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Founder’s Day 2025 drew large numbers of visitors for the afternoon fete, who helped smash a £25,000 fundraising target.

The day, a traditional highlight of QE’s calendar, began with a service at St John the Baptist Church. That was followed by the formal Roll Call and Reading of the School Chronicle in front of QE’s Main Building.

Then it was time for the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s Fete to begin on Stapylton Field, where visitors could enjoy dozens of attractions, ranging from a plants stall and coconut shy through to barbecues and tents offering cuisine from around the world.

Headmaster Neil Enright: “Founder’s Day 2025 was a tremendous day from start to finish. The fete was very enjoyable, with great food and diverse cultural entertainment on the stage. Even the weather seemed to be on our side: although it was a hot day, we were blessed with a little cloud and even some (unforecast) light rain – it all helped keep everyone cool.”

“I am extremely pleased to be able to report that we have raised £40,904.50 – and still rising! That is a magnificent sum significantly exceeding both this year’s £25,000 target and the amount raised last year. My thanks to everyone who gave generously.”

“I congratulate and thank all those involved in making Founder’s Day 2025 such a terrific success – especially the FQE Fete Committee, who have spent countless hours organising the fete over many months, and their small army of parent volunteers who turned out on the day. I should also mention our prefect team, who also worked tirelessly throughout the day.”

The service at the parish church featured a selection of hymns and readings, as well as music from the School Choir, Junior Barbershop Group and three young organists – Arthur Wang, Year 7; Gabriel Ward, Year 8; and Zach Fernandes, of Year 9.

The guest speaker was 2015 School Captain Norbert Sobolak. He spoke powerfully to the Year 7 boys in the congregation, reminding them of the achievements of Old Elizabethans Demis Hassabis (1988–1990) and Mustafa Suleyman (1995–2002). The pair were among the three co-founders of leading AI company, DeepMind, while last year, Sir Demis won a Nobel prize for Chemistry.

“Dream so big it scares you,” Norbert said. “Build your own path, even when the world says no. Never, ever give up. And I promise you: you will not just change your life; you will change the world.”

After the service, the staff, dressed in academicals, made their way to the School with the rest of the congregation for the lunchtime Roll Call and Reading of the School Chronicle (a history of notable events in the School’s history) in front of Main Building.

The fete was well attended. The programme includes more details about the event, as well as articles and advertisements from the fete’s supporters.

Among the most popular attractions was the bowl-at-a-teacher stall, making use of the cricket cage. As well as music from QE ensembles, there were colourful displays of dancing on the stage, while the Main School Hall housed an archival display that included QE’s founding charter of 1573.

Among those who enjoyed the chance to examine the charter were representatives of the QE Global Schools programme, from Global Education (GEDU), who attended the celebrations and supported the day.

As well as takings on the day, the fundraising total was boosted by the sale of advertising, by giving online, and by sponsored House competitions held by both the Music and PE departments.

Funds raised will be put towards the complete refurbishment of two Biology laboratories, helping QE to respond effectively to the growing demand for subject-specific science laboratories as the numbers taking A-level sciences has risen in recent years. There is still time to donate: the dedicated Founder’s Day JustGiving page remains open.

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Lawyer Matthew Radstone featured in the first episode of a new Channel 4 documentary series that follows some of the country’s leading barristers representing clients accused of serious crimes.

The programme, Barristers: Fighting For Justice, shows Matthew (OE 1993–2000), a criminal defence barrister, defending a taxi driver facing a 15-year prison sentence as he is accused of transporting cocaine worth £1m as part of an international drugs conspiracy.

The series depicts the work that goes into preparing a defence, from, for example, walking the crime scene through to forensic examination.

After reading Politics at Leeds, Matthew was called to the Bar in 2005.

A Legal 500-listed lawyer, he is based at 25 Bedford Row, a leading defence chambers, where he has established a strong reputation in the areas of serious crime, complex fraud and regulatory matters.

The chambers’ website states: “His reputation is built on his forensic mind, sound tactical judgement and affable approach. He is passionate about his cases and leaves nothing to chance as a result of his meticulous preparation.”

He previously featured in a BBC Radio 5Live series, Raising the Bar, about a day in the life of a barrister.

Outside of work, Matthew has long been a leading supporter of Jewish charities, including World Jewish Relief. He is also a Parent Governor at the Mathilda Marks-Kennedy Jewish Primary School in Mill Hill.

Two major events took place under the QE Futures programme, with one giving Year 9 pupils insights into entrepreneurialism and the other providing sixth-formers with up-to-the-minute information on what to expect from university.

Education technology entrepreneur Amanda Slavin paid a return visit to QE to lead an interactive day for the whole of Year 9 on Developing Employability Skills through Entrepreneurship.

And Year 12 enjoyed the opportunity to hear from last year’s leavers, who returned to the School to give their first-hand experience of life as an undergraduate in QE’s University Convention.

Assistant Head (Pupil Destinations) James Kane said: “These two events demonstrate the breadth of QE Futures. I am grateful to Amanda Slavin for delivering such a stimulating day – one which helped the boys strengthen their communication and teamworking skills, as well as developing their creative and critical thinking.

“The main point of the University Convention was that last year’s leavers share their experiences and pass on advice to current QE students who will be making choices as to where to apply. But it was also a wonderful opportunity to catch up with them and hear how they are getting on in ‘the real world’. They seemed to enjoy the opportunity to see each other and to catch up with their ‘old’ teachers over lunch.”

For the Year 9 event, pupils worked together in teams of five to create, and then pitch, a sustainable product that would appeal to young people. The day culminated with groups presenting their work to Amanda Slavin in a bid to win a hypothetical investment.

Amanda Slavin, who was named as a person of influence in a Forbes 30 under 30 list, specialises in helping brands measure and grow engagement with customers and employees.

The author of a best-selling book, The Seventh Level, she is the co-founder of multiple businesses, including  CatalystCreativ, which worked with brands including Google and Coca-Cola, and LearningFREQUENCY, which aims to help young people develop a love of learning by increasing engagement.

She reflected afterwards on how the boys had responded when given the opportunity and space to “collaborate, create, and communicate” during the day.

“The students’ ability to think critically, present boldly, and support one another was truly impressive. It was a joy to witness their ideas come to life and see their confidence grow throughout the day.”

Among the participants were Artem Batyukov and Arav Mishra, who, together with their teammates, presented their fruit-bush planting business, which they named Fruiture.

“I really enjoyed the QE Futures day,” said Arav. “It was extremely useful in building up our public speaking and presentation skills, as well as teamwork. As we progress into a new digital age, these skills, currently unable to be possessed by AI, will be extremely important to progress our CVs.”

Artem added: “The project was a masterclass in working in teams under time pressure, really pushing our skill in leadership, teamwork and communication. I think that it has helped our future workplace interaction, and given us a sample of what working to meet a deadline together is like.”

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It is just two years since Sudhamshu Gummadavelly and Ashwin Sridhar won the Elizabethan Union Dinner Debate as sixth-formers in the School’s 450th anniversary year.

Now the young alumni, who both left the School in 2023, have repeated the feat, successfully opposing the motion – This House believes social media is harming our democracy – which was proposed by Year 13’s Saim Khan and Zaki Mustafa.

The motion generated extensive debate, with many boys contributing from the floor to this, the 58th annual debate. A relaxed, convivial evening, it gives senior boys an opportunity to experience the sort of occasion they may later encounter at university and beyond.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “This was a very high-quality debate from both teams, with many judicious, thoughtful contributions also coming from the floor. With contributors proving responsive to the points made by others, it made for an intellectually exciting discussion.

“Our thanks go to all those involved, particularly our returning OEs, who I am sure enjoyed the opportunity to relive past glories as a winning team once again!

The debate was chaired by Year 13’s Rohan Kumar, with the toasts at dinner presided over by 2024’s Chanakya Seetharam, also of Year 13.

Here is a summary of points made during the debate:

Saim (proposing) stated that fake news reached 1,500 people six times faster than true news in a study and pointed out the centralised control of social media channels by figures such as Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.

Ashwin (opposing) gave examples of social media being used to expose truth in the face of state oppression and propaganda and its use in giving a voice to the voiceless, citing the #MeToo movement.

Zaki (proposing) waxed historical, pointing to the story of Emperor Nero blaming everyone else when Rome burned in AD64, the salient point being that he was able to control the flow of information and thus turn people against each other. In like fashion, social media gives a platform to neo-Nazis and other extremists peddling misinformation and hate, such as those behind the January 6th riots in the US, and is not infrequently misused by national actors, such as China and Russia. Far from being neutral, it is the platforms which decide which material goes viral and who is silenced. Social media is purposely addictive and – with anger generating clicks – divisive.

Sudhamshu (opposing) countered that misinformation was entirely possible without social media, suggesting, in fact, that the proposers had promulgated misinformation in their speeches! The power of social media, he said, is that it is a conversation – two-way communication, able to be answered. In a world without social media, people would be less able to challenge politicians directly and governments would find it easier to control the populace.

Points and questions from the floor included:

• Is more free speech necessarily good? Much of the debate online is lazy and low quality.
• The tone online is often argumentative, which provokes people to reinforce their own views, leading to entrenchment and retreat to separate groups.
• Social media is used to organise violence, such as mosque attacks and attacks by the English Defence League.
• Counter examples were given of social media exposing corruption, particularly in developing countries.
• With algorithms driving social media, what you see is determined for you.
• Echo chambers were not a side effect, but the driving purpose of social media – pushing your own beliefs back at you.
• On social media you can publicly comment on and critique things. By contrast, if you send an email or letter to a newspaper, its staff will decide whether to publish it.
• Head of English Robert Hyland asked: “Who guards the guards?” Traditional media has editorial boards and regulators, but social media does not. However, his caveat was that perhaps the proposers were living in the past, harking back to what democracy used to be. Does it not evolve, with social media showing the robustness of that evolution?

The end result of the debate was a vote of 40% in favour of the motion, with 58% against, and 2% abstaining. Thus, the narrow lead for the proposition at the outset of the debate was overturned.

Earlier, a three-course dinner, with a vegetarian option was served.

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Queen Elizabeth’s School pupils have secured 49 offers from Oxford and Cambridge this year – a figure only surpassed by last year’s all-time record.

This year’s tally, comprising 34 offers from Cambridge and 15 from Oxford, takes the total number of Oxbridge places offered to QE pupils over the past three years to 157.

2025 is also shaping up to be another strong year for QE applicants more generally: other universities have not yet completed the process of making offers, but already 94% of Year 13 already hold at least one offer, many of them from world-leading universities on prestigious courses, from Medicine to Modern Languages.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “I extend my sincere congratulations to all our successful Oxbridge applicants. This stellar success is due reward not only for their dedication to their A-level studies and to wider interests, but also for their careful preparation for the university admissions tests and interviews.

“I thank my colleagues in the QE Futures programme for providing deeply informed and meticulous support and advice to the boys both before and during the admissions process. I am also grateful to the many alumni and other friends of the School who conducted mock interviews for these and other university applicants in the autumn.”

This year’s offers have come from 25 colleges, with the single highest number – five – from Gonville & Caius at Cambridge. They are for a considerable breadth of courses, from Oxford’s famous Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) degree to Architecture and Materials Science.

Ten boys have offers to read Medicine at Oxford and Cambridge, and nine to study Mathematics. The five boys securing offers for Computer Science constitute a new QE record.

Boys have also gained apprenticeships with blue-chip firms such as Goldman Sachs and Deloitte.

Assistant Head (Pupil Destinations) James Kane said: “While we congratulate these Oxford and Cambridge applicants, they will be very aware that it’s not over yet: they will need to continue working hard to achieve their required grades! But they are an excellent group and we have great confidence that not only will they take up their places, but will then enrich their respective colleges in the years to come.

“More broadly, we are delighted with the successes across the Year 13 cohort. Although many universities have not yet completed their offer processes – including LSE, all American universities and several universities offering Medicine – 38 UK universities have awarded offers to QE students so far. These include all four universities in the top 10 of the QS global rankings, namely Imperial College London, Oxford, Cambridge, UCL.

“A special mention goes to musician Harrison Lee, who has received offers to study Composition at both the Royal Northern College of Music and Trinity College of Music, as well as an offer for the joint course between the Royal Northern College of Music and Manchester University. Receiving offers from specialist Music conservatoires is an absolutely tremendous achievement – these are very competitive and specialised courses.

“As ever, we are mindful that some excellent Oxford and Cambridge applicants will be disappointed, but looking to the other offers being received by the year group it is clear that there are many different routes that will be similarly exciting and rewarding.”

A record 90 old boys and other friends of the School this year conducted more than 150 individual university mock interviews for pupils as part of the QE Futures programme.

This tally does not include the many mock interviews held by QE teachers, both for their own students and for pupils at three other schools, nor does it include a range of other interview support measures for aspiring medics, Oxbridge candidates and others in Year 13.

The programme aims to build on last year’s record of university success, with 54 boys securing places at Oxford or Cambridge and with 55% of all QE leavers receiving offers from a university ranked in the QS World Top 5.

Assistant Head (Pupil Destinations) James Kane, who leads the QE Futures programme, said: “We seek to provide detailed preparation for all our students applying to university, maximising their chances of obtaining offers on the most sought-after courses at some of the world’s top educational institutions.

“Last year, a record 90% of QE applicants were called to interview at Oxford and Cambridge. Many exciting course offers have already been made this year, with a very strong number of Oxford offers. We await further news and will then support students with confirming their preferences. We are most grateful to all those OEs and other friends of the School who support the process so generously. ”

As an introduction to the interview season, in November Gwyneth Hamand, the London Outreach Officer for Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, delivered an in-School workshop for 50 of QE’s Oxford and Cambridge applicants, giving them insight into what to expect from the interview process.

That was followed by a visit from Old Elizabethan doctors and entrepreneurs Kavi Samra and Paul Jung (both 2008–2015). The pair held interviews in School over three days for all 33 medical applicants as part of the QE Futures Pathways to Medicine programme.

Separately, Mr Kane and Head of Biology Gillian Ridge together led a session with 20 aspiring medics, taking them through mock Multiple Mini Interviews. (MMIs are used by medical schools to test a wide range of skills and assess potential candidates.)

More generally, Year 13 students have been undertaking mock university practice in lessons, and developing their confidence and articulacy during a series of inter-class debates.

Among those who have benefitted are two pupils applying to read Mathematics at Cambridge. Shreyaas Sandeep said: “I found the mock interviews to be extremely helpful, as they provided a unique insight into the process and helped me understand which areas of the subject I should focus on.”

Classmate Saim Khan added: “The mock interview was an excellent opportunity to get firsthand experience in the university admissions process from someone who had been through the exact same steps only two years prior. The OE who interviewed me was very knowledgeable, more than willing to help, and extremely thorough!”

QE staff liaise with teachers at The Henrietta Barnett School and Highgate School to provide the respective schools’ pupils with mock interview practice. In addition, QE teachers give their time to provide online mock interviews for students from Ashmole Academy in Barnet.

• The next major event in the QE Futures calendar is the School’s Careers Convention on Wednesday 12th February. Like the mock interviews, the convention is always heavily supported by Old Elizabethans, who provide current pupils with the benefit of their individual experience and with sector-specific careers advice.