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Formality and fun came together on Founder’s Day to create a fitting 446th anniversary for Queen Elizabeth’s School.

Pupils, old boys, parents, staff and many other supporters of the School turned out in force for the afternoon fete, which followed the traditional church service and the reading of the School roll and of the School Chronicle earlier in the day.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “It was a very happy occasion and a great celebration of the School’s 446th birthday, enjoyed by all parts of our community.

“I was particularly pleased to see so many Old Elizabethans returning to their alma mater: the number of alumni who attend is rising year by year. This year, they ranged in age from 18 to 90, some of them regular visitors and others coming back to QE for the first time since leaving.”

The Founder’s Day service in Chipping Barnet Parish Church began in stirring style with the processional piece, Sigfrid Karg-Elert’s Now thank we all our God, performed by organist Drew Sellis, of Year 12, who also led the Chamber Choir’s contributions to the service.

“The music was perhaps particularly strong this year, with another highlight being the Magnificat, sung by the School Choir’s trebles and altos,” said Mr Enright.

The guest speaker was Old Elizabethan Tommy Peto (2003–2010), who has recently embarked on a new role in management and strategy consulting after enjoying a glittering academic career at Oxford. Since going up to Brasenose College to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics, he has won several academic prizes and gone on to take an MPhil in Politics, before completing his doctorate last year.

In his speech, Tommy urged the boys who were in the congregation to find out what they enjoy and to be both creative and hard-working in the way they pursue it as a career. “Your friends might all want to become lawyers, perhaps your parents want you to become a doctor. These are good professions, interesting, challenging and worthwhile. But you shouldn’t live someone else’s dream. If you do, neither you nor they will be fulfilled…There’s an old adage here: choose a job you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life.

“You should think widely about what it is that you enjoy, to find out what you want to do. This is such an exciting time, with huge changes in technology and society upending how we work. There are so many jobs that didn’t exist for our parents.

He continued: “Think creatively about what you might want to do, and if the role doesn’t exist, create it.

“If I had to boil this down…, it would be into these three things: find what it is you enjoy; be creative about how to do what you enjoy, and do it. Because you can do it. You’re bright. You’re at a top school, and you’re in one of the world’s most dynamic cities. You can do it. But it’s up to you to decide what ‘it’ is. Now go do it,” he concluded.

The Headmaster said later: “I am most grateful to Tommy: his speech was engaging, entertaining and accessible for the boys who were in the congregation. It was lovely to welcome his parents, partner and brothers to the School for the occasion – his younger brother Harry being an OE himself [2005-2012].”

After the service, the boys walked back to the School, accompanied by their teachers, who wore academic gowns for the occasion. The School assembled in front of the Main Building for the reading of the roll and of the School Chronicle. This tradition, established by Headmaster Ernest Jenkins in 1930, involves the Headmaster reading aloud a formal history of the School, which is updated annually.

Then it was time for the fete to begin. Organised by the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s, this colourful event takes place on Stapylton Field, with stalls and attractions to cater for all ages and tastes. The fete is FQE’s biggest fund-raising event of the year.

Conditions were a little challenging for the Jazz Band as they performed, requiring them to resort to the tried-and-tested method of securing the pages of their scores with clothes pegs to stop them blowing away entirely! Undeterred, they put the crowd In the Mood with Glen Miller’s classic swing piece, alongside a selection of other popular tunes.

Some of the visiting alumni participated in the afternoon’s cricket match, which pits the School against an OE XI. Changeable conditions made for a tricky wicket for the batsmen on both sides.

After the OEs were bowled out relatively quickly, a straightforward win for the School seemed to be on the cards, but as the OE attack began toppling the School’s middle and lower order, the game suddenly looked in the balance. In the end, the School was, though, able to surpass the OEs’ total.

“As ever, a fun and friendly atmosphere pervaded the cricket fixture,” said the Headmaster. “Indeed, the same may be said for the afternoon as a whole – the weather held and the atmosphere at the fete was tremendous. My thanks go to all – including FQE volunteers, the many participating boys and my colleagues – for their contributions to making the event such a success.”

• The fete raised £21,000 in cash donations on the day, with a further £3,000 donated via a Just Giving page.

Around 60 of last year’s leavers who are now two terms into their degree courses came back to QE to contribute to the School’s Universities Convention.

With fresh experience of university life, and with the Sixth Form and university application process such a recent memory, they were well-placed to give some first-hand advice to current Year 12 pupils.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “There is always a good turnout for the convention, and it is excellent to see that that each new cohort of OEs is so willing to stay connected with the School and to actively support it.

“These, the youngest of our Old Elizabethans, are able to provide very current insights into their various courses, clubs and societies and their chosen universities. As such, they are a trusted and valuable source of information for our sixth-formers.

“Staff always enjoy the opportunity to hear how these recent leavers are getting on – even if it can sometimes be hard to recognise some, with their ‘civilian’ clothes, beards and new, non-QE-approved hairstyles!”

The returning alumni had the opportunity to catch up both with each other and with their former teachers in a buffet lunch held for them in the Main Hall, which was provided with assistance from the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s.

The Year 12 boys were encouraged to be quite specific with their questions to the alumni, asking, for example whether there was anything the students wished someone had told them before they applied.

The current pupils also quizzed the OEs on topics such as the cost of accommodation in university cities.

The Universities Convention is part of QE’s University admissions Support Programme (USP), which is designed to ensure boys receive the best advice, guidance and assistance in preparing university applications.

This sits alongside the broader careers provision, through which boys can look at the jobs, professions and industries they might wish to pursue after university, or what other paths they might want to take upon leaving the School.

Some of the students at the convention had also been in to the School the previous week in order to speak to Year 13 on similar issues: Abbas Adejonwo, Rehaan Bapoo, Dhruv Kanabar, Yashwanth Matta and Oliver Robinson gave advice based upon their experiences as first-year undergraduates at Cambridge, Oxford and Warwick.

The inaugural Christmas Gift Fayre run by The Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s successfully got QE’s 2018 festive season off to an early start.

With almost 30 stalls selling an immensely diverse range of gifts to suit all budgets, the fayre offered extensive opportunities to stock up early on presents for Christmas and other forthcoming occasions. It was very well supported by School parents past and present – including many parents of the new Year 7 boys – as well as staff, alumni and neighbouring residents.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “This was a splendid event at which we were tremendously encouraged to see our Elizabethan community and local residents come together to support each other and the School. My thanks go to everyone in the FQE whose sterling work made the fayre such a success.”

As well as some well-known national brands, there were many local businesses among the stallholders. Their wares included:

• Various types of jewellery, such as costume, chainmail and beaded
• Magic toys
• Children’s books
• Work from London artists and a wildlife photographer
• Knitwear and girls’ dresses
• Woodturning items
• Crystals and fossils
• Italian food gifts
• Skin care, beauty and pamper products
• Handmade handbags and purses.

Mulled wine and other seasonal treats were offered at the refreshments stall. For children, there was face-painting and also the opportunity to pay a visit to the Elf Grotto, where they could enjoy arts & crafts activities and write a letter to Santa.

In addition, the current QE Year 10 Young Enterprise team had a stall to raise funds for their business, where guests were invited to take part in guessing games, such as estimating the weight of a cake or the number of sweets in a jar. The team are developing an educational app as their business product.

A long-established organisation, FQE’s aims include helping new parents ensure their sons are happy and that they rapidly integrate into the School. In addition, the Friends facilitate social relationships between families, while also raising funds for the School in order to enrich the educational experience it provides.

With questions ranging from “Which part of the body completely renews itself every four days?” * to “George Orwell wrote ‘The Road to Wigan Pier’; on which waterway is the pier located?” ** this year’s FQE quiz night proved to be a popular and successful evening.

The quiz followed its traditional format, with rounds on subjects including geography, history and music, as well as a marathon round based around the number four. There were also speciality rounds on the human body (entitled The doctor will see you now) and on awards and honours, as well as an observation round, a Heads and Tails game and a raffle.

In a current affairs round, guests were asked to which song the Prime Minister took to the stage at this year’s Conservative Party Conference. As stated above, the answer is Dancing Queen, by Abba.

For their supper, guests could choose either fish and chips or vegetable curry.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and I want to thank all those involved in both organising and running the occasion. The FQE undertake regular events such as this to raise money which goes towards adding to the resources on offer to our boys.”

The organising team included former QE parents Peter and Karen Forrester, who are on the FQE Executive Committee, their son William, FQE Secretary Diane Mason and her husband, George. William Forrester (OE 2009–2016) came to attend the quiz from Sheffield, where he is in his third year reading Aerospace Engineering.

The winning team was a table of Year 11 parents including the FQE Executive’s Lead Parent Ambassadors, Rekha Essex (mother of Zeke) and Anna Westcott (mother of Hugh).

Answers:
* The stomach lining
** The Leeds & Liverpool Canal

Pupils past, present and even future all helped make the 2018 Queen Elizabeth’s School Founder’s Day a resounding success.

The day, a great highlight of the School’s summer calendar, included a morning church service and subsequent ceremonial proceedings, before culminating in the popular afternoon fete on Stapylton Field.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “This was a splendid and enjoyable day and it was a great pleasure to see everyone, from boys and their families who are set to join the School in Year 7 in September right through to the Old Elizabethans spanning several generations who came along.

“Founder’s Day really brings together the whole Elizabethan family in celebration both of the School’s history and of the strength of our present community.”

The day got off to a stirring start with the School Choir’s rendition of Handel’s coronation anthem, Zadok the Priest, performed as the introit in Chipping Barnet Parish Church.

The service included hymns and Bible readings, including from the current School Captain, Aashish Khimasia, and his predecessor, Oliver Robinson, as well as the traditional Founder’s Day prayer, concluding with the petition that “our School may endure as a home of sound learning and of true godliness”.

Guest speaker for the service was Major Charles Russell (OE 1997–2004) who spoke on the theme of service, reflecting on QE’s “rich history of military service” and pointing out that 2018 marks the centenary of the end of the First World War. He went on to articulate how service to others is demonstrated throughout the Elizabethan community.

Major Russell told the congregation of boys, staff and VIPs of his experiences in 2010, when he and a fellow soldier were very seriously injured in Afghanistan, where he was serving with The Royal Gurkha Rifles. “We were on the operating table in Camp Bastion within 25 minutes of the blast, and back in Birmingham two days later.

“Although I wasn’t conscious at the time, I was visited in the intensive care unit by an Old Elizabethan – a consultant working at Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital Birmingham who had been a senior prefect when I was a brand new Year 7. The note he left me: ‘To a fellow OE in the new QE hospital; don’t worry you are in the care of the very best.’ Imagine the comfort this provided me and my family – he was absolutely right – this was the cutting edge of complex trauma medicine. No surprise to find an OE at the forefront of his profession.”

Major Russell added that he had been “touched beyond words” to receive a card from the QE staff as he lay immobilised in his hospital bed. “Not only was there a card, but a parcel was delivered containing a spanking new iPad: these had just come out in the UK and were seriously hot pieces of technology then.”

Guests at the service included Major Russell’s father, Martin Russell, who is Representative Deputy Lieutenant for the London Borough of Barnet. Also in the congregation were: the Mayor of Barnet, Cllr Reuben Thompstone; local MP Theresa Villiers and Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School Headteacher Violet Walker, as well as QE governors, former members of staff, parents and boys.

After the service, the day continued, in accordance with cherished QE tradition, with the roll call and the reading of the School Chronicle in front of the main building.

Then it was time for the fete, organised by the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s, to get into full swing, to the accompaniment of the School Concert Band. Among the many stalls, activities and attractions, the International Food Tent proved as popular as ever – takings for the Sri Lankan curry alone reportedly topped £4,000! These sales helped the FQE raise a total sum for the day provisionally put at around £21,000.

The afternoon also saw the annual Stanley Busby Memorial Cricket Match between old boys of the School and the current First XI. Played on the Third Field at the rear of the School, it was this year won by the pupils after a close encounter with a strong team of OEs.

A good many other Old Elizabethans attended the formal aspects of the day, the fete and the cricket, with some having travelled a considerable distance in order to be there.

The 2017 Founder’s Day Fete brought 444 years of QE’s history to a successful, if sweltering, conclusion – and raised nearly £20,000 for the School.

The traditional climax of the QE year, Founder’s Day provides an opportunity to celebrate the School’s anniversary, with the fun of the fete in the afternoon complementing the formality of the morning’s Thanksgiving Service in Chipping Barnet Parish Church and of the Roll Call and the Reading of the School Chronicle.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “It was a most enjoyable day and I must convey my congratulations and thanks to the tireless Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s, whose hard work made it all possible. As ever, hundreds of our parents and supporters visited the fete, and this year I was also pleased to welcome a good number of our alumni there, especially from the younger generations.”

In his address at the service, guest speaker Ashley-James Turner (OE 2001–2008) highlighted the roles played by parents, teachers and boys in the School’s success. He told boys in the congregation: “On your shoulders rest the legacy and heritage of all those boys who sat where you are today and of all those boys who are destined to attend. Your dedication, hard work and inevitable success carries the reputation of this School onwards one year after another – so no pressure!” Ashley, who went up to Oxford to read Geography after his A-levels, is today Director of Business Development at CoreAzure, a leading Microsoft UK Partner specialising in Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform.

The service featured anthems from composers including Vaughan Williams, Tavener and Rutter performed by School musicians and the School and Chamber choirs. Bible readings were given by current School Captain Oliver Robinson, and h is predecessor, Varun Vassanth, while the Headmaster led the prayer of remembrance for old boys who had died recently.

The boys and staff then processed to Stapylton Field, where the Headmaster made the Roll Call in front of the Main Building. Next followed the reading of the School Chronicle, a regularly updated account of QE’s history. Its reading is a tradition inaugurated by Headmaster Ernest H Jenkins in 1930.

The afternoon fete represented the culmination of many months of planning by the dedicated FQE fete sub-committee. Stapylton Field was transformed into a vibrant and colourful scene of festivities, with parents helping to run many of the stalls. The fete was enlivened by performances from School musicians and many other attractions.

The afternoon also brings the annual Stanley Busby Memorial Cricket Match between the present First XI School cricket team and an XI of past pupils, which takes place on the Third Field at the rear of the School.  This year, the Old Elizabethan team carried the day, with a century by Kushal Patel (OE 2009–2016) contributing significantly to the victory.