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Three interns from the University of Connecticut helped deepen boys’ knowledge of American healthcare at a meeting of QE’s Personal Finance Society.

Pupils heard about the high costs and complexity inherent in the US system, with the session ending in a discussion of the pros and cons of healthcare on both sides of the Atlantic.

The meeting was organised by Ugan Pretheshan, who runs the society along with fellow Year 11 pupil Roshan Patel with the aim of helping boys manage their finances both now and in the future in their adult lives. Other topics covered in its meetings include buying a house and maintaining a good credit score.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “I am grateful to our three current interns, Evan Burns, Nathaniel Austin-Mathley, and Ben Duncan, for their contribution to this meeting and to our enrichment programme more generally. Our relationship with the University of Connecticut extends back over a number of years and it is great that we can again welcome interns this year. It is a connection which gives us fascinating insights into the differences in pedagogy and educational culture between our respective countries.

“Their presence allows boys here to more readily make international comparisons and to understand different contexts and policy approaches: the opportunity thus to interrogate a different system is valuable, not least in helping pupils think critically about our own systems.”

“I congratulate Ugan and Roshan on their work with the society: like other pupil-run societies, it is of great benefit both to those who lead it and to those who attend. The Personal Finance Society complements the work of my colleagues who teach topics such as personal finance and other life skills through formal programmes of study, such as QE’s Personal Development Time programme.”

During the meeting, which was overseen by Economics teacher Sheerwan O’Shea-Nejad, the three History interns spoke extensively on American healthcare, telling the boys that it is a complex system that leaves many suffering, both physically and financially.

US healthcare spending grew 9.7 per cent in 2020, they said, reaching $4.1 trillion, or $12,530 per person. As a share of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, health spending accounted for 19.7 per cent.

“It was eye-opening to understand the complex and diverse methods of insurance and financing these large hospital bills,” said Ugan. The boys attending learned that insurance companies dominate US healthcare industries, presenting American citizens with a welter of quotation pathways and options – encompassing premiums, walk-in fees and ‘deductibles’ – that can be very difficult to understand. The contrast with the relative simplicity achieved by the NHS system in the UK was highlighted.

The meeting also heard a story about what a woman who had got her leg caught between a train and the platform in the US told onlookers: “Don’t call an ambulance. It’s $3,000. I can’t afford that. Call an ‘Uber’.”

Asked what they would do in such a medical emergency in the UK, the boys responded that they would not hesitate to call an ambulance.

The interns, who are supporting the History, Politics and Religious Studies departments this term as part of their Master’s programme, happily answered boys’ questions, before the meeting concluded with a weighing-up of the advantages and disadvantages of both systems, with arguments about price, accessibility and waiting times all factors in the debate.

Two academics who discovered they were autistic as adults explained how they and other neurodivergent* people experience the world in a special workshop at the School.

Dr Chloe Farahar and Dr Annette Foster from the University of Kent delivered the workshop to a select group of pupil leaders. The event was arranged in line with the objective set out in Building on Distinction, the 2021-2025 School Plan, of helping Elizabethans “change things for the better, both in [their] own community and in society at large”.

The pupil representatives will now prepare an assembly for the whole of Year 8 to share what they have learned.

Assistant Head (Pupil Progress) Sarah Westcott said: “This workshop was an important insight for our students into the lived experience of two members of the neurodiverse community.

“Dr Farahar  and Dr Foster candidly spoke about their experiences as autistic people, and during their engaging workshop prompted the boys to confront the many common stereotypes and myths which exist around those who are neurodivergent.

“This workshop is part of the wider work we are doing to encourage pupils to think about the diverse communities we all live in and the part they have to play in making society open and inclusive to all,” Dr Westcott added.

Those invited to the workshop were: form captains and deputies from Years 7 and 8; School Vice-Captains and Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Ambassadors Heemy Kalam and Victor Angelov, of Year 12, and Kevin Gunawardena, also of Year 12, who is writing a dissertation for his Extended Project Qualification on How can neurodiverse lives become more integrated within society?

Dr Foster and Dr Farahar run Aucademy, a platform for delivering training.

Dr Foster, who is autistic, dyslexic, dyspraxic and with attention differences, was diagnosed at the age of 39, while Dr Farahar was diagnosed at the age of 32, after, as she says, “a lifetime of being told I am ‘weird’, ‘odd’, ‘stand-offish’ and ‘unapproachable’”.

In their richly illustrated presentation, they helped pupils understand what neurodiversity means.

Through hands-on activities, the boys were taught about the ways in which people with autism, dyslexia and attention differences experience the world.

They learned, for example, about:

• ‘Stimming’ – self-stimulatory behaviour involving repeated actions or activities that either excite or calm the sensory nervous system,
• The role of understanding and kindness. (The presentation finished with a quotation from the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu: “Do your little bit of good where you are; it is those little bits of good put all together that overwhelm the world.”)
• Stereotypes – exploring the differences between how autism is often portrayed in the media and the reality. The presentation pointed out, for example, that contrary to stereotypes, autistic people are rarely mathematics savants.

Following the workshop, Dr Farahar wrote to Dr Westcott: “Annette and I were so impressed with the QE pupils – we were really buoyed by their kindness and consideration of difference.”

*  The term ‘neurodiversity’, which was coined in 1998 by sociologist Judy Singer, defines brain differences in areas such as sociability, learning, attention and mood as normal, rather than deficits or disorders.

Two former classmates stressed the importance of being true to your authentic self as they spoke to sixth-formers about their lives and careers.

Arjun Paliwal and Matthew Chew, who both attended QE from 2006–2013 and were in the same Pearce form group, returned as guest speakers for the Year 12 luncheon. The annual event gives Year 12 boys the experience of the sort of formal meal, including speeches, that they are likely to encounter at university and in their later careers.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “The luncheon is part of our programme aimed at supporting boys in line with the commitment in our mission statement to produce young men who are ‘confident’ and to ‘nurture intellectual, verbal and social skills, giving pupils the ability to act appropriately in any situation’. It is also, of course, a nice opportunity to get together over a long lunch, with the boys being joined by their form tutors and by senior staff.

“My thanks go to Matthew and Arjun who had some sage advice for current Elizabethans as they developed their theme of authenticity with respect to their respective careers, as well as touching on their sexuality.

“I am also grateful to the volunteers from the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s, as well as to some Year 9 helpers, who made the event possible and helped it run smoothly.”

The lunch was the first formal occasion presided over by the 2022 School Captain, Theo Mama-Kahn, who was the master of ceremonies. He was supported by Senior Vice-Captains Antony Yassa – who introduced Arjun and Matthew – and Ansh Jassra, who said the grace and delivered the vote of thanks following the speeches.

The two OEs both work in different roles within digital advertising – Matthew as a Paid Social Account Director at MediaCom UK and Arjun as a Client Solutions Manager, Luxury, for Meta (parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram). Both are also members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

In his speech, Arjun spoke of the importance of “finding and owning your rhythm”, which he defined as “the intersection of authenticity, energy and motion: knowing who you are, harnessing the energy that comes from that and then bringing it to everything you do”.

Doing so is difficult but nonetheless important, he said. He recounted his experience of debating with his parents whether or not to go to university: Arjun eventually went on to take a first in Fine Art at Oxford.

He added: “I came out as bisexual a couple of years ago and since then have not only felt prouder and more confident in myself, but I’ve also allowed my sexuality to become one of my superpowers. There are as many ways to be a man as there are men; we don’t have to be universal.”

Arjun also cited Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’ now-famous speech at Stanford University in 2005: “…you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”

He told the Year 12 boys: “I love this quote because it reminds me that going forward takes courage and authenticity…All you can really do is be the best version of yourself, own your rhythm and wear it proudly on your sleeve. Then let things fall into place around you. You’ll be well-armed to face the challenges that come and truly present to maximise the great moments that fill your world.”

For his part, Matthew recalled how he pursued his passion for German, spending time in Germany, where he still has many friends. He read German with Management Studies at UCL. Studying a language helped him think in a different way, he explained. He reserved special praise for the QE Languages department and was thrilled to catch up with Burgunde Lukasser-Weitlaner, Assistant Head of Languages (Modern), and Languages teacher Helen Shephard during his visit.

He stressed that “the path through life is not always a means to an end”, urging boys to own their decisions – “good and bad” – since “they make you who you are”, thus again corresponding to Steve Job’s maxim about joining the dots.

Matthew, who is a voice on LGBTQIA+ matters at a company-wide level, mentioned some of the initiatives he has been involved with, such as the move by Mars to replace the normal rainbow colouring of its Skittles sweets with grey to celebrate Pride Month.

With questions opened to the floor, the boys quizzed the pair on the use of targeted advertisements, given their respective roles in digital advertising. Arjun explained that, in his personal view, targeting was about showing people content they cared about, and that online advertising can be the lifeblood of many small businesses who would otherwise be really struggling. Matthew concurred, adding that there has been a big investment in processing data safely. It was noted that Meta has information about these matters on its privacy site.

With tens of thousands of young people anonymously sharing testimonies of sexual harassment and abuse on the reporting platform, Everyone’s Invited, its founder, Soma Sara, found herself at the centre of one of 2021’s biggest news stories.

And in an online lecture given to boys at QE, Soma explained what had inspired her to set it up, namely her shock at realising that almost every girl she knew had suffered from some form of sexual assault whilst growing up.

Assistant Head Crispin Bonham-Carter (Pupil Involvement) said: “Soma gave a fascinating talk to our senior pupils on the big screen in the Shearly Hall, and we were also pleased to welcome girls from The Henrietta Barnett School, who joined us online.

“She outlined her reasons for starting Everyone’s Invited, telling us that she chose the name advisedly because she wanted it to be open to all irrespective of race, religion or sexuality.”

After being founded in 2020, Everyone’s Invited shot to prominence in 2021 as more than 54,000 young people shared their accounts of sexual harassment and abuse in just nine months.

“Soma described her experience of being overwhelmed by the sheer number of testimonies that Everyone’s Invited received,” said Mr Bonham-Carter. “She did make the point that men and boys (or gender-neutral people) can be victims, too.”

“Her vision of strong masculinity, she said, was of young men with the confidence to talk openly about their feelings, to value empathy and kindness.”

These, he added, are values which chime with QE’s mission to create confident, able and responsible citizens, particularly as redefined in the 2021-2025 School plan, Building on Distinction.

Soma answered questions from pupils from both QE and Henrietta Barnett. “She talked passionately and powerfully about the importance of engaging with students early on regarding relationships and sexuality,” Mr Bonham-Carter said.

“These are complex times for young people to be growing up in – whether it’s pandemics, culture wars or the challenges of social media, they seem almost bombarded. Yet this lecture felt like a very good way to end the year, with a positive atmosphere in the Shearly Hall as focused, sensitive young people listened intently to someone only a few years older than them,” Mr Bonham-Carter added.

Soma Sara’s visit was the last in a series of events organised by the School during the Autumn Term to help both boys and staff navigate difficult social issues.

The activities included:

• An Active Bystander Training Company workshop for all in Years 9–11 on racism, bullying and sexual harassment, with a focus on use of the four Ds – Direct action, Delay, Distraction or Delegation – to challenge inappropriate behaviour. Boys were told that any action is better than none (provided it does not put the individual at risk).
• Staff training from specialist trainers Bold Voices on the December pastoral training day to support the Personal Development Time curriculum, which covers important issues that can be difficult to talk about. The training gave staff strategies for teaching related to gender inequality, sexual harassment and violence, and for developing positive attitudes in all pupils.
• A series of virtual talks on the broad theme of respectful relationships offered to Years 7 & 8 and to Years 12 & 13, by the RAP Foundation educational charity. There was also a webinar for parents of Years 7 & 8 boys to help them understand the pressures facing boys as they go through adulthood. Specific topics covered included sexting, cyber-bullying, online grooming and early sexualisation.

Queen Elizabeth’s School marked Black History Month with a diverse range of special activities both inside and outside of the classroom that drew lessons from the past, while also saluting those building a path today towards a better future.

One undoubted highlight was the online assembly given to the Sixth Form by Roni Savage ­(pictured above) – engineering geologist, founder of a multi-million pound construction industry consultancy, multiple award-winner…and a QE mum.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “We sought to provide lots of different opportunities during Black History Month to ensure that our boys could, in the words of a BHM slogan, ‘dig deeper, look closer, think bigger’, coming up with an array of innovative ideas. These ranged from our Lower School History Raiders group researching ancient Black kingdoms and civilisations, to Year 7 PE lessons promoting sports in which athletes have either faced racism or have changed the world due to their participation, such as basketball, boxercise and indoor athletics.

“I am especially grateful to Mrs Savage, who, as a Black woman working at a high level as an entrepreneur in construction, is a true pioneer in her industry, with an impressive list of achievements and accolades to her name. She has certainly proved people wrong who doubted her because of her race, gender and age.

“And she inspired our sixth-formers with her injunction to ‘stand up, stand out, stand tall’ and her insistence that ‘there are no limits to what you can achieve’ with hard work and talent.”

Mrs Savage, whose son, Jayden, is in Year 13, is the founder of Jomas Associates, a large engineering and environmental consultancy, and Policy Chair for Construction within the Federation of Small Businesses. She is a Fellow of both the Royal British Institute of Architects and the Institute of Civil Engineering, and is on the current UK Powerlist of Britain’s most influential people of African/Caribbean heritage.

Her message was that diversity is vital to the capacity, capability and sustainability of all sectors, but that to achieve it, the status quo, with its harmful stereotypes, must be challenged.

Here is a selection of the many activities and initiatives that took place at the School as part of this year’s Black History Month:

• A discussion in MedSoc (Medical Society) of the work of Malone Mukwende, who as a second-year medical student at St George’s, University of London, developed a book to help doctors diagnose skin rashes and diseases on black and brown skin, addressing decades of racial bias in medical education;
• The Year 9 Shakespeare Film Club watching Othello and discussing the racial issues in the play, as raised in a British Library article;
• Publication of a special Black History Month (and COP26) issue of the Economics department’s magazine, Econobethan;
• Cancellation of all Music rehearsals one lunchtime, with the pupil team from the Music Enrichment Society instead giving a presentation about Black musicians. Pictured, above, are boys giving a special performance ahead of the talk;
• Year 9 had a special Depicting Jesus Philosophy, Religion & Society (PRS) lesson, which focused on different representations of Jesus, including those from the Ethiopian Church and Rastafari traditions, and on the use of images of white Jesus for imperialist ends;
• Year 8 geographers started a new, permanent unit on Migration towards the end of October, with a first homework task linked to Black History Month.

QE’s Perspective team explained what equality, diversity and inclusion mean for them in a series of videos produced to help tutor groups mark national School Diversity Week and international Pride Month.

The videos featured each member of the six-strong Year 12 team heading Perspective, a pupil-led initiative launched last year in the wake of the BLM protests, which seeks to help QE pupils develop a holistic understanding of important social issues.

The films formed part of an online pack produced by Perspective that tutors were encouraged to use with their tutor groups. Members of the Perspective team have also been selling rainbow ribbons to raise funds for an LGBTQ+ charity.

Michael Feven, Assistant Head (Pupil Development), said: “I congratulate our Perspective team for the excellent job they have done in raising awareness and stimulating discussion throughout the School during School Diversity Week – an annual celebration of LGBT+ equality in education – and  Pride Month.”

In their videos, as well as mentioning LGBT+ issues such as mental health and the use of pronouns, the Perspective team members touched on other important topics, such as Black Lives Matter and the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Ambassador Janison Jeyaventhan told his fellow Elizabethans that he hoped to make them more aware of these issues: “I wanted to be an EDI Ambassador to… inspire people like you to be part of that change for a better tomorrow.”

EDI Ambassador Ciaran Price highlighted mental health, pointing to statistics indicating that twice as many LGBT+ school pupils struggle with their mental health compared to the schools’ population at large. “Think about that: two times more likely in a year when lockdowns and a changing world has added so much stress to already-hectic school lives.”

Manomay Lala-Raykar, one of two School Vice-Captains with responsibility for managing EDI, urged fellow pupils to do some “very small things…to make a difference”, such as donating to LGBT+ causes, “educating friends and family” and changing the language that they use.

EDI Ambassador Jayden Savage felt there remained more to do: “As students who go to an all-boys School and are in our own little bubble that seems protected and blind to issues that don’t affect us, there is a lot we miss out on and don’t engage with.”

Christan Emmanuel, who is also an EDI Ambassador, said he valued Perspective because it increased empathy among his fellow pupils. And Aadarsh Khimasia, a School Vice-Captain with responsibility for managing EDI, said he appreciated it because Perspective provided “an equal say and opportunity to speak to all”, giving him the chance, for example, to talk about animal rights, a subject close to his heart.

In addition to the videos, the pack featured five questions designed to foster discussion within tutor groups:

1. What actions could we take as individuals to ensure that our school is inclusive for those identifying as LGBTQ+?
2. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of going to a single-sex school in terms of promoting equality, diversity & inclusion?
3. Is it important to be aware of different issues and causes around the world? Why?/Why not?
4. How reliable is social media for learning about issues/causes?
5. Are there issues that you care about? If so, what are they, and why are they important to you?

The pack also provided links to: Just Like Us, the LGBT+ young people’s charity behind School Diversity Week, to LGBTQ+ rights organisation Stonewall, to MindOut, an LGBTQ mental health charity, as well as links to Kooth, an online mental wellbeing community.