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In his video address at this year’s Junior Awards, Headmaster Neil Enright acknowledged that, with the disruption, uncertainties, anxiety and “very real pain” caused by the global pandemic, people might feel there is little cause for celebration.

“Yet, despite all of this, indeed perhaps because of all of this, it is hugely important that we take the time to recognise and celebrate your exceptional contribution and performance over the course of the academic year,” said Mr Enright to the Year 7, 8 and 9 award-winners.

With the normal ceremony not possible because of Covid-19 restrictions, this year’s event was switched to an online format. This combined video messages with other innovations such as a message board where teachers have been able to leave messages of congratulations to the prize-winners on the School’s eQE digital platform.

Mr Enright spoke of “the high aspirations and common purpose that drive you, your parents, your teachers and other members of staff [and] the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s who continue to support our endeavours so generously, and our alumni who have been so engaged”.

He said that he hoped that the School would be able to return from what has become the ‘new normal’ to just ‘normal’. He added, however: “Our ‘normal’ at QE is anything but normal or ordinary; we are quite extraordinary. We were before Covid-19, we have been during it, and we will be after it.”

The Headmaster introduced a video address by Guest of Honour Jay Shetty (OE 1999–2006): “He is himself an extraordinary man – an author, a story-teller, a podcaster and former monk with a mission to make wisdom go viral. Having made the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and with 35 million social media followers, he is successful. I thank him for his support at this event.”

In his inspirational address, Jay echoed Mr Enright’s comments about the importance of celebration and said: “Even if today isn’t the celebration that you imagined, take time to celebrate today, make it special, make it important.”

Addressing the boys directly he said: “You’ve had the odds stacked against you; it’s been a difficult year – a tough time. But you’ve shown your courage, your resilience and focus even in tough times and this is an incredible ability that will stay with you forever.”

He recalled his own years at QE, and while acknowledging that he himself had never won one of the accolades or awards, he nevertheless believed the School to be an amazing institution. “I am grateful every single day that I attended QE. I know you may not feel like it now sometimes, it may feel like a long journey ahead, but I promise you, in the future, you will be so grateful to your parents; you will be so grateful to the teachers; you will be grateful to everyone that you went to such an incredible school. And I can’t wait to visit again, and I want to thank each and every single one of the teachers and the staff for making my experience there so open to evolution.”

Jay talked about his podcast, On Purpose, and about the inspirational individuals he has sat down and talked with, including the late Kobe Bryant, Alicia Keys, Yuval Noah Harari and billionaire Ray Dalio. “He [Ray Dalio] shared an equation with me that I wanted to share with you – I know it’s QE, hence the equation! – he said to me: ‘Pain + Reflection = Progress.’

“Now, the reason I love this equation is, if you remove the word reflection, all you are left with is pain, and it’s been a painful year for so many of us, but when we reflect, we find meaning, growth and evolution.”

Jay talked about the importance of reflection and of learning from success as well as failure: “If you reflect when you win, you will know how to do it again. And if you reflect when you lose, or fail, you will know what not to do again.”

He exhorted the boys: “Reflect on why you succeeded this year. Reflect on what you did differently. Deeply reverse-engineer and analyse the growth that you have made. Because when you do that, you’re going to be set up for success.”

He talked about his love of football and recalled the words of his coach when he was growing up in London. “He would always say to me: ‘When you lose, cry for a night and, when you win, celebrate for a night, and then move on.’

“And this is the best message that I can give you today: celebrate today, make it really important and special, but remember, tomorrow has more opportunities, tomorrow has more possibilities, and you’re creating an incredible future for yourselves.”

Pranav Challah, of Year 7, gave the traditional vote of thanks to Jay, saying: “We are sorry we did not get to meet you in person, but your willingness to assist us and the thoughts you have shared give us an insight into what it is really like to be part of the Elizabethan community and how the values of our community can help us thrive in the outside world. We wish you every success in your future endeavours and hope that one day we will be able to emulate your achievements.”

Announcing the Year 7 winners by video, the Head of Year, Tom Harrison, said it was important to understand the magnitude of the honours being bestowed: “In a year of 192 boys, to be the sole recipient of an award is no mean feat; it is a fantastic achievement.” The recipient of the Charles Fitch Memorial Award for Outstanding Commitment – and thus the overall award-winner for Year 7 – was Giuseppe Mangiavacchi.

Saim Khan, of Year 8, won the Rivlin Award for Outstanding Commitment. Head of Year Sean Kelly said: “He has gained an incredible number of merits this year and last year. He has worked conscientiously and is an inspiration for his peers. He embodies that great Elizabethan spirit that we want to see in all our boys.”

Head of Year 9 Rosemary Hall told the boys: “Winning an award is testament to your hard work and dedication to your studies and extra-curricular interests. I am very proud of all of you and all you have achieved.” Darren Lee received the Bob Govett Memorial Award for Outstanding Commitment.

The traditional musical interludes during Junior Awards were performed by:

• Leo Sellis (Year 7), saxophone – The First Movement of Sonata in G Minor by J. S. Bach
• Harrison Lee (Year 8) violin – A Trip Down Memory Lane, a selection of Sinfonietta pieces
• Nathan Woodcock (Year 9) – Scaramouche Movement 3 – Brazileria by Darius Milhaud

The Headmaster concluded by saying that he missed the usual opportunity provided by the Junior Awards Ceremony to shake the boys by the hand. Nevertheless he offered them congratulations and best wishes for the summer holidays.

When the emerging pandemic forced the cancellation of a concert at Abbey Ravenscroft Nursing Home, QE’s young musicians were determined not to let the residents down.

So, after boys from Year 7 through to Year 12 sent in a flood of videos of themselves performing at home, the Music department put together a special virtual concert, which was staged for the residents using YouTube’s Premiere function.

Head of Extra-curricular Enrichment Rebecca Grundy said: “We were delighted to reach out to the local community and help lift spirits at this difficult time. The virtual concert went well and the nursing home staff sent us their gratitude, saying that it was lovely to hear the boys’ music. They said we obviously have a lot of talented musicians.”

In fact, the initial concert only scratched the surface of the available material, as Miss Grundy explained: “I got such an amazing response from the boys that I sent the nursing home all of the recordings, so that they could do a series of concerts and choose the ones they wanted for each. They’ve got enough from the boys to keep them going for ages!”

Residents at the home, which has more than 100 rooms and is only a short walk from the School, will therefore be able to enjoy Music in a wide variety of genres played on a broad range of instruments, with an extensive repertoire ranging from a tabla accompaniment to Pharrell Williams’ Happy (played by Isher Jagdev, of Year 9) to the Étude in A Minor written for the piano by 19th century Danish composer Ludvig Schytte.

Other performances included Julius Ponen playing Scott Joplin’s much-loved 1902 ragtime piano classic, The Entertainer, and Year 11’s Shivas Patel who not only played Oskar Merikanto’s Valse Lente in Bb major on the piano but also sang Brahms’ Ständchen (Serenade) in German.

Year 10 pupil Ryan Bentley’s dedicated voluntary work at his father’s NHS GP practice over the last two years is paying dividends in the current health crisis.

Ryan, who has spent every Friday afternoon after school and much of his holidays working in the administration department, has now become a key player in the practice in Golders Green, and is even training new staff.

His proud father, John Bentley, who is a GP Principal, said patients cannot believe how young he is, as he displays maturity and leadership qualities well beyond his 14 years: “We think Ryan may be the youngest official NHS worker at this time.”

Staff at the surgery, The Practice @ 188, have commented on how invaluable his contribution has been, said Dr Bentley. “He has been working diligently and conscientiously since lockdown. After completing his schoolwork, he gives nearly every minute of his time to the practice, to help us continue functioning and providing essential healthcare services to the public.”

Ryan’s role includes regularly communicating with NHS organisations to try to source personal protective equipment (PPE). He also updates the clinicians at the practice as to the latest published guidance on the management of suspected coronavirus cases. He helps to arrange staff rotas and is constantly answering phone-calls from worried and anxious patients, some of whom are obviously unwell and exhibiting symptoms of coronavirus, requiring either simple reassurance or directing to the appropriate medical services.

Ryan has found that the nature of his duties has changed since the advent of Covid-19. “Many patients no longer come into the surgery, so the number of online encounters has increased. Lots of emails are coming through daily, which need to be looked at and then matched with hospitals or other health departments.

“I have always enjoyed working here; before this crisis, it was about meeting a wide range of people and learning about their different backgrounds and how that can affect health. The biggest challenge now is that I cannot always help people. They may have a problem, but cannot get an appointment for a very long time – even though they are suffering. Sometimes there is just nothing we can do to help them.”

Dr Bentley’s GP practice has become even busier as they witness dozens of their patients, particularly from the surrounding care homes, suffering and dying from Covid-19.

“The outbreak has dramatically changed our NHS working environment,” says Dr Bentley. “Many of our own staff have either been off sick or are self-isolating. To make matters even more challenging our Practice Manager went off on maternity leave just before the Covid-19 outbreak. Ryan has demonstrated a very mature approach to his work here. He is carrying out all his duties with the utmost enthusiasm, passion and diligence – qualities very much in keeping with the ethos QE instils in its pupils.

“All staff at the practice have commented on what remarkable leadership qualities he possesses and have quipped that he is needed here permanently, as he is proving to be an asset to all who work here or use our services. Another nearby practice implied they wanted to use his skills, and he has recently been invited to participate in the local NHS managers forum, due to his significant role at the practice,” added Dr Bentley.

Old Elizabethan George the Poet played to an audience of many millions when he opened BBC One’s coverage of last night’s One World: Together at Home concert.

George Mpanga (OE 2002–2009) performed a two-minute poem, Our Key Workers, paying tribute to those working for the NHS “like my mum” and other key workers who are keeping the country going during the pandemic lockdown.

Global Citizen, co-organisers of the eight-hour globally streamed benefit concert with the World Health Organization, today announced that the show raised £$128m (£102m) for coronavirus relief efforts.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “As ever, George’s words were both thoughtful and inspiring, his striking turn of phrase perfectly capturing the sacrifices being made by front-line workers and expressing back to them the nation’s gratitude.”

The concert, curated by Lady Gaga, featured global music stars performing in intimate settings as they self-isolate at home. They included the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Billie Eilish.

Songs were interspersed with messages from actors such as Matthew McConaughey and Lupita Nyong’o, as well as world figures, including Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey.

George’s poem refers to a wide variety of people in key roles, including not only health workers but also bus drivers, teachers, cleaners, carers and those in waste management. Several of these jobs and those of other key-worker roles are depicted in George’s video, which also shows deserted city streets.

With the refrain “People are doing what needs to be done, But this fight won’t be easily won”, the poem appeals to the public to abide by the current restrictions: “We need to help the cause, By keeping ourselves indoors.”

He mentions his friend “Anoop” – believed to be Anoop Raghavan (OE 2002-2008). He is one of huge number of Old Elizabethans in key-worker roles playing a critical role in fighting the pandemic locally, nationally and internationally.

The poem concludes: “Every one of us was given a unique purpose, so let’s honour the service of our key workers.”

In a video filmed for The Times newspaper, QE’s Head of Technology Michael Noonan explains how he is leading urgent work to 3D-print face shields ahead of a predicted UK peak to the COVID-19 virus in the next few days.

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Mr Noonan is spearheading a London-wide effort to 3D-print the Personal Protective Equipment.

And with QE’s own machines running around the clock and several pupils following suit on their home 3D printers, hundreds of face shields are currently being despatched from the School.

“We have material, we have manufacturing facilities, we have knowledge and skill and we have the ability to create sanitary environments, so we are putting our skill and all of our facilities into solving [the PPE shortage] problem right now,” Mr Noonan told the team from The Times when they visited to film him at work (while maintaining safe social distancing).

“And there are makers and engineers, designers, consultants and DT departments all over the country that have answered this call and that have pitched themselves into volunteering to help with this effort.”

The video explains how the face shields can be put together from two 3D-printed frame parts, combined with a transparent plastic shield and an elastic strap, or even a rubber band.

• Click here for more information on how Mr Noonan and the pupils got involved and on how the face shields are being distributed locally.
• Click here to support the fundraiser by 3DCrowd UK.

Sixth-former James Tan is believed to be the first QE boy ever to reach the final of the country’s premier coding competition.

James, of Year 12, made it through to the 2020 final of the British Informatics Olympiad after scoring highly in the first round of the annual competition, which was a three-hour examination sat in school.

The residential final had been due to take place at Cambridge University’s Trinity College, but was switched to an online event because of the Covid-19 restrictions. The results have not yet been announced.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “My congratulations to James on making QE history by getting through to the final. It is not only in this competition that he is making his mark with his programming skills: he is also the programmer for our highly successful HYBRID VEX EDR robotics team and is teaching coding to primary school children as part of our Year 12 volunteering programme.”

James first developed his interest in coding by building websites in his spare time. He then learned the Python language, which, he says “opened up a whole new realm of possibilities”. He has taken part in a number of programming competitions, including the online Google Code Jam.

“I enjoy the puzzle-like aspect of coding, where each small section of code fits together to solve a much large problem. There is also a great sense of satisfaction when I find a particularly elegant solution, especially after spending a significant period of time on a programming project.”

James’s weekly volunteering work involves teaching Scratch (a block-based programming language) to primary school children in Years 3 and 4.

He found the first stage of the British Informatics Olympiad challenging but enjoyable, and professed himself very pleased with his score of 79 out of 100. “My preparation mostly consisted of trying to solve past questions in my spare time, which proved to be sufficient, given my prior experience with competitive programming in online contests.”

In the five-hour online final, contestants had to tackle four problems, based around scenarios involving settings such as a training ground for spies and a film studio. Each problem required a complete program as a solution. “In the end, I managed to solve two of the four, which I am quite pleased with,” said James.

In previous years, following the national final, the best four competitors were selected to represent Britain in the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI).

This year, however, the IOI has also been postponed, so the British Informatics Olympiad organisers are planning to run some further selection activity over the coming months, the details of which have not yet been disclosed.