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Year 8 pupil’s Aaryan Prabhaker’s entry in a climate art competition run by Imperial College London has been transformed into a mural on display close to the revamped Battersea Power Station.

Colours for the Climate, Aaryan’s design for the Grantham Climate Art Prize competition, calls on people to reduce their meat and dairy intake, and to eat more plant-based foods.

This year’s COP28, the 28^th annual UN climate meeting currently taking place in Dubai, has a focus on food and agriculture, amid considerable debate about the role of the livestock industry in producing greenhouse gases.

Aaryan’s is the second major QE success in the competition: Year 9 pupil Kelvin Chen, a runner-up in the 11-14 age category, saw his artwork showcased on billboards in London last month in the lead-up to COP28.

Head of Art Craig Wheatley said: “My congratulations go to Aaryan on making the most of the opportunity to enter the competition and on producing such a strong piece of work. After first impressing the judges, his artwork, with its strong message, is now grabbing attention from thousands on the streets of the capital.”

The boys were encouraged to enter the biennial competition by Art teacher Jeanne Nicodemus. Imperial’s Grantham Institute, which is a research centre for climate change and the environment, challenged entrants aged 11-25 to create bold designs for outdoor public murals focused on the solutions needed to tackle the climate crisis.

Competition entrants were asked to seek inspiration from the institute’s Nine things you can do about climate change list: number 2 on the list is ‘eat less meat and dairy’. The competition attracted more than 1,000 entries.

Aaryan’s design in the 11-14 age group was highly commended and was selected to be a mural at Pump House Lane, Nine Elms, where there is an exhibition of the artwork of the competition winners and runners-up. With Octopus Energy sponsoring the main competition, the Grantham Institute secured separate funding for this project from property developer Ballymore.

Aaryan’s artwork, which features a range of fruit and vegetables, was painted as a mural by artists Karla Rosales Garcia and Roger Rigol.

He and his parents, Amieya Prabhaker and Shalini Varma, attended an unveiling of the mural, where they met the sponsors as well as representatives of the competition organisers.

In a note to the School, Mr Prabhaker and Dr Varma said: “We would like to express our thanks to the teachers at QE, especially Ms Nicodemus and Mr Wheatley, who have inspired the creativity amongst the boys and guided them at each step.”

• Click on the thumbnail images below to see Aaryan’s artwork displayed in full.

The Winter Concert brought entertainment across an array of genres with just one common factor – the high degree of musicianship on display.

The Shearly Hall was packed to the rafters and saw hundreds of boys participating in 15 different ensembles, watched by parents and other family members, staff, friends of the School and VIP guests.

Alongside the customary presentation of Junior and Senior Music Colours, Headmaster Neil Enright presented the Music department’s new Music Bars – normally to be given to boys who have already achieved colours, but have continued to excel.

Mr Enright said: “Our Winter Concert was aptly named – some families had to de-ice their cars before heading home afterwards – but was held in a very warm atmosphere and was a great success.

“There was super music, supported by excellent production from our sound, lighting and stage crews, both pupils and the professionals from School Stage. These concerts are a big team effort – the culmination of much hard work from the boys and the Music department, but also other parts of the Elizabethan community, such as: the site team; parent volunteers from The Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s providing hospitality, and our pupil volunteers – my thanks go to them all.

“There really were no weak links musically, although the Indian Ensemble stood out, with excellent vocal performances from Year 7’s Param Jani in their opening piece and Rishi Watsalya in their second.

“The evening was balanced with dynamic numbers: the Senior Winds’ playing of Stephenson’s Rocket (conducted by current University of Connecticut intern Mason Armstrong) and the School Orchestra’s Beethoven in the first half, and the two Guns N’ Roses pieces in the second – Sweet Child o’ Mine from the Electric Guitar Ensemble and the Jazz Band’s rendition of Welcome to the Jungle.”

The concert was attended by the Worshipful The Mayor of the London Borough of Barnet, Councillor Nagus Narenthira – who, Mr Enright said, has been a great supporter of the School, as Deputy Mayor and now as the borough’s 58th Mayor.

The Music colours went to boys who have shown outstanding commitment to music at QE and displayed musical excellence.

The presentation of the bars was to two sixth-formers:

• Jason Tao, of Year 12: his citation praised his leadership and his being a superb role model for younger students;
• Indrajit Datta, of Year 13, who, exceptionally, received his Senior Colours and bar at the same time, in view of his recent sterling efforts on the Music technology side of the Music department’s work. He is currently in the midst of producing a recording of the School’s specially commissioned 450^th anniversary anthem, And Be It Known.

“The way in which the boys so enthusiastically cheered the recognition of their peers through the colours and bars presentations was heart-warming – evidence of the genuine support they give one another,” Mr Enright said.

• Click on the thumbnail images below to scroll through photos from the concert.

Queen Elizabeth’s School has further cemented its reputation for achieving the very highest levels of academic performance, taking second place in the annual Sunday Times Parent Power league table.

QE has now taken first or second place in the survey every year for well over a decade. The table is based on A-level and GCSE results.

The survey is separate from the Sunday Times Schools Guide’s State Secondary School of the Year title, which is judged using broader criteria. QE won that in 2001, 2007 and 2022.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “We have consistently been in one of the top two spots in the Parent Power table for so long that the remarkable is for us now unremarkable!

“Nevertheless, this is still by any measure a considerable achievement, for which my congratulations go to all my colleagues and to our families.

“In fact, this success is yet another accolade to add to our list of memorable highlights in this, our 450^th anniversary year. Those highlights include new academic records, such as the 47 Oxbridge places offered to our boys and 58.2 per cent of A-levels taken here in 2023 being offered A*.

“There was also: our royal visit from HRH The Duke of Gloucester; our thanksgiving service in Westminster Abbey, attended by the whole School; and a very special Founder’s Day.

“Moreover, the year has been punctuated by splendid concerts, sporting triumphs, impressive drama productions and competition successes – all attesting that the QE experience extends well beyond examination results.”

In the article accompanying the survey, Times journalists Sian Griffiths and Helen Davies stated: “This is the first time that performance in this summer’s A-levels and GCSEs has returned to pre-pandemic grade boundaries in England and many of the schools that triumphed this year were also those that managed to keep high-quality teaching going online during the pandemic.”

They noted, firstly, that single-sex schools once again lead the table, and, secondly, that London dominates in terms of educational excellence, with 40 schools out of Parent Power’s top 100 being located in the capital.

Mr Enright added: “My congratulations go to the first-placed school in the Parent Power table, Wilson’s School in Wallington, Sutton, who have enjoyed their own remarkable year.”

QE’s production at this year’s Shakespeare Schools Festival was uncompromising and unflinching in its depiction of the brutal feud between the Montague and Capulet families that is at the heart of Romeo and Juliet.

Crispin Bonham-Carter, Assistant Head (Pupil Involvement), lauded the vivid depiction given by the School’s senior actors of the dark themes that pervade the perennially popular tragic tale set in the Italian city of Verona – including depression, street brawls, domestic violence, duelling and poisoning.

Yet he also praised Year 10’s Dhruv Pai (Romeo) and Year 12’s Anshul Nema (Juliet) for their “sensitive and intelligent portrayals of the ‘star-cross’d’ lovers” immortalised in the title of the play.

The 19-strong cast drawn from Years 10–13 travelled to Finchley’s Arts Depot to take part in the local performances for the national festival, run by the Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation. In addition, the boys put on three showings in Main School Hall, giving all of Years 10 and 11 the opportunity to see the play, which is part of the GCSE English syllabus.

“Two sullen gangs facing off… faces masked… hoodies up… suddenly a knife is drawn and all hell breaks loose! That was just the start of our brilliant senior drama production of Romeo and Juliet,” said Mr Bonham-Carter.

“The surrounding cast provided a wonderful supporting ensemble of raging fathers, desperate friends and loutish thugs. It would be churlish not to mention [Year 13’s] Keiaron Joseph’s outstanding Mercutio, who delivered one of the best ‘Queen Mab’ speeches* I’ve seen. That and [Year 12’s] Saim Khan’s convincingly thuggish Capulet – complete with gold necklace – almost stole the show!

“Special praise must go to the protagonists, Anshul Nema and Dhruv Pai: it can’t be easy falling in love in front of an audience of your school mates, but it is a credit to both the cast and the audiences how convincingly this was handled.

“All in all, a fantastic experience for all.”

Saim reflected afterwards on an “amazing experience” that encompassed making new friends across year groups, sharing funny moments in rehearsals when things went wrong, and getting to see a different side of people as they fully embraced their characters.

“Getting the chance to perform in front of all our friends and family at the Arts Depot, one of the best venues in Barnet, was a unique opportunity – a truly special day for all the cast.

“On a personal level, playing the part of Lord Capulet was fascinating, since I could explore the nuances in his character, and delve deeply into how quickly he turns from a caring, but slightly overbearing, father at the start of the play, to one who raised a hand to his own daughter towards the end of it.

“It also meant that I got to wear a rather flashy costume for the performance, complete with that large (sadly fake) gold chain!”

* In his speech, Mercutio teases his friend, Romeo, about an unrequited romantic infatuation for a girl called Rosaline, telling him that the mischief-making Mab, queen of the fairies in English folklore, has been infecting his dreams. Romeo later meets, and falls in love, with Juliet.

• Click on the thumbnail images below to scroll through photos from the production.

Year 12 St John Ambulance volunteer Jason Tao and a team of senior pupils demonstrated to other Elizabethans how they could save lives in a special lunchtime event open to all.

Around 40 boys came to the Main School Hall to learn CPR and recovery techniques for casualties in what is expected to be the first of a series of first-aid workshops.

Jason said: “One key takeaway was that you don’t have to be part of St John Ambulance or a paramedic to potentially give someone – a loved one, a close friend, or just someone on the street – a second chance at life.

“One of the most decisive moments for me setting up this workshop was coming across this shocking statistic that for every minute without receiving CPR, the survival rate of someone in cardiac arrest (i.e. their heart has stopped beating) falls by 10%.

“Equipped with the knowledge of what to do in these scenarios, those who attended would now no longer be passive bystanders, but active life-savers. That’s what makes workshops like this quite special: what greater power than to save lives!”

The first part of the workshop focused on how and when to do CPR (answer: when a casualty is unresponsive and not breathing). The second part covered how and when to put someone in the recovery position (when the casualty is unresponsive, but breathing).

Former footballer Vinnie Jones famously fronted a public information campaign some years ago championing the use of Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees in performing CPR, because its tempo is in the correct 100-120 beats per minute range. This track is still useful, Jason said. He included it on a CPR playlist during the workshop, although he spared the attendees Baby Shark, which is also recommended because of its tempo. “I do think it was for the best that this was not played out loud in the hall!” he said.

He reflected on the benefits of being a St John Ambulance volunteer. “I joined at the start of 2021 just after the lockdown had ended, and I think like many others coming out of lockdown, I needed a way to get some form of human contact back into my life. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into a local St John Unit, and I’ve had absolutely no regrets ever since!

“Volunteering for St John Ambulance is so rewarding and satisfying – when you finally use those first-aid skills to treat actual patients at events, that sense of accomplishment from a job well done (and of course from having a grateful patient!) is definitely one of the best parts of the experience.

“Through volunteering and gaining first-aid skills, I’ve found that other skills like communication and teamwork have developed alongside, as you put yourself ‘out there’ at more and more events and work alongside other St John volunteers.” These events have included sports fixtures at the Emirates Stadium, Lord’s and London Stadium, among other venues.

Jason thanked staff members Bryn Evans and Rhys Peto for the work they did behind the scenes to make the workshop possible, including sorting out the venue, getting access to mannequins and making it all run smoothly on the day. Dr Evans is a Physics teacher and QE Flourish tutor, while Mr Peto, from the Facilities team, has first-aid training experience through his work with the Combined Cadet Force.

He also thanked fellow St John members who helped out at the workshop:  Year 12 pupils Pranav Haller, Joshua John, Sai Suhas Parsaboina, Reshwanth Kanukollu, Girish Adapa, Yathoosan Suthash, Adi Kaneshanathan, and Krutarth Behera, of Year 11.

“We all thoroughly enjoyed teaching these skills to the participants, who all came with an eagerness to learn and were really engaged, picking things up much faster than we had expected! We introduced an element of competition (something that we know students here never shy away from) looking at who had the best technique after three minutes of CPR – something they all really enjoyed, although a few were left slightly breathless!

“We even had a few pupils who stayed behind after the workshop to ask how they could join and start volunteering for St John Ambulance.

“Following the success of this workshop, we certainly won’t be stopping at one, with future workshops covering a range of life-saving skills, like how to use an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). We also hope to potentially add an exciting element of fundraising to these first-aid events.”