Viewing archives for

Trailblazing Eton Fives players Zayn Phoplankar and Yash Kedia are national champions in their sport after an historic win over previous title-holders Shrewsbury School.

The Year 9 boys beat a Shrewsbury pair 3-0 in the final of the Eton Fives U14 Novices National Schools Championship Final – a competition for pupils who start playing the sport in this year group.

PE teacher Oliver O’Gorman said: “This is an extraordinary achievement: we believe it’s the first time in QE history a pair has made it to a national Fives final. I am beyond proud of this pair, who have put in non-stop work this year to deservedly claim this title.”

Congratulating them, Headmaster Neil Enright said: “I am excited to see what the future holds for this pair and for QE Fives.”

In the competition’s qualifying round, which attracted 24 pairs, QE entered eight pairs, of which seven qualified for the national finals. In fact, three of the qualifying round’s four semi-finalists were from QE, with Soham Kale & Muhammad Ammaar Hurzuk and Megh Modi & Arya Mandirwar reaching this stage alongside Zayn and Yash. The latter pair went on to beat an Aldenham School pair 2-0 in the qualifying round final.

The history of Fives at QE dates back to 1880, when the first courts opened at the old Wood Street premises, following a £10 grant from the Governors and a special fund-raising concert. Fives then languished after the School moved to its current premises in Queen’s Road in 1932, but was revived when the rebuilding programme of 1951-52 brought plans for a new court. By 1954, it was ready; QE was affiliated to the Eton Fives Association, entering the Public Schools Championships in 1955.

QE players are taught the sport by Mr O’Gorman, while there is also external coaching twice a week. Boys are fully introduced to Fives in Year 9, although trials are held in Year 8 to identify potential players.

Other QE achievements in the sport this year have included Year 10’s Rishabh Bhatt and Dinuk Dissanayake reaching the final of the national U15 qualifying round after beating Aldenham in the quarter-final and Ipswich School in the semi-final. They were eliminated 2-1 by a pair from Mill Hill School in the final.

QE’s burgeoning success has not gone unnoticed: after the victory in the novices final, the Eton Fives Association’s website hailed this “first-ever win at a national level” for the School and paid tribute to the “enthusiasm, dedication and excellent coaching” of Mr O’Gorman and of his counterpart at Cranleigh School which was also celebrating its first-ever national win, in its case in the U16 girls’ category.

After QE hosted the qualifying round of a national chamber music festival – the first competitive event to be held in the new Friends’ Recital Hall – ensembles from the School went on to further success in the later stages of the competition.

Six groups reached the semi-final of the Pro Corda National Chamber Music Festival for Schools – a total exceeded by only two other schools nationally – and two of the QE ensembles went all the way to the final at Millfield School in Somerset.

Director of Music Ruth Partington said: “All of the chamber musicians who took part in this year’s Pro Corda competition should be exceptionally proud of themselves. Not only did they perform with great musical maturity at the highest level, but the groups that progressed through the rounds demonstrated a remarkable ability to respond directly to the feedback given by the adjudicator in the masterclass sessions and improve each performance.”

In 2020, the festival final due to be held in March was cancelled because of the looming pandemic. All that year’s finalists, including QE’s Saxophone Ensembles, were named the 2020 Chamber Champions. 2021’s festival was largely called off, again because of the pandemic.

Ten ensembles entered this year’s qualifying round held in The Friends’ Recital Hall – part of QE’s £3.5m-plus new Music School, which will be officially opened next month.

Among them, the Year 13 Flute Trio certainly caught the judges’ attention: they were described as having given “a simply outstanding performance”.

Pro Corda Chief Executive Officer and Artistic Director Andrew Quartermain wrote afterwards to Miss Partington and Music teacher Caroline Grint to offer his “huge congratulations for what you have achieved with the chamber music in the school (at any time, but most especially after these recent times!).”

The festival had been honoured to be among the inaugural users of QE’s “wonderful new hall and facilities”, he wrote. “Great students, great day, great company – thank you!”

Of the ten, the trio and the following five other ensembles reached the semi-final, held at Charterhouse School in Surrey:

• Senior Piano Trio
• Piano Quartet
• Junior Violin Trio
• Saxophone Quintet
• Junior Violin Trio

Only the independent Sevenoaks and Perse schools saw more ensembles qualify for the semi-finals nationally. QE’s semi-finalists are pictured, top.

The two ensembles which then reached the final at Millfield were the Junior Violin Trio and the Saxophone Quintet.

The trio were one of five groups competing in the U14 category. The trio comprises: Year 8 pianist Shreyas Iyengar; violin 1, played by Jamie Lam, of Year 7, and violin 2, played by Alex Kronabetter, of Year 8.

There were also five groups in the Saxophone Quintet’s U19 category. The five musicians were: Conor Parker-Delves, of Year 13, playing the soprano saxophone: Leo Sellis, of Year 9, playing the baritone saxophone; Suraj Cheema, of Year 12, playing the tenor saxophone; Leo Dane-Liebesny, of Year 12, playing the alto saxophone, and Nathan Woodcock, of Year 11, also on the alto saxophone.

“Our musicians also presented themselves – and the School – in a totally professional manner, appearing at ease on stage, introducing their repertoire with confidence, and bowing to acknowledge the audience’s warm applause after their performances,” said Miss Partington. “Whilst it wasn’t a win this year for QE’s chamber musicians, to have two groups make it through to the final is an enormous achievement in itself, particularly given the context of difficulties of music-making over the last two years. Bring on next year’s competition!”

A trio of Old Elizabethan Economics graduates gave senior pupils interested in following in their footsteps valuable career and life insights in a series of talks.

Zainul Jafferji (2000-2007), Zain Gulamali (2005–2012) and Yemi Falana (2008–2015) gave advice on topics ranging from critical thinking to internships during the programme of talks organised by the Economics department.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “Our alumni are heavily involved in helping current pupils in a wide variety of ways, from mentoring to conducting mock interviews. I am very grateful to Zainul, Zain and Yemi for giving their time so generously to guide QE economists of the future.”

Zainul visited on three consecutive weeks, while Zain and Yemi gave virtual talks.

It was, Zain told the Headmaster afterwards, “lovely to get a chance to ‘give back’… always keen to help where I can. I still remember how I felt when I was in their shoes and how important QE has been in my life since I left.”

Zainul Jafferji,  who took a Master’s in Economics (MPhil) at Cambridge, told Year 12 members of the Economics Group about applying for, and studying, Economics at Cambridge; he set out career paths, and he explained how to think like an economist.

On his first visit, he told members of the Economics Group about Cambridge’s Economics admissions process. Not only had taking a diverse range of A-level subjects (Mathematics, Economics, Physics, German) given him an edge and enabled him to stand out from the crowd, but his German is useful even today when he is advising German companies in his role as a Management Consultant, he said.

He urged the boys to start researching universities and courses early, suggesting they use the School’s online alumni network, QE Connect, to speak to OEs before applying. This was doubly important for Cambridge where the choice of college is important: he advised researching a college’s financial situation, location and, perhaps most importantly (!), menus, before applying.

Zainul stressed the importance of regularly reading The Economist and other Economics literature to prepare for interviews and advised the boys to hone their speaking skills by getting involved in debating and taking LAMDA speaking examinations.

He concluded the session by telling the boys to expect an intense, independently led course at Cambridge:  they would be either alone or in small groups in their tutorials and so would have nowhere to hide if they had not prepared correctly, he advised.

In week two, he outlined the four main career paths for Economics undergraduates: investment banking, management consulting, public policy and further study.

University of Cambridge career fairs begin three weeks after term starts, and applications for ‘Spring Weeks’ (an Easter internship) start soon after. It was, he said, important to apply early for “ferociously competitive” areas such as banking and consulting.

Zainul was able to secure a Spring Week at Royal Bank of Scotland in his first year. (He maintained that the bank’s financial collapse soon after, in 2008, was despite, rather than because of, his work there!)

In his final session, Zainul spoke on critical-thinking skills. He outlined the key skills required to think like an economist and to construct powerful, compelling arguments.

Students then split into three groups, looking at topics covering macroeconomics, microeconomics and econometrics. One group tackled the most current of issues: the impact of sanctions on Russia on the UK economy. He helped them to move beyond CPI as a measure and to better understand the worry of a wage-price spiral taking hold.

Afterwards, Economics teacher Sheerwan O’Shea-Nejad  said: “Zainul has been an excellent guide for the students through the process of choosing a university, thriving there, getting a job and excelling once employed.”

In his virtual talk, Zain Gulamali, who read Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Warwick, said boys should start at university as they meant to finish, rejecting any thoughts of “the first year doesn’t count so I will work harder in the second and third years”.

He advised them to start applying for work experience immediately: there was no such thing as bad work experience, since even a boring placement could show them what to avoid.

Zain previously worked at an accountancy firm to qualify as an ACA accountant, but is now employed in the finance department of multi-national mining company Anglo-American.

He warned of the dangers of ending up in an unfulfilling repetitive career just to earn a large salary and impress others.

In his talk, which was also delivered online, Bristol graduate Yemi Falana related how he had switched from Medicine to Economics at university. He said frankly that his parents were keener on Medicine than he was.

Yemi stressed the importance of applying for internships early – even during A-levels. His included two with Goldman Sachs, where he then went on to take up a full-time post as an analyst in 2018.

Now an Associate with the investment bank, he advised researching the work-life balance and job security of different roles carefully, remarking on how he works shorter hours than the deal-making teams, and appreciates the opportunity to have more of a personal life.

A Year 12 team has taken first prize in a prestigious German-language national debating competition.

It is the first time QE has entered this well-established annual event run by the Goethe-Institut, a global cultural organisation that is the German equivalent of the British Council.

The four-strong team from QE impressed in three earlier rounds, before eventually taking the title in the final, overcoming a team drawn from the near-4,000 students at The Sixth Form College, Farnborough.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “Congratulations to the team on their great success against tough opposition in this well-regarded national competition.”

Assistant Head of Languages Burgunde Lukasser explained that the motions debated were challenging, as the topics and the necessary vocabulary do not form part of the AS course followed in Year 12. “Our boys, team captain Olly Salter, Theo Mama-Kahn, Jai Patel and Ansh Jassra, were incredibly impressive each time. They really made us proud!”

Languages teacher Katrin Hood, who also accompanied the boys, added: “Theo, Ansh, Olly and Jai are exceptional Germanists and gave eloquent and dynamic performances. Their teamwork was outstanding, and it was clear how thoroughly they had prepared for the occasion. The boys had received helpful feedback from the debate judges along the way, and made a real effort to fine-tune their performance for each new round. The result was nothing short of mind-blowing!

“The atmosphere during the event was lovely, as Year 12 students from other schools came to watch. It was fantastic to see so many young people from around the country chatting and sharing their love of learning German.”

The first two rounds of the contest, the Debattierwettbewerb (debating competition), were held online, the third took place at Dr Challoner’s Grammar School in Amersham, and the final in the Goethe-Institut’s London base.

The rounds, motions and results were as follows:

Round 1: School canteens should only be allowed to sell vegetarian/vegan food. QE, in favour of the motion, beat Coloma Convent Girls’ School in south London.

Round 2: The use of social media endangers the health of young people. QE, against the motion, beat The Royal Grammar School, Guildford.

Round 3: The mental health of young people has been neglected during the pandemic. QE, against the motion, beat Dr Challoner’s.

Round 4: The future of medical provision is digital. QE, against the motion, beat Farnborough.

The three judges evaluated the teams against four criteria: knowledge of the topic and argumentation; debating skills in German; oral expression in German, and interaction with the audience. The judges announce the result and their overall impression, but do not publish the final score.

“It was a great experience for all involved,” said Miss Lukasser. “The person in charge of the debating competition, Frau Vogelgesang, said in an email to me afterwards that they were still talking about the amazing performance of the QE team.”

Ten VEX robotics teams from QE – a School record – have won places at next month’s World Championships in the USA.

Their qualification follows a string of mid-season successes, including triumphs on home territory at the QE-hosted North London regional rounds of the junior IQ and senior VRC teams.

Congratulating them, Headmaster Neil Enright said: “Our robotics teams march on to ever-greater success, thanks to their technical skills, teamwork and great commitment.

“I wish them all the best for the national championships in Telford and then for Dallas in May.”

The qualifiers include six Vex IQ Challenge (VIQC) teams from Years 8 & 9 – Gearsquad, Nova, Eclipse, The Rubber Bands, CyberForce and Shattersquad – and four VRC teams from Years 10 & 12 – HYBRID, Vortex Invicta, Hex-Green and Hyperion.

In addition to its main current competitions (Pitching In for IQ teams and Tipping Point for VRC), VEX also organises a series of subsidiary challenges and competitive online events.

Among all recent VIQC highlights are:

• Five QE teams holding a top-20 place in national skills rankings. Five were also finalists in the World Online challenge (the School’s previous best was one), gaining them automatic entry to the World Championships;
• Gearsquad’s gaining of Excellence and Skills awards at the QE-hosted event, which secured them early qualification for the ‘Worlds’. At this point, Gearsquad also boasted the highest skills score in the UK;
• Nova’s victory in the QE-hosted tournament. Nova were also finalists in the Career Readiness Online challenge, finalists in the Poster Design online challenge and among the winners in the VIQC STEM Research Project competition with their entry, Camelid Antibodies.
• Eclipse taking first prize in the Theme it up online challenge, which involved creating and presenting a theme that ties the current IQ game’s objects, scoring, and rules into an engaging and creative story. Eclipse also won the double Teamwork Champion & Design awards at the Essex regional event;
• The Rubber Bands gaining a ‘triple’ – the Excellence, Teamwork Champion and Skills Champion awards at the Essex event – as well as being among the winners in the STEM Research Project with their entry, The Foginator, and a runner-up in the Career Readiness online challenge.
• Cyberforce’s winning of the Poster Design Online challenge.

Head of Technology Michael Noonan also paid tribute “Shattersquad for their sheer determination in increasing their skills score at the Worlds Qualifier event, securing one of the last seats on the plane to Texas”.

Among Spring Term VRC successes are:

• HYBRID winning the Innovate award at the World Championship qualifier event in early March, and placing second in Skills at the Essex VRC regional event;
• Year 10’s Panth Patel and Tharsan Nimalan on being selected as the newest members of their respective teams through their online challenge efforts; Panth joined team Vortex Invicta; Tharsan the experienced Hex-Green;
• Hex-Green’s number 1 ranking in the UK for Skills, with a combined score for driver and programming skills of 430 ahead by a distance of the second-top team, on 386;
• Hex-Green’s multiple competition successes: Excellence Award winner and overall runners-up at the Stowe Regional; Tournament Champion and Skills Champion at the QE-hosted North London Regional; Excellence Award and Skills Champion at the GCA Regional;
• Hyperion’s securing the Excellence Award at the QE North London Regional and winning the Tournament Champions and Design awards at the Stowe VRC Regional.

While examination commitments prevent Year 12 from travelling, IQ teams from Years 8 and 9 VRC competitors from Year 10 will all be heading for the States.

Mr Noonan looked back on an unprecedently successful term for QE robotics: “The excitement levels were incredible in advance of the day in February day when the online challenge winners were released. We knew this could pave the way for our highest-ever number of teams qualifying for the World Championships, and so it proved!

“I commend all of our teams for their valiant efforts to date, and remind them that our biggest and most exciting challenge lies in wait. Over a two-week period in late April and early May, these teams will travel to Telford and Texas in search of glory!”