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Three Old Elizabethans played in the historic Varsity rugby and water polo fixtures this term, with at least half-a-dozen others currently representing Oxford and Cambridge in the universities’ clubs.

Cambridge captain Ben Rock (2016–2023) and Avi Juneja (2018–2025) competed together in water polo’s oldest fixture, first played in 1891. Avi is pictured here taking a penalty in the Varsity match shoot-out. In rugby, Joel Anjorin (2018–2025) secured his Blue from Oxford in The Varsity Match at StoneX Stadium. Others involved include: Cambridge first-team water polo players Andreas Angelopolous (2018–2025) and Yuto Watanabe (2015–2022); team coach Alex Norcliffe (2009–2016); Oxford University Water Polo Club player Suryansh Sarangi (2018–2025); and OURFC members Victor Angelov and Taro Niimura (both 2016–2023).

Click on the thumbnails below to view the photos. The gallery shows, in order:

University of Cambridge water polo
1. & 2. Andreas in action in the Varsity Seconds match
3. Andreas, Avi and Ben at their pre-Varsity match team dinner
4. Andreas alongside Yuto Watanabe (OE 2015-2022) at the recent Cambridge first team match vs Warwick
5. A team photo showing Andreas, Avi and Ben in Malta

University of Oxford water polo
6 & 7. Suryansh was part of Oxford’s victorious team in the Varsity Seconds match.

Our thanks go to Andreas and to Mrs Sweta Sarangi for these photographs.

• To read more from Ben and Joel, see the Spring Term Sports Bulletin, which also includes a profile of this term’s QE Rugby Dinner guest speaker, Max Hassell (OE 2002–2009), in our OE Spotlight feature.

A record 65 guests signed up to support Year 11 boys at this year’s Careers Convention – more than 30 of them alumni.

New workshops were added to cover degree apprenticeship assessment centres and being ‘future-ready’ in a rapidly changing labour market – one of the six key priorities in QE’s new School plan, Boundless.

Assistant Head (Destinations and Progress) James Kane said: “Our Careers Convention grows stronger each year, and 2026 was our most inspiring yet. The generosity of our speakers – particularly our Old Elizabethan community – creates an environment where students can explore their ambitions with confidence and curiosity.

“The event encourages boys to explore both traditional and alternate pathways, providing them with first-hand insights about careers and career development from alumni, parents, other friends of the School and higher education advisors.”

The day opened with an inspirational keynote from Kam Taj (OE 2004–2011), who encouraged pupils to stay open-minded, embrace uncertainty, and understand that career paths are rarely linear.

There was a range of expert panel sessions on topics covering seven key career areas: accountancy, banking & finance; creative industries & the built environment; engineering; law; entrepreneurship; STEM opportunities; and medicine & dentistry.

Pupil Sriram Muthukumaran, who attended the engineering session, said: “I personally enjoyed the panel and their insights, which really helped guide my journey and allowed me to network with people in the field I want to explore.”

The afternoon featured workshops running in parallel with a Careers Fair in the Shearly Hall, where boys could have one-to-one conversations with the visiting experts, taking the opportunity to ask personalised questions and receive tailored insights.

This was especially popular with the 114 boys who gave feedback, such as Isa Sheikh, who said: “Being able to speak to people in different industries personally in the Careers Fair was the best part for me.” Vash Mamtani agreed: “Having conversations with some of the alumni and getting personalised advice was incredibly useful.”

Overall, a large majority of respondents gave the Careers Convention a four or five out of five rating.

Click on the thumbnails to view the images.

The OE pair narrowly defeated the School’s motion, This House would rejoin the European Single Market, at The 59th Annual Elizabethan Union Dinner Debate.

Anish Kumar and Shubh Rathod (both 2017-2024) argued that the point was not to relitigate the 2016 referendum, but to recognise that the world has moved on, with Europe left behind.

In an evening packed with tradition, sixth-formers Sejal Bobba and Shreyas Chandrasekar proposed the motion. The 2025 School Captain, Simardeep Sahota, toasted the visitors, while Shubh gave the toast to the Elizabethan Union – QE’s debating society.

Sejal began by noting that the Single Market is not the same as the European Union, since a participating country is not required to be in the customs union. Rejoining the single market would benefit the economy to the tune of £80-£90bn.

Anish, however, stated that having another referendum would reopen old problems, not least in Northern Ireland. The world is not moving towards Europe, but away from it, with other European countries and their economies struggling.

Shreyas urged looking to the future, not the past. Free movement would deal with labour shortages in the UK, and would help Europe, too. Since allies beyond Europe have become less reliable, we should stand with the European countries, he said.

Shubh, however, countered that leaving was difficult enough, so rejoining would be on unfavourable terms. He cited the significant amount the UK had to pay to rejoin the Erasmus scheme as an cautionary example. Our independence is helpful in giving the UK a measure of freedom in geopolitics and defence, and he noted the downsides of free movement in the context of refugee crises and instability.

A lively floor debate followed, during the course of which the proposers noted that net migration increased substantially after Brexit.

With an AI revolution looming, others pointed to the way in which Britain leveraged its independence during the Industrial Revolution to its huge advantage, warning that making an economic commitment to Europe would compromise its ability to work effectively with economic giants including the US, China and India.

The vote came down to a wafer-thin margin, with the motion defeated.

The pupils and OEs enjoyed a three-course dinner with a vegetarian option for the main course and sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel for dessert.

Alumnus Matt Houghton (OE 1997–2004) has won a BAFTA Award for the Best British Short Film 2026 with This is Endometriosis.

In his acceptance speech, he said: “This is a grass-roots film built by volunteers, and driven by a desire to make a small but significant change in the world.”

Blending present-day narration with memories, the documentary tells the story of how the gynaecological condition robbed sufferer Georgie Wileman of time.

Matt praised her as “brave beyond comprehension and an inspiration”. He told her: “Making this film with you has humbled me and taught me that to make films that matter, we must enter creativity with a strong soul and a soft heart.”

This Is Endometriosis had already received wide recognition before its BAFTA success, including a nomination at the 2025 Grierson Awards, a Gold Shark for Best Documentary at the Kinsale Shark Awards in Ireland, and honours at the Webby Awards.

The film has been screened at Everyman Cinemas nationwide.

Matt was in Pearce House at QE, where he was a standout athlete and played rugby for the School. He went on to study History at the University of York before embarking on his career in film.

On his website, Matt describes himself as a Londoner of mixed British and Indian descent “who makes films about outsiders and the unheard”. He was an associate producer for the Netflix Original feature Apollo Thirteen: Survival.

In advertising, Matt’s work has been nominated and won awards at the Kinsale Sharks, Webby Awards, British Arrows and 1.4 Awards, as well as being selected as part of Vimeo’s coveted Top Ten Best Of The Year twice.

• This is Endometriosis can be watched here.

Old Elizabethan Dr James Johnson’s forthcoming book will complete a trilogy on AI and the future of conflict.

James (OE 1987-1994), a leading academic, regularly advises the US, UK, and EU governments on AI and nuclear policy.

Although he has risen to become Senior Lecturer and Director of Strategic Studies at the University of Aberdeen, he spent 20 years working in the financial sector before moving into academia – an experience he says shaped his understanding of global affairs and the importance of adaptability.

“If there’s one thing I’d say to current QE pupils,” he said, “it’s that careers rarely follow a straight line. Be curious, take risks, and don’t be afraid to change direction when something new captures your interest.”

James looks back fondly on his time at QE, where “a few great teachers” sparked his interest in history and world politics. “Those lessons in critical thinking and debate have stayed with me ever since.”

At Aberdeen, James leads research on the intersection of artificial intelligence, nuclear weapons, and international security.

He is also the founding Director of the Strategic Studies Network (SSN), an Honorary Fellow at the University of Leicester, and works with several international projects and advisory groups — including the European Research Council’s Towards a Third Nuclear Age project, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, and the Global Commission on Responsible AI in the Military Domain at the Hague.

Public sector organisations he advises include the UK Office for AI, the US Department of Defense, and NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group.

His research has appeared in leading journals and policy outlets. The three books he has written on AI and future warfare are published by Oxford University Press and Manchester University Press. The final volume in the trilogy is called Machines at the Brink, published by OUP.

• Find out more about James’s work at jamesjohnsonphd.com and his University of Aberdeen profile.

The Forty Society’s biannual luncheon filled the clubhouse at the Memorial Playing Fields, where there was a special welcome for long-time former Head of Games David Maughan.

Some members sported the society’s new blazer (modelled here by OEs Ian Louis-Fernand and Giles Pratt), the design of which is based upon that used for the award of cricket colours in the 1930s. Giles has been significant in encouraging more alumni to come along to the Forty Society (open to any who left the School 40 or more years ago).

He visited the School this month, together with Jonathan Gould, who is over from Australia, while another Forty Society stalwart, David Leake (OE 1966–1971) came for a visit in June. David, who was Global Brand Director of Zurich, went to art college after QE. He attends the Forty Society, despite not living locally.

During the luncheon, rugby devotees and their friends paid tribute to the hugely popular David Maughan, who was attending the luncheon as a special guest.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “It was a great pleasure to welcome visiting OEs this term, most recently Giles and Jonathan. Whilst Jonathan had travelled all the way from Sydney, Giles didn’t have quite so far to come, given he is now one of the School’s closest neighbours here in High Barnet!

“There was much laughter as they shared their happy memories of their school days in the 1970s and early 1980s, when Jonathan’s father, Martin, was our longstanding Head of Design Technology, having joined the School in 1959.”

As well as continuing his support for the Forty Society, Giles also plans to put together a group for the OE Annual Reunion Dinner on Friday 21st November this year, starting at 7pm.