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The Spring Term began on a high note following the announcement in the New Year’s Honours List of an MBE for our Chairman of Governors, Barrie Martin, for services to education. In the ensuing weeks, I was struck by the warm reaction this news generated from so many, including Old Elizabethans.

I was personally delighted that Barrie, his wife, Perin, and sons, Piers and Giles, so enjoyed their day together in February, when they travelled to Buckingham Palace for the investiture at which Barrie received the award from the Prince of Wales.

Piers and Giles are, of course, both QE alumni. Indeed, Barrie first became a Governor at QE in 1987, when Piers (OE 1987-1994) joined as a pupil. Giles then followed his brother to the School in 1992. Since 1999, the year in which Giles left, Barrie has been Chairman of both the Governing Body and also of the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s.

His MBE is an honour richly deserved. In many ways, our Chairman of Governors embodies qualities which Queen Elizabeth’s School seeks to nurture and develop in its pupils. These include a tremendous capacity for hard work and an outstanding talent for enlisting and then retaining the support of others. Most of all, Barrie brings to QE a strong sense of moral purpose and constancy.

These qualities are in fact seen in all areas of his life, both personal and professional. He still works as a consultant for the chartered surveyor’s practice that he owned and founded, and which he worked in full-time until he sold it last spring. In addition to his support for QE and for his sons’ primary school, St Paul’s C of E Primary School (where he has been a Governor even longer than he has been with QE!), Barrie leads Junior Church at Hendon Baptist Church in north London, teaching the Bible to children every Sunday.

Barrie has always supported our emphasis on extra-curricular activities alongside academic studies, and I have had ample opportunity this term to see boys seizing the opportunity to participate in extra-curricular events.

Our 38th Rugby Sevens tournament was a great day and it was good to see our own boys playing so well. The performance of the U14 squad, runners-up in the Plate for their age group, augurs well for the future.

I also enjoyed another term of impressive music-making. Our Music Scholarship concert was an opportunity to see some high-quality musicians at the lower end of the School. A very good jazz concert and the main Seven Ages of Man concert very effectively showcased boys’ talents.

To highlight one other extra-curricular opportunity, our Combined Cadet Force are a much-valued element of our School life. I was pleased to hear of their successful visit to Sandhurst, and we were happy to welcome members of the Parachute Regiment here to a special History Society event.

Our most illustrious guest this term was Professor Andrew Hamilton, the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, who was our speaker at Senior Awards. His attendance was timely: with 37 offers received, we are set to equal our previous record for number of places at Oxford or Cambridge.

The publication of the Government’s secondary school league tables during the term brought evidence of academic achievement slightly lower down the School. They revealed that QE is the first school in London to achieve a 100 per cent pass rate in the English Baccalaureate, based on our 2013 GCSE results. This key Government measure introduced in 2010 requires pupils to achieve A*-C grades in English, Mathematics, at least two sciences, a foreign language and History or Geography. Only one other school in the country achieved a 100 per cent EBacc pass rate this year.

Such achievements have brought with them greater prominence for our School in the national media; our focus remains as ever on fulfilling our mission of producing young men who are confident, able and responsible.

The opening of the new Queen’s Library for Sixth-Formers has been cause for considerable celebration. I am also pleased to say that the new Fern Building roof is now finished, the work having taken less than 12 months from planning consent to completion. It has been a complex job, but one which secures the future of this very large 1970s building and will thus pay dividends in the years to come.

I wish all old boys of the School a pleasant Easter.

Neil Enright

The new Queen’s Library has now opened to Sixth-Formers. Offering ample space for independent study and reading, it is fully networked, with 96 computer terminals. The Library will become available to all younger pupils later in the year.

“It is a light, airy place which brings Years 12 & 13 right into the heart of the School, and they are enjoying being there,” says the Headmaster.

The Library’s opening marks the final phase of the development of a major building project in the central area of the campus, which has also included a new Dining Hall, a Food Technology area and Cafe 1573.

The process of systematically building up the School’s book collections to take full advantage of the additional shelf space available in the Library is now well underway. The School will shortly be appointing a librarian.

Sixth-Formers have been making the most of the facility for quiet study during free periods. Adjoining the Library itself is the LTR (Library Teaching Room), a seminar-style teaching room used for Sixth-Form lessons and certain academic enrichment activities, as well as the new offices of the Heads of Years 12 and 13.

Sixth-Form pupils are also the chief beneficiaries of Café 1573, which provides a coffee shop-style environment in which they can socialise.

With the Sixth Form having therefore now vacated their previous centre in the Heard Building, preparations for a new base for the English Department there are moving forward.

After gaining straight A* grades in his four A-levels, Drew Williams opted not to go to university but instead entered straight into the world of financial services.

Just 19 months later, Drew (OE 2005-12) is already attracting attention in his chosen field, having been shortlisted for the national Apprentice of the Year award. His firm, Ernst & Young, which nominated him for the award, has also made him a Student Ambassador, a role that involves him in promoting its School Leaver Programme and speaking to prospective students.

Drew, who joined the four-year programme in October 2012, is specialising in Banking and Capital Markets.

A popular pupil, he was also an outstanding sportsman at School. He captained the First XV rugby team in his final year and while in Year 12 was the First XI wicket-keeper when the QE tourists convincingly won the Read Trophy on their visit to Lancashire. He took A-levels in Mathematics, Economics, History and Politics.

Drew set his sights early on the Ernst & Young (EY) School Leaver Programme, choosing not to take up the place he was offered at Durham University. In addition to his day-to-day work in EY’s Assurance division, he is given time to study for his ACA chartered accountancy qualification.

“What I enjoy most about the programme is the emphasis on practical experience gained through working for various clients,” says Drew. “Exam preparation is a combination of ‘block release’ to study courses and a lot of home-learning, which can be difficult to balance with full-time work. There are also regular in-house courses focusing on best practice; the next one will be in Amsterdam, so I am especially looking forward to that! Additionally, I enjoy the role of Student Ambassador.”

In a recent interview with the London Metro newspaper, Drew said: “I knew at School that I wanted to go into financial services. Since starting at EY, I have gained an appreciation of just how respected the ACA qualification is. The other skills I have learned, such as teamwork, communication and time management will stand me in good stead for my career.”

He is thoroughly enjoying his career so far and, although he did not win the Apprentice of the Year title, he attended the awards ceremony with the other nine shortlisted candidates at the Grosvenor Hotel. The ceremony was hosted by TV celebrity Jonathan Ross and was “a great experience,” says Drew.

The Elizabethan Union’s 49th Annual Dinner Debate boldly plunged into the current national news agenda, with OEs and current pupils debating the motion: This House believes that Scotland should be independent.

Nisha Mayer, teacher in charge of debating, reports that the highly topical subject matter duly inspired both passion and wit from current boys and visiting OEs alike at the debate.

The debate began with the traditional toast to the Queen and to ‘The Pious Memory of Queen Elizabeth I’. The toast to the ‘Visitors’ (the OEs) was proposed by Captain of School Adam Hilsenrath, while Matthew Rose (OE 2002-2009) responded with the toast to the Elizabethan Union.

The motion was proposed by Year 12 boys Ashwin Sharma and Jason Thomas; it was opposed, successfully, by Harry Peto (OE 2005-2012) and Krishan Shah (OE 2005-2012). The chairman was Reuben Chacko.

Mrs Mayer said: “In the original vote taken by Reuben, about 80% of the audience either opposed the motion or abstained. After the debate, where Ashwin Sharma and Jason Thomas argued very convincingly and passionately for the motion, the swing to them was considerable, with almost a third of the audience voting to pass the motion. So, although the motion did not carry, a lot of hearts and minds were won by our Year 12 debaters.

“The opposition – our returning OEs – also put forward some very intelligent and wonderfully entertaining material. Harry and Krishan showed the same spark they had when they were debaters in the Elizabethan Union a few years ago.

“The floor debate, too, was very engaging, with Ethan Lam amusingly suggesting that the prospect of independence could be compared to a divorce and Daniel Soyade bravely taking apart the heartfelt speech of his Year Head, Liam Hargadon, in favour of the motion.”

The meal was eaten this year in the new Dining Hall. The diners enjoyed a starter of fresh & sunblush tomatoes and Mozarella pearls with basil oil and mixed salad leaves, followed by chicken chasseur or mushroom stroganoff, with a dessert of strawberry gateau or chocolate & raspberry tart.

Captain Charles Russell (OE 1997-2004) hosted a visit to Sandhurst by a group from the School’s Combined Cadet Force.

Charlie, who is currently a platoon commander on the permanent staff at the Royal Military Academy, answered searching questions from the 15 boys when they called in at the Officers’ Mess for coffee.

The CCF group were led by Captain Kieron Howe, who is also the School’s Director of Music. “Charlie was brilliant with the guys,” he said.

In July 2010, Charlie was quoted in a Ministry of Defence announcement, which celebrated the rapid improvements brought about by joint patrols between members of 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles (1RGR) and Afghan National Army (ANA) troops in Helmand province, Afghanistan. The patrols had “seen the pernicious influence of insurgents in the village of Piand Kalay diminish and a new level of normality return for the local people”, the announcement stated.

Charlie, who was then a Second Lieutenant, explained at the time: “Four weeks ago when I used to patrol through the village on a daily basis I’d be lucky if I spoke to three or four people. It was an empty village, the locals were intimidated, they were scared to come to talk to us because they’d be seen interacting with ISAF [the International Security Assistance Force] and ANA.

“Now, when we walk through the village from checkpoint to checkpoint and push out into the Green Zone, they welcome us – they want to speak to us. They are a little intimidated but the overall impression is that they are happy with us in the village and they want to see more progress.”

He was injured in Afghanistan in 2010. The following summer he attended a reception for wounded servicemen and women hosted by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall in the grounds of Highgrove, their Gloucestershire home. The Prince of Wales is Colonel in Chief of the Royal Gurkha Rifles.

During their visit to Sandhurst this term, the QE contingent were given a tour of the Academy’s extensive grounds. They also enjoyed lunch, a talk on the history of the facility and an opportunity to meet Officer Cadets and Officers.

The day started with an introduction by an academic member of the Academy’s staff, Sebastian Puncher, who talked through the development of the college since its foundation in 1812.

“The boys walked up the steps into Old College, an experience that Officer Cadets undergo on their first day of training and then not again until the day they pass out,” said Captain Howe. “We were shown the Indian Army Memorial Room, with its window dedicated to the Gurkha regiment amongst others. We also saw the five-metre-wide painting of the moment when the battle of Waterloo turned in Wellington’s favour, painted by Sir William Allan in 1847.”

The tour continued with a drive around Chapel Square, followed by lunch at New College amongst the Officer Cadets. The boys then moved on to the Officers’ Mess for coffee and quizzed Charlie, before he had to leave to go on exercise. The visit concluded with a drive around the rest of the extensive grounds, taking in a little rugby before setting off back to Barnet.

“The boys gained a vast amount of knowledge about the workings of the Academy and also a better picture of life in the Army as a whole. It was a really insightful day,” said Captain Howe.