Viewing archives for QE Flourish

QE’s first-ever expedition to Borneo saw pupils exploring the island’s amazing wildlife, working on jungle conservation projects, and mixing with local children amid monsoon rains.

Their trip featured encounters with four of the Asian island’s ‘big five’ animals, as well as camping in the rainforest, snorkelling around coral reefs, and climbing a mountain.

The Year 10 & 11 expedition group even set a record – for the most species of trees spotted on a Borneo World Challenge trip.

PE teacher & QE Flourish tutor Nicholas Langley-Pope said: “On their trip to the third-largest island in the world, our boys experienced a new culture, challenged themselves thoroughly, and developed greater independence.

“With Borneo boasting over 400,000 square miles of rainforest and some 15,000 different plant species, they loved discovering some of the world’s most remarkable wildlife.

“It was a wonderful trip in so many ways and, for many, I am sure, an experience that they will never forget.”

The World Challenge company organises pupil-led school expeditions on which participants develop qualities of leadership, independence and resilience, as well as other life skills. Those involved have to raise their own funds.

The wildlife was a major attraction for the QE adventurers. They visited the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and the Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre to see rescued wildlife. The boys enjoyed cruises along the Kinabatangan River, where they spotted crocodiles, birdlife and monkeys. They thus saw four of the ‘big five’, namely the proboscis monkey, rhinoceros hornbill, Bornean orangutan, and saltwater crocodile (the only one they missed being pygmy elephants). Snorkelling at Gaya Island and paddleboarding provided opportunities to discover the region’s spectacular marine life and coral reefs.

For some, camping in the rainforest for three days, sleeping in hammocks among the trees, was a particular highlight.

The physical challenges of carrying equipment and coping with the heat and humidity during a three-day trek through the jungle beneath Mount Kinabalu tested the boys, yet also helped them find their hidden reserves. Ryan Goyal, of Year 11, said: “We weren’t prepared for the amount of trekking due to our fitness levels, but after day 3 it felt normal.” Their trip included a hike to the 1,420m summit of Mount Nuluh Lingion.

The trip offered opportunities for the party to immerse themselves in local culture and undertake a cultural exchange – another highlight for many, including Year 11’s Noah Green. Meeting the locals, they sampled Malaysian cuisine and even played football with Malaysian children in the monsoon rain. “As part of the cultural exchange, we got to dance and sing Malaysian songs,” said Noah. “Year 10 made up a rap about English culture and school. Although we were nervous, once we performed it, it was a lot of fun – and very funny, too.” The cultural experience was, said Alex Bicar-Fields, of Year 10, “a doorway into a different world; and it was life-changing seeing how other people live”.

Conservation was another important aspect of the experience. The boys helped to support biodiversity by clearing invasive plants and vines, and replanting trees to support reforestation in the jungle.

Throughout the trip, every QE boy got the chance to lead, learn and listen. Year 10’s Sahas Sudhagar, who celebrated his birthday during the expedition, said of his fellow travellers: “They took on different roles and responsibilities throughout the activities. It helped them to develop confidence and independence.”

Ansh Hegde, of Year 10, summed up the expedition’s overall impact: “It was life-changing – a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”  Krish Bhatia, also of Year 10, added: “The trip was a good integration of culture and learning experiences.” And for any QE pupils thinking about tackling a future World Challenge expedition, Ryan Goyal had this advice: “Just do it, as you only live once.”

Accompanying the boys were the following QE staff: Mr Langley-Pope; Mathematics teacher Matthew Tricker; Head of Library Support Services Jenni Blackford; and PE teacher Guy Ashby – supported by their World Challenge Leader and local guides.

• QE Flourish reporter Salaheldin El Seed, of Year 8, contributed to this report.

They may have won a prestigious environmental award, but QE’s army of gardeners are showing no signs of resting on their laurels.

This month is the Soil Association’s Organic September – and pupils are playing their part in supporting nature by getting busy with early-autumn jobs on the School’s new plot in the Byng Road community allotments.

The allotment and the boys’ organic approach to raising produce are in line with QE’s commitment to nurture pupils in becoming sustainability-literate and community-orientated – two of the six priorities in the Boundless School Plan. The School’s sustainability programme encourages the boys to think globally, while taking positive action locally.

Assistant Head (Co-curricular & Partnerships) Crispin Bonham-Carter, who heads the QE Flourish co-curricular programme, said: “It’s only been a few months since we started work at the allotment, but we quickly progressed from Level 1 to Level 2 in the Royal Horticultural Society’s School Gardening Awards.

“More recently, we won the Eco-Schools Green Flag, with Distinction – a fitting tribute to the hard work of Maths teacher & QE Futures co-ordinator Nadeem Kydd, of Head of Biology Gillian Ridge, and of her Biology colleague & QE Flourish tutor Sam Acors, whose enthusiasm and commitment have been key to the success of the project.”

The allotment, which was central to the granting of the Green Flag, has become a living classroom. Through practical, hands-on activities, pupils are learning about community growing, biodiversity, organic food production, plastic pollution, and other key environmental issues.

Having already gathered in a harvest including potatoes, carrots, courgettes, chilli, tomatoes and marrows, this term they will be getting ready for spring by flattening the ground, preparing beds, and removing unwanted plants, while also planting some winter crops, such as onions and garlic.

The Green Flag award recognises QE’s commitment to sustainability and environmental education. To secure it, the School completed the Eco-Schools Seven Steps framework, an internationally recognised programme that empowers young people to lead environmental initiatives in their schools, local communities and beyond.

The RHS Level 2 award came with a £50 National Garden Gift Voucher, which will help support the continued development of the allotment and expand opportunities for outdoor learning.

For further information on Organic September, click here.

• Click on the thumbnails to view the images, where Dr Acors (among the sunflowers) and Mr Kydd are pictured showing some of the produce.

Broughton ousted last year’s winners, Harrisons’, to reclaim the Eric Shearly Cup following an exciting year of inter-House competition.

The trophy for the winning House overall returned to Broughton, the 2024 winners (and the winners of this year’s Sports Day). It was presented as the climax at the end-of-year House assembly.

Broughton Captain Paarth Aggarwal, of Year 12, said theirs was no easy victory: “At one point, we were in fourth position. However, we persevered and made the ultimate comeback to take the trophy. It means a lot, as it shows our hard work and resilience have paid off.”

The House competition involves points being awarded for competitions across academic, sporting and co-curricular events.

The assembly celebrated these events and others that form part of QE Flourish, the School’s co-curricular programme, which this year featured 186 educational visits and events, encompassing 6,844 pupil participation slots.

There were innovations – including the first Latin translation competition – along with continuing initiatives, such as QE Together, a joint community service project involving senior pupils from QE and Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School. QE Together this year raised money for Home-Start Barnet, Brent and Harrow, which offers emotional and practical support to families.

Pupil-run activities are increasingly prominent at the School. QE Flourish Clubs & Societies Awards went to: Hiyaan Maru, of Year 7 (Marvel Club); Vivaan Gupta, of Year 9 (Coding Club); and Rishan Virmani, Year 11 (Law Society).

Earlier this year, pupils travelled to Canada for skiing, Iceland (Geography), France and Germany (including language exchanges but also trips related to subjects such as History and Latin), and The Netherlands (rugby).  There are also summer visits to Czechia (Music), Tobago (cricket), and Borneo (a World Challenge expedition).

The assembly celebrated the remarkable feats of the School’s chess players. QE made history as the first school ever to have two teams in the 30-team national final of the English Schools Chess Championship, where the A team went on to be crowned national champions.

This year’s film-related House Music competition, House Music to the Movies, raised more than £1,000 towards new equipment.

The House Cup is named after Eric Shearly (1920–2005), a former pupil and teacher who spent a total of 76 years at the School. The Shearly Hall, opened in 2009, is also named after him.

Year 10’s Noah Green secured first place and won a gold medal at the regional School Fencing Summer Championships, while fellow pupil Yaw Hayfron took bronze.

Noah’s victory came as he competed for the very first time in an individual capacity.

Both boys started their fencing careers at QE, where it has long been a co-curricular sports activity and is part of the QE Flourish programme.

Director of Sport Jonathan Hart said: “It’s great to hear of these successes on the piste – my congratulations go to both Noah and Yaw. Their performances at the championships really demonstrate the character, resilience and sportsmanship that fencing at QE seeks to develop in the boys.”

QE’s fencing coaches come from the Paul Davis Fencing Academy, which is based at the Hertfordshire Combat Centre in St Albans, where the championships were held.

The event drew more than 170 young fencers from across Hertfordshire and surrounding counties, giving them the opportunity to showcase the progress they had made during the academic year.

Noah started fencing while in Year 9. He has previously competed in team tournaments, but never as an individual. Reflecting afterwards on his success, he said: “I was really surprised to get it – totally unexpected, but really happy with the result, which was very encouraging and inspires me to keep competing.”

Yaw, who is in Year 9, started fencing when he was in Year 7. He won his bronze medal after coming in joint-third place at the championships.

“It is my first-ever medal at a tournament, and this was an individual tournament, too. So, it shows that I have improved a lot. I am so happy with my result,” Yaw said.

The youngest fencers at the championships were from Year 2 at primary school.

This year’s QE Flourish Days saw more than 800 QE pupils head beyond the School gates for exploration and adventure.

The two days, a summer highlight of the QE Flourish co-curricular progamme, are hugely varied but have this in common: they make the most of the School’s location close to London yet on the edge of the countryside to offer boys exciting educational experiences.

New destinations for Flourish Days this year included Bletchley Park and the Tower of London.

Assistant Head Crispin Bonham-Carter (Co-curricular and Partnerships), who heads QE Flourish, said: “Despite the challenges of the recent heatwave, staff and students embraced our two Flourish Days with enthusiasm, resilience and a spirit of adventure.”

“From exploring the rainforests at Kew Gardens and uncovering the secrets of Bletchley Park to visiting the Roman Verulamium Museum at St Albans, the Globe Theatre, the Kelvedon Nuclear Shelter and undertaking a Year 12 hike, a huge number of our students took part in an amazing range of worthwhile activities.

“Thank you to all the staff who led visits and to the students whose positive attitude, curiosity and resilience made the days such a success. Together, they demonstrated the very best of the QE Flourish spirit!”

Alongside many popular tourist attractions, during their Flourish Days QE pupils headed to several academic destinations, including Imperial College and Queen Mary University of London’s Centre for Molecular Cell Biology.

Through the academic year, the QE Flourish encompasses the School’s many clubs, societies, competitions and charitable work, as well as a host of day trips, short residential trips and longer tours, home and abroad.

QE Flourish activities are organised under four headings – the four Cs – namely: Care, Challenge, Compete and Create.

This year’s School Play, The Father and the Assassin, was a thought-provoking treat for all the senses.

Anupama Chandrasekhar’s play focusing on the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi was a colourful spectacle that continued QE’s recent tradition of choosing bold, politically charged drama for the annual production performed by Lower School pupils.

Live music from the School’s Indian Ensemble provided a vibrant soundtrack, while even the catering continued the theme, with volunteers from The Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s serving up samosa and chai in the interval.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “My congratulations go to every member of the cast, crew, musicians, staff and volunteers who made The Father and the Assassin such an outstanding success. It was an evening of ambitious theatre, remarkable performances and unforgettable memories arising from a rich, complex script that asked difficult questions about conviction, extremism and the cost of political change.

“Our young cast rose magnificently to the challenge, relishing the opportunity to step into the shoes of some of history’s most influential figures.”

In recent years, Lower School productions have tackled themes including racism (12 Angry Men), the migrant crisis (The Jungle), tyranny and fate (Oedipus the King), and the struggle for Indian independence in Lions and Tigers.

This year’s production returned to India and to one of the defining moments of the 20th century – the assassination of Gandhi in 1948. Born in Chennai, India, playwright Anupama Chandrasekhar is best known for The Father and the Assassin, which was first performed in 2022.

The play opens in the immediate aftermath of the assassination, before transporting the audience back through the events, personalities and ideologies that shaped the Indian independence movement.

The production was directed by Penny Gkritzapi, of RM Drama, with support from QE Flourish tutor (and Philosophy, Religion & Society teacher) Brooke Farron.

Assistant Head Crispin Bonham-Carter (Co-curricular and Partnerships) praised every performer in the cast of almost 20, while highlighting several names in particular:

• “Yash Nadhavajhala [Year 9] brought warmth, dignity and quiet strength to the role of Gandhi.
• “Aarav Abhijit Pathak’s [Year 10] Veer Savarkar was forceful, charismatic and utterly convincing as the advocate of armed resistance.
• “At the centre of it all was Vihaan Sirpa [Year 9] as Nathuram Godse. Rarely does a performer of his age command the stage with such assurance. His portrayal was thoughtful, layered and remarkably self-possessed, carrying the emotional weight of the production across two absorbing hours and holding the audience captivated from beginning to end.”

Yet, said Mr Bonham-Carter, perhaps the production’s greatest triumph lay not in any single performance, but in its “extraordinary sense of ensemble”. He added: “Every actor knew exactly where they belonged, every movement had purpose, and every scene flowed seamlessly into the next. It was a performance that felt polished, confident and wholly collaborative—a remarkable achievement for a Lower School cast.”

The Indian Ensemble’s instruments and singing welcomed the audience before the performance, during the interval, and again at the close. “Their contribution added authenticity, atmosphere and warmth to an already memorable evening,” said Mr Bonham-Carter.

He also hailed the sense of community provided by the contribution of the FQE volunteers. “Their delicious samosas and steaming cups of chai transformed the interval into a celebration in itself.”

The whole evening will have whetted appetites for next year’s production, which is to be a musical, Jekyll and Hyde, Mr Bonham-Carter said.