘old’ teachers over lunch.”

For the Year 9 event, pupils worked together in teams of five to create, and then pitch, a sustainable product that would appeal to young people. The day culminated with groups presenting their work to Amanda Slavin in a bid to win a hypothetical investment.

Amanda Slavin, who was named as a person of influence in a Forbes 30 under 30 list, specialises in helping brands measure and grow engagement with customers and employees.

The author of a best-selling book, The Seventh Level, she is the co-founder of multiple businesses, including  CatalystCreativ, which worked with brands including Google and Coca-Cola, and LearningFREQUENCY, which aims to help young people develop a love of learning by increasing engagement.

She reflected afterwards on how the boys had responded when given the opportunity and space to “collaborate, create, and communicate” during the day.

“The students’ ability to think critically, present boldly, and support one another was truly impressive. It was a joy to witness their ideas come to life and see their confidence grow throughout the day.”

Among the participants were Artem Batyukov and Arav Mishra, who, together with their teammates, presented their fruit-bush planting business, which they named Fruiture.

“I really enjoyed the QE Futures day,” said Arav. “It was extremely useful in building up our public speaking and presentation skills, as well as teamwork. As we progress into a new digital age, these skills, currently unable to be possessed by AI, will be extremely important to progress our CVs.”

Artem added: “The project was a masterclass in working in teams under time pressure, really pushing our skill in leadership, teamwork and communication. I think that it has helped our future workplace interaction, and given us a sample of what working to meet a deadline together is like.”

• Click on the thumbnails below to view the images.

Year 10 History students headed to Berlin to deepen their understanding of the central role played by the German capital in the 20th century.

The 25 boys arrived in the city having studied the Cold War and being close to completing their studies on the Nazi era.

History teacher and Head of Year 10 John Haswell said: “It was an opportune time to visit, helping the boys better appreciate what Nazi Germany meant for Berlin, how the horrors of World War II have been remembered and memorialised in the city, and how the division of Berlin during the Cold War affected lives on each side of the wall.

“There is something powerful about physically seeing the layers of history in a city that has seen incredibly difficult times, and understanding how it is now looking to remember the past while looking ahead to the future.

“The boys were excellent – they really got the most out of the experience, and have hopefully come away with some fantastic memories of their time in Berlin,” said Mr Haswell.

The boys had a full itinerary, each day going on walking tours and visiting museums.

They also took in tourist spots, including the:

• Berlin Wall, the concrete barrier which prevented East German citizens from coming to the West from the time of its construction, started in 1961, until the East German government abolished restrictions in 1989 amid the fall of communism in the Eastern bloc;
• Brandenburg Gate – the 18th-century monument that has often been the site of major historical events;
• Fernsehturm – the 369m-high TV tower constructed in the 1960s by the communist German Democratic Republic.

Community collaboration came to the fore in two special events involving youngsters from local schools working with QE staff and pupils.

QE’s youngest boys were joined by Year 7 pupils from The Totteridge Academy, Barnet, for a fun challenge in the laboratories – the Chemystery Conundrum.

Year 5 children from six primary schools also came to The Queen’s Library for an event that focused on creative writing and encouraging reading for pleasure.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “QE is deeply rooted in the community as a Barnet school, and we value our local partnerships. It was good to welcome some younger students from other schools and to host these two very different events!”

The Chemystery Conundrum, overseen by the Chemistry department, took place in the S11 and S12 laboratories.

Some 60 pupils from the two schools looked at modern drug design, with teams challenged to find solutions to get a medicine to dissolve in the stomach in 20 seconds.

They were given guidance on how to design an experiment to respond to the challenge. To present their findings, they were asked to produce a poster with diagrams and minimal text. Each member of the team was required to speak.

QE’s Head of Chemistry, Amy Irvine, said: “This was designed as a collaborative, hands-on, experimental work. The pupils from the two schools worked really well together, coming up with a range of good solutions, with support from some of our A-level chemists.”

The event for the Year 5 children was aimed at encouraging them to read more. It began with quiz questions centred on how to choose a book, covering areas such as cover designs, ‘blurbs’ and genres.

Sixth Form students Aarav Agarwal and Simi Bloom then led a creative writing session.

They used word-association and word-chain games, as well as showing the children objects intended to inspire and kickstart stories. Year 12’s Aarav and Simi looked at character and setting, generally encouraging the children to let their imagination run free.

• Click thumbnails to view images: the Chemystery Conundrum first, followed by photos from the event in the library.

QE pupils have picked up crucial skills – as well as awards – at two prestigious Model United Nations conferences in London and one hosted by an élite university in the US.

On the same weekend that one group of boys was rubbing shoulders with visiting delegates from around the world at HABSMUN (hosted by Haberdashers’ Elstree Schools), Year 11’s Vu-Lam Le-Nguyen was enjoying success during the London Youth Model United Nations (LYMUN) at the LSE. These events came just a few weeks after Year 11’s Keshav Aggarwal (pictured) had become one of only seven delegates to win a Best Delegate award at the prestigious MUN hosted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “I am pleased to see our boys throwing themselves into these very worthwhile events and I congratulate them on their successes. Debating is an important way for our pupils to acquire confidence, hone skills in public-speaking, develop their ability to build an argument, and learn to think on their feet.”

Vu-Lam explained that LYMUN 2025 involved over 560 delegates from UK schools such as Eton and Harrow, as well as from schools in Portugal, Sweden, France and other nations worldwide.

“I was part of the US Senate, one of the special signature committees, and played the role of the Republican Senator John Thune. Like Senator Thune in real life, I won my party’s leadership election on the first day to become the Senator Majority Leader, granting me both privileges and responsibilities to set the tone for debate and direct my party in passing (or opposing) bills. This year, the topic was to envision a new age of American energy in the aftermath of a fictional Great Midwestern Blackout.

“In the closing ceremony, I was awarded the Bipartisanship (Diplomacy) Award, not only for outstanding public speaking and performance, but also for my subtle concessions to foster bipartisan cooperation (in a hugely divided Senate).” Vu-Lam, who aspires to an eventual real-world career in international relations, said he was especially proud that the MUN’s Secretariat said in its comments that the award went to delegates who best assumed the role of real diplomats in committees.

Keshav Aggarwal’s award at MIT was for his contribution representing Australia at the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM) – one of seven committees operating at the conference. Since no overall conference awards were given, this was one of the event’s top accolades.

With him at the conference were several hundred delegates from countries as far apart as Peru and Kazakhstan, as well as the US delegates and others from the UK. MIT itself describes it as “the premier international MUN conference for high school students, with a special focus on small committee sizes”.

The theme was Tech Diplomacy: delegates were charged with evaluating the global political impact of new technologies and strengthening or amending regulation to foster innovation. The SOCHUM committee members debated Regulating Cryptocurrency to Foster Innovation While Mitigating Risks and Mass Surveillance and Data Exploitation.

“It was great to interact with delegates from around the world with their different perspectives on global politics, and with differing cultural backgrounds,” said Keshav. “It also provided a great insight into studying at MIT: I got to interact with a range of student leaders, and learning about their experience at studying at MIT and living in Boston.”

He found time to visit neighbouring Harvard University, where he duly rubbed the foot of the statue of John Harvard, the 17th-century Puritan clergyman whose bequest helped establish the Ivy League institution. “Legend and rumours have it that by rubbing the golden foot of the statue, students gain luck and the ‘blessings’ of John Harvard for all their academic endeavours.”

Keshav and his fellow delegates heard from guest speaker Fadel Adib, Founding Director of the MIT Signal Kinetics Research Group, whose research has led to the establishment of multiple start-ups.

The group of Elizabethans making their way to HABSMUN included Samuel Sobolak, of Year 9, who reported that delegates had quickly got into their stride, lobbying fiercely in their committees to rally support for their resolutions.

“Day two brought about a rigorous seven-hour debate in the General Assembly, where delegates sparred over resolutions, thinking on their feet under pressure: a perfect opportunity to improve public-speaking skills,” said Samuel.

“Speaking in front of dozens of delegates may be overwhelming, so in order to unwind, students took part in a karaoke showdown, with each committee singing their hearts out for first place.”

The QE contingent picked up a number of awards, he said, and made many new friends:  “An intense but unforgettable weekend of diplomatic fun!”

Fellow HABSMUN delegate Nikhil Francine, of Year 10, added: “Learning that there were others that were passionate about solving the pressing issues of the world, ranging from health to disarmament and security, was fascinating to see.”

Like Samuel, he enjoyed both the formal debates and the event’s more relaxed moments. “Overall, it was a brilliant experience, in which I made new friends from outside QE, had lots of fun and crucially boosted my confidence, debating and public-speaking skills.”