Dr John Marincowitz, former Headmaster and author of a new history of Queen Elizabeth’s School published this month, was the special guest at the annual Senior Awards Ceremony – one of the highlights of QE’s academic year.
Current Headmaster Neil Enright said it was entirely appropriate that, as QE prepares to celebrate its 450th anniversary tomorrow, the place of honour should go to one of the School’s own. Dr Marincowitz was Mr Enright’s predecessor, holding the role from 1999 until his retirement in 2011.
“John’s new book, Queen Elizabeth’s School: 1573–2023, which was based on ten years of research, adds significantly to our understanding of the School. But of course John has not just written our School’s history; he has played a significant part in shaping it, too.
“In his years as Headmaster, and before that, in the late 1980s and through the 1990s, he was a key figure here. He was instrumental, firstly in the turn-around of a struggling, under-subscribed institution and secondly in laying the foundations for its emergence as one of the most celebrated state schools in the country.”
At the start of the evening, the VIP party processed into the School Hall to Byrd’s O Lord, make thy servant, Elizabeth, sung by the Chamber Choir.
Dr Marincowitz, who first arrived at QE to join the History department in 1985, then presented prizes – which this year included copies of his book – to scores of prizewinners drawn from Years 10, 11 and 12. There were awards for all the academic subjects, for overall academic excellence, for contribution & responsibility and for outstanding performance or contribution in extra-curricular activities such as debating & public speaking, chess, drama and the Combined Cadet Force.
In his address, he told the prizewinners in the audience: “You are the authors of your own stories.”
During his tenure as Headmaster, Dr Marincowitz not only oversaw steady improvements in academic results but also worked to improve the learning environment, making make good use of the money raised by the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s. Major new facilities including the Martin Pool and Shearly Hall were opened during his headmastership.
There were the customary musical interludes at the Senior Awards Ceremony, featuring performances by Music prizewinners. The interludes were: 20th-century French composer Paule Maurice’s Tableaux de Provence, performed by Year 10 saxophonist, Leo Sellis; Beethoven’s Romanze, played by violinist Jason Tao, of Year 11, and Rupak Kaida, performed by Year 12 pupil Isher Jagdev, on the tabla.
A vote of thanks was given by the 2023 School Captain, Darren Lee, of Year 12.
After that, the recessional was Offenbach’s Gendarmes’ Duet, performed by vocalists Year 12’s Arjun Patel, Koustuv Bhowmick, of Year 11, Joel Swedensky, of Year 11, and Robin Bickers, also of Year 11.
With the formal elements of the evening complete, prizewinners and their families were able to join staff for refreshments.
Headmaster Neil Enright said: “This confirmation of our record-breaking A-level performance caps a fantastic year for QE. The achievement is all the more remarkable since this year’s leavers were disrupted throughout their time in the Sixth Form by the pandemic: my congratulations once again go to them – and to our staff – for showing such flexibility, hard work and fortitude in the face of repeated national lockdowns.
“2022 has also seen: the opening of our fantastic new Music building (The Friends’ Recital Hall and Music Rooms); the securing of 35 places at Oxford and Cambridge; the publication of an Ofsted report which found QE to be ‘outstanding’ across all areas, and this month’s royal visit by HRH The Duke of Gloucester. It has truly been Queen Elizabeth’s School’s annus mirabilis!
The upper reaches of this year’s Parent Power state school table are dominated by grammar schools, with the top 28 schools all fully selective – a fact expounded by the Parent Power editor, Helen Davies.
In fact, the results at the highest grades are not only stronger than for the last pre-pandemic GCSEs in 2019, but also surpass last year, when the Government brought in a system of Teacher Assessed Grades.
“These pupils had to cope with home-learning, close-contact isolation, stringent health & safety measures and frequently changing routines. Yet their results indicate that while the methods used by them and their teachers were somewhat different from normal years, they have delivered on their potential. They worked diligently and with dedication, were always mature about the challenges, and were enthusiastic about embracing all the opportunities available to them, both within and beyond the classroom.
Among the key highlights of today’s GCSE results at QE are:
Mr Enright added: “Looking back, necessary though the lockdowns and pandemic restrictions were, we can now see that they gave staff, pupils and parents alike a fresh appreciation of the benefits of on-site learning. Happily, things here have since rebounded as strongly as ever, with these pupils, and the School as a whole, able to look forward with optimism to what comes next.”
Not only are the results better than in the past two years, when no examinations were taken and figures were based on assessments, but they are also up on the last pre-pandemic year of 2019.
“The return of public exams has given the boys the opportunity to clearly demonstrate the fruits of their continued hard work and focus during the challenges of the pandemic, and their strong motivation to push forwards.
A* grades amount to 69.9% of all results – up 10.4% on 2021 (when there were Teacher Assessed Grades or TAGs), and up from 45.3% in 2019; *
Mr Enright said: “As the Ofsted report helpfully pointed out, at QE, we are resolutely determined to keep up the momentum with further improvements. It’s not just about academic results – important though these are – but about achieving our mission to develop fully-rounded young men ready to make a positive impact in a fast-changing world.
The ceremony saw pupils from Years 7–9 awarded around 75 prizes for academic subjects and extra-curricular activities such as chess, drama and public speaking & debating, as well as other endowed prizes and special awards.
In his speech during the ceremony, Mr Enright alluded to the heatwave and to the legend of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and paid the price. “Boys, you have kept your cool in the academic heat of QE – in its own way a record-breaking environment; one which absorbs and re-radiates aspiration, intellectual curiosity and positive energy.
He has served in various voluntary capacities, including as a mentor to pupils at under-performing London schools and as an intern in Mumbai, fundraising and raising awareness in support of poor cancer patients. He previously returned to QE to lead a Sixth Form discussion on Economic Geography.
“It takes a single moment to change everything that we take for granted…we are all blessed in one way or another, so live life and leave no regrets.”