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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.

Hundreds of QE boys got to grips with the complexities of competing priorities around the world as they battled to solve the climate crisis at the School’s mock COP26 Summit.

All boys from Years 7–10 took part, with each form group representing a country, producing a short video and putting forward a delegate in the debates. These delegates fought their corner passionately, challenging each other’s records – although perhaps not always with the delicate diplomacy expected at a global summit!

Afterwards, mock summit organiser and Extra-Curricular Enrichment Tutor Stephanie Tomlinson, who is leading the School’s Eco-Network, reflected on the success of the afternoon event, which was held in the Shearly Hall. “The boys really embraced putting themselves in the shoes of their given nation, teasing out the tensions between economic development and sustainability, and nations’ relative contributions toward present and historic warming.

“Delegates effectively made the case for working together, heeding pleas from the likes of the Marshall Islands for concerted action before they were submerged by sea level rises.

“Overall, facts and figures were commanded well and it was great to see boys from Year 7 holding their own against those in Year 10.”

The afternoon was hosted by School Captain Siddhant Kansal and the two Senior Vice-Captains, Sultan Khokhar and Paul Ofordu, all of Year 13.

Several other sixth-formers took part in a panel that directed discussion, challenging the delegates and making suggestions to facilitate debate. The panel members were: Vice-Captains Aadarsh Khimasia and Mark Markov, of Year 13, and Eco-Ambassadors Theo Mama-Kahn and Amogh Bhartia, of Year 12.

The videos produced by each form group about the position of their given nation were judged as part of a House competition. Harrisons’ House won this competition, with its films collectively adjudged to be the best overall. Pictured, top, is a scene from the Year 7 Broughton video: the form were representing Australia.

Nations had been put into thematic groups  – focusing on areas such as cities, forest, or oceans – and urged to discuss, to negotiate and to attempt to come to a joint decision. Each nation then had the opportunity to speak, with many focussing, on the one hand, on their own context – including their level of economic development and current pollution levels – and, on the other, making the case that their own climate targets (such as net zero carbon dates) were, in fact, ambitious.

Crispin Bonham-Carter, Assistant Head (Pupil Involvement) said: “The aim was for the debate to look firstly at how countries were delivering on their previous climate objectives and then to examine what further actions they could take, both in terms of mitigation and adaptation.

“I was pleased to see that the discussion did, in fact, cover a range of issues and themes, from deforestation and protecting forests, to the use, or abandonment, of coal.

“And just as we saw in the actual summit in Glasgow, there was a significant amount of wrangling between nations with respect to aid and financial support: smaller, low income, and less polluting countries repeatedly threw down the challenge to the larger, wealthier nations to provide financial support, arguing that they were not going far enough with this, nor with actions to limit and reverse carbon emissions.

“Countries like China then argued that they were still developing, having only seen rapid growth over the last 40 or so years, compared with Britain, where the Industrial Revolution took off more than two centuries ago. Other nations remarked that it was good to see the Chinese delegate in attendance(!), but were critical of the country’s record.

“China’s delegate did, though, make a powerful argument that a significant proportion of China’s emissions were producing and exporting products being bought by those in other parts of the world (including the West), who were, in effect, therefore outsourcing their emissions.

“There were examples of co-operation, with, for example, the UK working with Brazil to support the reversal of deforestation in the Amazon and an offer from Saudi Arabia to Canada to provide lower oil prices in exchange for support with renewable energy.”

In his concluding remarks, panel member Amogh Bhartia, who is a member of the London Schools Eco-Network, said the mock COP26 had shown boys the challenges of reaching international consensus. Events such as the Glasgow summit and the protests of climate activists could sometimes feel distant in terms of boys’ daily lives, he acknowledged. But such an impression was false, he said, and he urged pupils to take grassroots action, such as campaigning in school, organising a clothes swap, writing a magazine article or penning a letter to their local MP.

“If you can do that, and collaborate with others, then we will see change in our community – a change that will inspire others…Be the first and others will follow. Be the first, and inspire the change that our planet desperately needs.”

QE COP 26 delegate Toma Gelsinov spoke out about the increasing role that schools are playing in combatting climate change when he appeared as part of a UK Government-backed youth discussion panel in Glasgow.

Toma and his fellow Year 12 pupil, Rahul Doshi, were both invited to take part in the summit to represent the UK Schools Sustainability Network (UKSSN), with Toma heading off to Scotland, while Rahul was part of a home-based remote team.

“I feel national school campaigns on climate change awareness can be a big factor in the younger generation learning about what impacts they have on the climate and how they can help mitigate and stop climate change,” Toma told other members of the five-strong panel and the assembled audience in Glasgow.

“Ever since I was young, I have realised how privileged we are in the UK: with the vast amount of resources we have available, if we cannot tackle climate change, who can?”

The panel was supported by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Culture, Media & Sport.

Now reunited at the School, Toma and Rahul, together with QE’s third Eco Ambassador, Amogh Bhartia, also of Year 12, are looking forward to tomorrow afternoon’s Mock COP26 summit for Years 7-10.

In the panel discussion in Glasgow, during which UK Chief Scout Bear Grylls gave a keynote address, Toma highlighted the work done by UKSSN, including: media appearances and journalism; involvement in local and national politics, and rewilding and gardening projects. All are aimed at combating global warming and the accompanying crisis in biodiversity.

“In my School, we are working to set up an allotment where students can take part in organic composting and gardening,” Toma said. Such initiatives allow pupils to see at first-hand what impact they can have in terms of mitigating climate change, he added.

Twenty students from the network were in Glasgow, with a further 35 participating remotely, including Rahul. He attended online sessions learning about how to communicate effectively with young people about issues like climate finance and climate anxiety.

After his panel meeting, Toma met Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi and took the opportunity to discuss informally UKSSN’s work and the challenges faced. Toma said afterwards that the Secretary of State was quite knowledgeable and could relate to young people well – going so far as to describe him as a “a cool guy”.

Toma and his colleagues went along to various events at the summit, including a discussion where Mr Zahawi was speaking about the work being done in the education sector to support sustainability.

Reflecting on his experience after returning to School, Toma said that being at COP 26 with delegates and leaders from around the world was “surreal”, but noted that there were “lots of different people with the same ambitions”.  Asked about the prevailing mood, Toma said: “People were secretly optimistic, outwardly expecting the worst, but hoping for the best.”

He added: “Together as a team we collaborated and were involved in different events to learn about different perspectives. Lots of the UK team members lived in rural areas and had quite different opinions from those of us from urban areas, based on their lived experiences. The power is in acting collectively: if we act alone it will have less impact. The world will benefit if we come together, sharing good ideas and putting them into practice.”

For his part, Rahul also reported that there was extensive collaboration with other network members – through MS Teams break-outs, for example ­– with a focus on sharing ideas. “I learned that it is important to collaborate with those with different perspectives and work together. I gained an insight into other people and other schools and what they are doing… understanding different contexts.

“Young people are the future – it is important that they are involved to hold leaders to account for the promises they make. I hope that what we are doing now doesn’t get forgotten – we are pushing for long-term change.”

Year 8 pupils who headed for Hampton Court Palace on the first whole-year History trip since the pandemic struck enjoyed the added bonus of a special exhibition about Indian soldiers in the First World War.

At the palace, the boys learned about Tudor life and saw at first-hand evidence of the School’s own links with the Tudor monarchy. They also had the opportunity to see a special exhibition and art installation – on for this month only – featuring silhouetted figures of Sikh soldiers from the British Empire’s Indian Army.

The display, entitled Standing with Giants at Hampton Court Palace, commemorates the soldiers from the Indian Army who camped in the palace gardens in the summer of 1919 following the signing of the Versailles Peace Treaty, marking the formal end of the First World War, or ‘Great War’. Along with other troops from nations across the British Empire, they had sailed to the UK to march in the peace celebrations in London.

Helen MacGregor, Head of History and Politics, said: “The silhouetted figures made for a moving display, while the accompanying original letters from soldiers displayed next to them really brought home the fear, danger and reality of life in the trenches.

“Our pupils were fascinated, too, by the carved wooden ceilings in the Great Hall, picturing to themselves Henry VIII sitting under them and also, a few decades later, performances there by Shakespeare’s own theatre company.

“Another point of interest was the beautiful starred ceiling of the Chapel – where the boys were intrigued to find the School motto written some 32 times.” The explanation is that the motto, Dieu et mon droit (God and my right), has been the motto of the UK monarch outside Scotland since the 12^th century and was, therefore, the motto of Queen Elizabeth I, in whose reign the School was founded and after whom it is named.

The year group visited Hampton Court over the course of two days.

As well as the grander areas of the buildings, the boys had an opportunity to inspect the huge kitchens that Henry VIII had constructed to feed his 1,000-strong court.

They also saw the Great Vine – the largest grape vine in the world.

Braving the chilly weather, the QE groups enjoyed a walk around the park and formal gardens, during which they spied a herd of deer across a water feature to the rear of the palace.

“The gift shop was another obvious highlight for the pupils – plenty of catapult and cannon pencil sharpeners were purchased!” added Miss MacGregor.

Queen Elizabeth’s School marked Black History Month with a diverse range of special activities both inside and outside of the classroom that drew lessons from the past, while also saluting those building a path today towards a better future.

One undoubted highlight was the online assembly given to the Sixth Form by Roni Savage ­(pictured above) – engineering geologist, founder of a multi-million pound construction industry consultancy, multiple award-winner…and a QE mum.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “We sought to provide lots of different opportunities during Black History Month to ensure that our boys could, in the words of a BHM slogan, ‘dig deeper, look closer, think bigger’, coming up with an array of innovative ideas. These ranged from our Lower School History Raiders group researching ancient Black kingdoms and civilisations, to Year 7 PE lessons promoting sports in which athletes have either faced racism or have changed the world due to their participation, such as basketball, boxercise and indoor athletics.

“I am especially grateful to Mrs Savage, who, as a Black woman working at a high level as an entrepreneur in construction, is a true pioneer in her industry, with an impressive list of achievements and accolades to her name. She has certainly proved people wrong who doubted her because of her race, gender and age.

“And she inspired our sixth-formers with her injunction to ‘stand up, stand out, stand tall’ and her insistence that ‘there are no limits to what you can achieve’ with hard work and talent.”

Mrs Savage, whose son, Jayden, is in Year 13, is the founder of Jomas Associates, a large engineering and environmental consultancy, and Policy Chair for Construction within the Federation of Small Businesses. She is a Fellow of both the Royal British Institute of Architects and the Institute of Civil Engineering, and is on the current UK Powerlist of Britain’s most influential people of African/Caribbean heritage.

Her message was that diversity is vital to the capacity, capability and sustainability of all sectors, but that to achieve it, the status quo, with its harmful stereotypes, must be challenged.

Here is a selection of the many activities and initiatives that took place at the School as part of this year’s Black History Month:

• A discussion in MedSoc (Medical Society) of the work of Malone Mukwende, who as a second-year medical student at St George’s, University of London, developed a book to help doctors diagnose skin rashes and diseases on black and brown skin, addressing decades of racial bias in medical education;
• The Year 9 Shakespeare Film Club watching Othello and discussing the racial issues in the play, as raised in a British Library article;
• Publication of a special Black History Month (and COP26) issue of the Economics department’s magazine, Econobethan;
• Cancellation of all Music rehearsals one lunchtime, with the pupil team from the Music Enrichment Society instead giving a presentation about Black musicians. Pictured, above, are boys giving a special performance ahead of the talk;
• Year 9 had a special Depicting Jesus Philosophy, Religion & Society (PRS) lesson, which focused on different representations of Jesus, including those from the Ethiopian Church and Rastafari traditions, and on the use of images of white Jesus for imperialist ends;
• Year 8 geographers started a new, permanent unit on Migration towards the end of October, with a first homework task linked to Black History Month.

Five Year 9 boys who devoted their summer holidays to preparing for a new season of robotics have been rewarded with early success in a competition – a victory which takes them straight through to national championship level.

The five, comprising team 21549E, put their holiday planning to good effect and duly won the local VEX Robotics event hosted by Greig City Academy in Hornsey.

Head of Technology Michael Noonan said: “By the time they reached this competition, the boys definitely had the right mindset and the right strategy, having drawn on their past experience of robotics to develop a robot capable of taking on this season’s challenge. They handled the pressure on the day well and rightfully enjoyed the celebrations after their victory.”

The five team members are: Neel Bhatt; Adokshaj Magge; Ishaan Bhandhari; Anik Singh and Mukunth Natarajan.

Anik, whose role included design, explained that the task for the 2021-22 season involves shooting balls into a box to win points. It is, he says, quite different to the challenges set in previous years as it involves the “technical aspect of finding out ways of getting the scoring game object into a high goal, alongside new rules and limits”.

Teammate Neel, a designer, builder and driver of the robot, reflected on the benefits of good preparation: “Putting in hours and hours of accurate design work is necessary; it makes our robot work to the best of its abilities during competitions.”

With 21549E now set to compete against some of the best robotics teams in the country in the national championships, the boys will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of other QE teams in recent years who have gone on to take part in the international finals in the spring.

They are, however, taking nothing for granted. Mr Noonan added: “One of the main things they have learnt from this competition is that there is always something to improve on, whether that be building, driving, programming, or simply the strategy used to score the points around the pitch.”