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QE’s roboteers begin 2022 in optimistic mood after strong performances on home territory at the largest UK robotics tournament since the 2020 VEX Nationals.

Thirty-two junior teams, including six from QE, took part in the North London Regional tournament, which QE hosted in the Shearly Hall.

The Year 9 members of QE’s Gearsquad team took the prestigious Excellence Award, while another Year 9 team, Nova, and their competition partners were named Tournament Champions.

Head of Technology Michael Noonan, said that while some of QE’s teams had already performed creditably in competitions earlier in the season, for others “this represented their maiden voyage into competitive robotics, and, with such a highly competitive field, was a thrilling prospect for all.”

In addition to Gearsquad and Nova, the other Year 9 teams were Cyberforce and Shattersquad, while Year 8 was represented by Eclipse and Vexcelsior.

The visitors’ line-up was quite diverse, Mr Noonan explained: “Traditional powerhouses Greig City Academy, Henrietta Barnett (HBS) and Merchant Taylors’ (MTS) were joined by relative newcomers such as North London Collegiate School, alongside Nottingham University Academy Of Science And Technology (NUAST), Lochinver House Preparatory School, Haberdashers’ Boys’ and an independent team.”

Mr Noonan set out how the day’s competition unfolded: “The pace was easy at first, with no score from practice or the first ten games exceeding 60 points.

“However, it was a double alliance involving QE teams which pushed things forward in game 12 and 13. Firstly, a tournament high 78 being posted by a combination of QE newcomers Shattersquad and MTS Myopians, followed up by an even more impressive 83 posted by QE’s Year 9 Nova team and NUAST Triceratops. It was clear from this point on that the bar had been raised, with MTS Myopians in particular impressing. QE’s Gearsquad, Nova, and Cyberforce seemed to be battling it out behind them for the highest rankings spots, albeit the latter team were already securely qualified.

Yet as the day progressed, the picture began to change. “Scoring totals continued to rise, and the 100 bar was first broken, then shattered, by competitors including QE teams. This time it was MTS and Gearsquad who set themselves firmly out from the crowd – an astounding 132 points seeming to be the score to beat.

“When qualification had finished and rankings were tabulated, QE had secured 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 13th, 23rd and 26^th –  the latter three places being secured by teams in their very first event. This placed all QE teams in a good position heading for the final, with the Skills Challenge drawing to a close. QE in fact dominated the Skills Challenge, with Gearsquad taking first place, Nova finishing second on 97 points and Shattersquad finishing sixth. Gearsquad’s top score of 109 is currently also in the World top 50, and the highest in the UK this season to date!

“As the finals matches approached, frantic practice saw all teams hoping to finish the day on a high and capture the coveted teamwork Champion Award. The judges at this point were watching on with great interest, as the Judges Award, Design Award and Excellence awards had still to be given out, too.

“In the end, it had appeared that Gearsquad had posted an unassailable score: a whopping 110 alongside the HBS Vextreme team. However, as was the case throughout the day, it was the pairing of Nova and MTS who would have the last laugh, and their incredible 125 score secured both teams their Tournament Champion title. The judges gave MTS X_O_Limit the Judges Award, and the Design Award was secured by HBS Spark.

“However the final and most coveted of prize of the day – the Excellence Award – was ultimately given to Gearsquad: their incredible design notebook and their presentations, as well as their top ranking in Skills and Teamwork, made them impossible to ignore for the gong.”

Pranav Challa, of Gearsquad, said: “We worked hard and it paid off, with hours of effort leading up to our win. The day was extremely fun, and it was great to see so many teams in attendance at a live, in-person event.”

Pranav’s teammate, Muhammad Ammaar Hurzuk, added: “Although the QE teams were competitors, we all worked together to produce some increasingly capable robots to compete with the variety of schools that came.”

And Zak Ahmed, of Nova, reflected on his team taking the honours as Tournament Champion: “Winning the competition was a feat we would never have thought to achieve, but using our victory, we will continue to design and build, learning from our mistakes.”

Mr Noonan added that teams throughout the day generally impressed the guest judges – who included Old Elizabethan Dylan Vekaria (2013–2020) with “their astute understanding of mechanics, programming and robotics design principles”.

He paid tribute both to the judges and to the Year 11 volunteers who helped out. “Special mention must go to Dipesh Dhavala in Year 11, who was superb throughout in his commentary of qualification and finals rounds.”

Pranay Chawla, of Shattersquad, praised the event’s “really friendly atmosphere”, while his teammate, added: “It was great to see a variety of teams that each played the game their own unique way.”

With tens of thousands of young people anonymously sharing testimonies of sexual harassment and abuse on the reporting platform, Everyone’s Invited, its founder, Soma Sara, found herself at the centre of one of 2021’s biggest news stories.

And in an online lecture given to boys at QE, Soma explained what had inspired her to set it up, namely her shock at realising that almost every girl she knew had suffered from some form of sexual assault whilst growing up.

Assistant Head Crispin Bonham-Carter (Pupil Involvement) said: “Soma gave a fascinating talk to our senior pupils on the big screen in the Shearly Hall, and we were also pleased to welcome girls from The Henrietta Barnett School, who joined us online.

“She outlined her reasons for starting Everyone’s Invited, telling us that she chose the name advisedly because she wanted it to be open to all irrespective of race, religion or sexuality.”

After being founded in 2020, Everyone’s Invited shot to prominence in 2021 as more than 54,000 young people shared their accounts of sexual harassment and abuse in just nine months.

“Soma described her experience of being overwhelmed by the sheer number of testimonies that Everyone’s Invited received,” said Mr Bonham-Carter. “She did make the point that men and boys (or gender-neutral people) can be victims, too.”

“Her vision of strong masculinity, she said, was of young men with the confidence to talk openly about their feelings, to value empathy and kindness.”

These, he added, are values which chime with QE’s mission to create confident, able and responsible citizens, particularly as redefined in the 2021-2025 School plan, Building on Distinction.

Soma answered questions from pupils from both QE and Henrietta Barnett. “She talked passionately and powerfully about the importance of engaging with students early on regarding relationships and sexuality,” Mr Bonham-Carter said.

“These are complex times for young people to be growing up in – whether it’s pandemics, culture wars or the challenges of social media, they seem almost bombarded. Yet this lecture felt like a very good way to end the year, with a positive atmosphere in the Shearly Hall as focused, sensitive young people listened intently to someone only a few years older than them,” Mr Bonham-Carter added.

Soma Sara’s visit was the last in a series of events organised by the School during the Autumn Term to help both boys and staff navigate difficult social issues.

The activities included:

• An Active Bystander Training Company workshop for all in Years 9–11 on racism, bullying and sexual harassment, with a focus on use of the four Ds – Direct action, Delay, Distraction or Delegation – to challenge inappropriate behaviour. Boys were told that any action is better than none (provided it does not put the individual at risk).
• Staff training from specialist trainers Bold Voices on the December pastoral training day to support the Personal Development Time curriculum, which covers important issues that can be difficult to talk about. The training gave staff strategies for teaching related to gender inequality, sexual harassment and violence, and for developing positive attitudes in all pupils.
• A series of virtual talks on the broad theme of respectful relationships offered to Years 7 & 8 and to Years 12 & 13, by the RAP Foundation educational charity. There was also a webinar for parents of Years 7 & 8 boys to help them understand the pressures facing boys as they go through adulthood. Specific topics covered included sexting, cyber-bullying, online grooming and early sexualisation.

Two sixth-formers organised a quiz in aid of a charity named after an old boy of the School, as quizzes continue to prove popular throughout the Elizabethan community.

Year 13’s Vishruth Dhamodharan and Varun Vijay Kumar brought together teams from Year 7 and 8 and from 9 and 10 to compete to raise money for Guy’s Trust.

In a separate event, the eagerly-awaited inter-House QIQE quiz returned this year, with Harrisons’ taking the honours in a keenly fought final.

And both competitions followed the success of The Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s quiz earlier in the term – the Friends’ first in-person charity event since before the pandemic.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “I congratulate both the winners and the organisers of these events. Quizzes seem to appeal to many here: they give people an opportunity to indulge their competitive spirit and demonstrate their knowledge, while at the same time competitors have a good deal of fun and, often, raise money for good causes, too.”

Vishruth and Varun were inspired by the good work done by educational charity Guy’s Trust in the developing world, and organised the quiz to support it, raising £163.50. The charity is named after marine biologist, scuba instructor, paraglider and adventurer Guy Joseph (OE 1997-2002), who died aged 25 in a paragliding accident in the Pyrenees in October 2011. It has recently funded the installation of water systems to nine primary schools in Cambodia so that the children there have clean drinking water.

Twelve teams from Years 9 and 10 battled it out, covering subjects including Mathematics, Literature and Science. The winning team was Year 9’s Riyan Siyani, Adithya Raghuraman, Danyal Talha and Ram Chockalingam – the curiously named Team SIUUUUUUUUUU.

Next it was the turn of the first two years. After a tense three-way tie, Year 8’s Keeyan Shah, Vu-Lam Le-Nguyen, Ishaan Jugran and Olic Fan – Team Dino Nuggies – emerged as the winners.

In the QIQE quiz, teams comprised one pupil from each of Years 7, 8, 9 and 10. The University Challenge-style format involved ‘starters for ten’ (with boys raising their table-tennis bat paddles for attention) and then three five-point bonuses on another topic.

Under the watchful eye of quizmaster Tom Harrison, Head of Year 7, Harrisons’ and Underne progressed to the final in front of Years 7-10 on the basis of their posting the highest scores in the preliminary rounds.

Harrisons’ ultimately came out narrowly on top in the Shearly Hall, winning 145–135.

“It was hugely exciting, and there was an impressive array of general knowledge on display,” said Mr Harrison.

Boys and staff rallied round to help Barnet people in need in the Christmas season with a triple charity effort.

The annual QE collection for Chipping Barnet Foodbank – now in its seventh year – gathered food and toiletries, while donations of clothing were taken for Homeless Action in Barnet, with pupils playing their part in ensuring that local people would not be spending frosty nights in cold and hunger.

And in a separate charity initiative, boys from every form in Years 7–9 battled it out in a charity ‘swimathon’ in aid of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice.

Assistant Head (Pupil Involvement) Crispin Bonham-Carter, who was in charge of the deliveries for the foodbank and the homeless, said: “Charitable giving and service have long been important values at the School, and Christmas collections are a cherished tradition here. The boys were keen to support those less fortunate than themselves and gave generously.”

Mr Bonham-Carter expressed his thanks to Extra-curricular Enrichment Tutor Katrin Hood for overseeing these charity efforts and to all the boys and families who made donations.

For the deliveries, Mr Bonham-Carter was accompanied by Umar Jawara, from the site team, as well as Vice-Captains Suraj Cheema and Dylan Domb from the incoming Year 12 prefects team. The 2022 School Captain, Theo Mama-Kahn and another incoming Vice-Captain, Ryo Sato, were also involved.

With the approach of winter, both the foodbank and the homeless charity typically see a rise in visitors who are barely coping with rising food, heating and clothing costs. In Chipping Barnet, over 1,300 three-day emergency food supplies were given to people in crisis last year.

Donated food had to be non-perishable and have a long ‘use by’ date, such as tinned products,  cereals, rice, jars of pasta sauce, biscuits and jams and marmalades. Sanitary items such as shower gel, soap, moisturising cream and period products were also collected, because often these cannot be a priority when people run short of money.

The Homeless Action centre requested new underwear and socks, as well as any old clothes (except used underwear and socks), provided they were reasonably clean and wearable.

For the inter-House ‘swimathon’, each form had to provide a team of four for a medley relay (back, breast, fly and free stroke) against their own year group. Broughton won the overall competition. There were 105 spectators in total, with Underne praised for turning out the most supporters.

The Autumn Term ended in seasonal style, with the parish church echoing to the traditional sounds of the carol service and with the Christmas lunch proving more popular than ever.

The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols featured not only congregational singing of familiar favourites, but also some lesser-known Christmas music from the School Choir and Chamber Choir. Senior staff and boys from throughout the School delivered the readings, culminating in Headmaster Neil Enright reading the Prologue to St John’s Gospel.

Christmas lunch was served to all who requested it – and well over 800 boys and staff took up the option of hand-carved British turkey with all the trimmings (or a vegetarian alternative), with yule log or Christmas pudding to follow, as well as other treats from the catering team. The figure is believed to be a record, in recent years at least.

For Years 10 and 11, there was the added bonus of eating the meal in the pristine surroundings of the Mayes Atrium Café – part of the new Music School complex, which is due to be officially opened next term. The facility, built on the site of the previous Mayes Building, is named in honour of Harry ‘Curly’ Mayes, who served the School as butler, porter, steward and caretaker for 60 years, from 1902 to 1962.

Mr Enright said: “These festive traditions are an important facet of life at Queen Elizabeth’s School, and I am pleased that we were able to go ahead with them this year, albeit with measures put in place to protect everyone as the national Covid situation changed rapidly in the run-up to the end of term.”

The choral pieces at the carol service included:

• In the stillness, by Sally Beamish
• Masters in this hall, to an old French melody arranged by Gustav Holst
• Gaudete from Piae Cantiones, arranged by Michael Engelhardt
• Angelus ad virginem, a 14^th-century Irish carol, arranged by David Willcocks
• Tomorrow shall be my dancing day, by John Gardner
• O little town, by Bob Chilcott, arranged by Daniel Bishop.

The congregation sang: Once in royal David’s city; O, Come all ye faithful; Away in a manger God rest you merry gentlemen, and Hark! the herald angels sing.