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A leading academic expert on Artificial Intelligence set out both its huge potential for education – and some of the looming pitfalls.

Rose Luckin, Professor of Learner Centred Design at UCL’s Knowledge Lab, took as her starting point in the Senior School lecture assembly the need for deep human understanding: “AI is the inter-disciplinary study of intelligence – if we don’t understand intelligence, we can’t automate it.”

Together with educationalist Sir Anthony Seldon and entrepreneur Priya Lakhani, she is one of the leaders of the new Institute for Ethical AI in Education. Headmaster Neil Enright was among those who attended its launch this month at Speaker’s House in the Palace of Westminster.

During her lecture at QE, she highlighted ways in which Artificial Intelligence might obviate an impending global shortage of teachers – an estimated 69 million more will be needed by 2030. It could, for example, be used in teaching larger groups, releasing human teachers to focus on particular aspects of the curriculum with particular children.

However, Professor’s Luckin’s work takes in not only how AI can be used to assist human education, but also how education itself may need to change in response to the new technology. And in her lecture to the boys and staff, she said that, since AI can learn information faster and more accurately than humans can, there is a need to move beyond a focus on subject knowledge. This, she acknowledged, was already being done at QE, with the School’s emphasis on skills such as problem-solving and on synthesising and understanding the meaning of data.

She pointed to some of the ethical issues presented by the new technology. AI is built upon “big data”, she told the assembly, and it was not only in the area of data security that there were concerns, but also in how representative the data used is. There have been cases where AI has delivered skewed results, such as facial recognition only recognising certain ethnicities, or has shown a gender bias in its decisions. “We need to be appropriately sceptical,” she said – careful about what is automated ensuring that companies and technologies are held to account. “We need detailed explanatory answers when being presented with a seemingly nice solution to something.”

There were specific issues in education which AI was particularly well-suited to tackle: speech recognition might be deployed to help people with disabilities, she said, noting that Google has predicted that developments in speech recognition will be more significant than driverless cars. Yet doing so was no easy matter, because of the ways in which voices change.

In a question-and-answer session with the boys after the lecture, Professor Luckin delved into: issues of AI and consciousness; understanding what knowledge is and where it comes from; the need for AI that can explain its decisions, and how the education sector should be engaged in the development of the technology. She also explained the importance of inter-subjectivity in teaching and learning to make the best use of AI – that is, achieving the right blend between human interaction and machine-learning.

In thanking Professor Luckin, Year 13 pupil John Tan said: “Whilst we live in a society characterised by technology and technological advance, her talk emphasised the importance of the human connection in education.”

In addition to her work in education, Professor Luckin is also working with the Department of Health on a project commissioned by current Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt (in his previous role as Health Secretary) into how AI will impact and can help the NHS.

A copy of Professor Luckin’s book, Machine Learning and Human Intelligence, which was published in June, was donated to The Queen’s Library.

A Year 11 pupil is now a published author after an article he penned through the School to gain a national qualification appeared in a specialist magazine.

Aaryan Sheth wrote a 2,000-word essay for his HPQ (Higher Project Qualification) which was so highly rated by Animal Spirit magazine that it has now appeared in the periodical’s autumn edition, in which most of the other articles are written by academics, theologians or leaders of animal welfare and conservation groups.

Aaryan’s article explored whether it is acceptable “to sacrifice animals to save humans” in the pursuit of medical science. He decided to research this topic on his HPQ course last year because, he said, coming from a household following Jainism, he is a vegetarian who values the lives of animals as highly as his own.

“In my opinion, dietary choices and matters of life and death are very different things, so I wanted to use this essay to explore the relations between the different ways humans use animals, and whether some are more relevant than others, focusing on the topic of animal testing.”

After discussing the pros and cons of animal-testing and looking, in particular, at animal suffering and unnecessary cruelty, he concluded that some animal-testing is still necessary for medical advances. However, he argued that there should be stronger guidelines and legislation to enforce the removal of needless suffering to laboratory animals and also greater investment in research techniques that do not involve animal-testing.

“I really enjoyed doing the research for the HPQ; being able to pick my own topic was exciting, and it was enjoyable to focus on something I’m really interested in. It was nice to get recognition from a magazine too. Plus, I’ve also learnt lots of important techniques to help with research in the future,” said Aaryan.

The HPQ is a standalone qualification that can be taken by students as an addition to their GCSE qualifications. At QE, it is taken by all Year 10 pupils.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “I congratulate Aaryan for all the hard work he put into his HPQ project and for having his writing recognised in this way. The HPQ provides the boys with great experience in considering complex ethical topics in depth and I am pleased that Aaryan fully immersed himself in exploring this important issue. This experience will stand him in good stead for the rest of his time at QE and at university beyond.”

Jack Robertson, Head of Philosophy, Religion & Society, said: “There is no exam at the end of the HPQ, but it does count towards UCAS points and is considered a valuable qualification by top universities.

“The boys develop a key set of skills through the course. It is similar to a dissertation; pupils identify a topic of personal and academic interest, independently devise a question, then work over several months to research, plan and write up the final essay. They then finally present their findings and engage in self-reflection to evaluate the entire process.

“The quality of work produced by QE boys has been of a very high standard. Some carried out primary research which involved them interviewing university professors and specialists in fields ranging from philosophy, science and economics to religion,” added Mr Robertson.

Animal Spirit magazine is produced by the Animal Interfaith Alliance, a registered not-for-profit company. Its mission statement is: “To create a united voice for animals from all of the world’s faiths and spiritual beliefs, based on their founders’ teachings, to bring about the humane treatment of animals.” Aaryan’s article appears on page 40 of the magazine.

Boys from Years 7 and 8 were able to explore the huge and diverse range of extra-curricular activities available to them at QE’s Clubs & Societies Fair.

Whether pupil or staff-led, the societies used their stalls to seek new members: boys were encouraged to join at least three different clubs.

Among those showcased at the annual fair were ‘History Raiders’ and ‘Geo-explorers’, as well as religious societies and groups focusing on areas such as engineering, robotics, language games, wildlife photography and 3D printing.

Many of the clubs and societies provide opportunities for the boys to mix with others from different year groups.

Rebecca Grundy, Head of Extra-curricular Enrichment, said: “There is huge scope for boys to get involved, find new interests, hone their skills and eventually run societies of their own. A significant proportion of the clubs are run by the boys, giving them valuable experience in leadership, organisation and teamwork.”

These clubs and societies are in addition to those extra-curricular activities the School offers in sport, music, drama and public speaking. In addition, QE often works with outside organisations, either to provide specialist expertise in school sports such as water polo, or to offer wider opportunities, such as circus skills.

“What goes on beyond the classroom is of equal importance is and key to developing the rounded young men we seek to produce,” said Miss Grundy.

Performance coach Kam Taj’s new book offers students his own innovative and detailed holistic approach to achieving success as a student.

Entitled The Ultimate Guide to Exam Success, the book is the latest in a series published through UniAdmissions, an education consultancy which helps students applying to Oxbridge and medical schools.

Announcing its publication, Kam (Kamran Tajbaksh, OE 2004–2011) told his Facebook followers: “In many ways, I wrote this book for my younger self – it’s everything I wished I knew as a student and teenager.

“For those of you who don’t know, I graduated from Cambridge University with a 1st class in Engineering. But my path was anything but smooth. I went from failing my A-level Further Maths mocks to getting an A* and meeting my offer. I only achieved my 1st class after getting 2.2 grades in my first two years at Cambridge. I tell my story in more detail in the book, as well as sharing the tools and techniques which helped me to transform my failures into success – and have helped many of my private clients since.”

The first four chapters of the 182-page paperback are on: time-management, study tools & techniques; mind-management and on-the-day performance.

“Unlike any other book on exams, the final four chapters are on optimising our lifestyle so we can stay physically and mentally healthy throughout our studies,” Kam adds. These chapters of the book, which is published by RAR Medical Services, look at: movement & physical activity; nutrition & hydration; sleep and support groups.

Kam studied Manufacturing Engineering at Churchill College, Cambridge. After graduating, he initially took up a post as a management consultant with a global company. However, he had begun doing performance coaching work while still at university and in 2016 left the consultancy world to concentrate fully on coaching and motivational speaking.

He works predominantly with students and young professionals, speaking at leading schools and universities. Last term, Kam visited QE to lead a workshop on Oxbridge preparation for 32 sixth-formers.

The content of the new book is similar to The 8 Principles of Exam Domination, which was self-published by Kam on Kindle last year.

A visit to a chateau in rural Normandy offered boys at both ends of the School the opportunity to throw themselves into French language and culture.

The 50-strong group, comprising mostly pupils from the current Year 8 together with a smaller number of Year 13 boys, spent a week based at the Château de la Baudonnière, near Avranches, on a trip organised by the Languages department.

The younger boys consolidated a year of language-learning, seizing the chance to practise their conversation skills with native speakers. The range of team-building activities provided meant the trip also helped the boys make new friends and deepen existing friendships.

For their part, the sixth-formers undertook work-experience placements in locations including a bakery, restaurant and shop.

Head of Extra-Curricular Enrichment Rebecca Grundy said: “We took a day out to see the Bayeux tapestry and the D-Day beaches, while the boys also watched a film about the Allied landings in June 1944 at a 360-degree cinema.”

The activities undertaken by the younger boys included rock-climbing, archery, raft-building and tackling an assault course, while there were also French lessons during the week.

QE’s Geography department has received a prestigious award in recognition of the excellence of teaching and learning in the subject at the School.

The Geographical Association announced that QE is among a select group of schools from across the country to receive the Secondary Geography Quality Mark (SGQM) for 2018–21.

QE previously won the award in 2015 and had recently submitted detailed evidence in the hope of having it renewed. In response, the association’s Moderator Justin Woolliscroft and the National Moderation Team gave QE’s Geography team a glowing report: “Your students are very fortunate to have access to a rich and varied curriculum allied with such a committed teaching team. It is clear that you are very proactive in a wide range of areas spreading good practice through your activities.

“Geography provision is clearly extremely strong and we are delighted to confirm the SGQM award for a further three years.”

The award recognises quality and progress in Geography leadership, curriculum development and learning and teaching in schools.

QE’s Head of Geography Emily Parry said: “The department are proud to have received this award in recognition of the high-quality geographical education delivered here. We strive to provide an engaging and topical curriculum.”

Rebecca Kitchen, GA Curriculum Manager, said: “The SGQM enables schools to focus critically on what they are doing and why, in order to provide their young people with the knowledge and understanding they need to live in the modern world.”

The moderators’ report singled out a number of areas for special praise: “The need for refreshed and revised curricula for both KS4 [Key Stage 4] and KS5 have understandably been an important focus for the department, and it is good to read that these have been accepted very positively by the students and that the new schemes are now influencing what is offered at Key Stage 3. We like the challenge offered through the extended homework essays which clearly support the students in becoming more independent, so helping them with the demands placed upon them at GCSE and beyond.”

The report also lauded the department’s:

• “Continuing collaborative work” with the University of Hertfordshire and the Prince’s Teaching Institute
• “Important role” in hosting the World Wise quiz for local schools – an annual Geography competition
• Fieldwork, which “remains a strength, with numerous exciting opportunities offered to your students”.