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Five QE Sixth-Formers have been named among the top 1 per cent nationwide for their marks in their financial studies qualification.

The Year 13 boys excelled in the ifs University College Certificate in Financial Studies (CeFS). In recognition of their achievement they have been offered a scholarship of £750 if they enrol on an ifs University College degree programme.

Arnav Jhanji, Kavan Kothari, Ronak Patel, Rushil Shah and Charran Santhalingam took the CeFS last year. QE’s Head of Economics, Liane Ryan, explained that the CeFS is equivalent to an AS Level. Boys continue with the Diploma in Financial Studies, equivalent to an A Level, in Year 13. Ms Ryan praised the five for their hard work and commitment to the course.

Alison Pask, the college’s Vice Principal with responsibility for Financial Capability and Community Outreach, congratulated the five in a letter to the School: “This is clearly a fantastic achievement for the students, the School and Ms Ryan.”

The CeFS provides a comprehensive introduction to personal finance and aims to encourage students to become responsible borrowers, sensible savers and to give them an appreciation of the need for financial planning throughout their life. It also prepares students for further study through the development of the core skills of critical analysis & evaluation, synthesis and verbal & written communication.

QE pupils acquitted themselves well at the country’s top schools chess championship, with a strong team performance and three boys winning prizes for their individual games.

Pitted against 15 élite chess-playing schools from across the UK and Ireland at the Millfield International Schools’ Chess Team Championship, the QE A team easily secured their place in the championship section as one of the top six teams in the first two qualifying rounds.

After five further rounds of intense competition at the event at Millfield School in Somerset, QE finished in third position overall, ahead of several independent schools known for the quality of their chess.

The three QE boys achieving prizes for the leading performance on their board were: Federico Rocco (Year 8), James Bunyan (Year 13) and Aneesh Chopada (Year 10) (pictured above, left to right).

Geoff Roberts, teacher in charge of chess, said: “I was very pleased with the strong performance of the team; finishing in third position in such a high-calibre tournament is an excellent achievement.

“Federico’s performance as the tournament’s best board 2 player was particularly impressive, given the quality of the opposing players he faced.

“It was a particularly special tournament as it marked the final year at the Millfield International for several stalwarts of QE chess with Chess Captain Jake Breindel, Ashwin Ravichandran and James Bunyan all enjoying their swansong; I was particularly pleased to see James bow out with an individual board prize.

“With many of the team comprising Year 7 and 8 pupils, chess at Queen Elizabeth’s has a bright future.”

In addition to the successes of the A team, QE’s B team gained valuable tournament experience, finishing sixth in the Major Competition. “Several of these younger boys are sure to feature strongly in our top team in the years to come,” Mr Roberts added.

He also expressed his gratitude to his fellow teachers, Marie-Jo Jacquin and Jonathan Brooke, for their assistance with the trip.

A team of six pupils impressed leading local figures with an impassioned presentation about making peace with refugees.

They spoke at Hendon Town Hall for a ‘Peace One Day’ event. Peace One Day is an organisation which promotes 21st September as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence.

QE’s Head of Religion & Society, Jack Robertson, said: “They gave a number of stirring arguments for their position, dispelling many myths, and a number of people commended them on their excellent presentation.”

Highlights included the statement: “For we are not a divided or a disunited kingdom, but a United Kingdom,” Mr Robertson added.

The boys’ audience included police officers, councillors and representatives of mental health providers. The team had the opportunity to question these people about the services they provide.

The team, all from Year 11, comprised: Abbeykeith Kugasenan Chettiar (pictured above left), Zayn Riaz (above right), Abbas Adejonwo, Ravi Karia, Simon Rey and Sahil Shah.

The first issue of a new publication exclusively for pupils, The Queen’s Library Newsletter, has been published.

The 12-page newsletter includes updates on latest developments in the Library, as well as an interview with Librarian Ciara Murray, book reviews, a Sixth Form section and guidance for using the Library.

Spearheaded by Year 9 pupil Rishi Shah (pictured just below), with contributions by other boys, the project was overseen by Ms Murray. The newsletter can be read by the boys on the eQE Learning Network – the School’s extensive online facility, which also covers all the academic subject areas.

The publication’s prime front-page slot features important snapshots including:

• “We now have over 5,000 books – nearly 2,000 of these are fiction.”
• “As of September 2015, we also have a new DVD collection.”
• “Our most popular book is Robert Muchamore’s Mad Dogs, which has been borrowed a whopping 106 times!”

Published in PDF format, the newsletter highlights an online questionnaire that has been prepared for Years 10 and 11 to ask them for their views about the Library. A full page is also devoted to a colourful advertisement inviting boys to apply to become pupil librarians.

Those who enjoy a challenge can tackle the Book Expert quiz on page 9, while the final page is devoted to a 25-line, Library-themed word search devised by editor Rishi.

The first lecture to be aimed at senior boys in QE’s new series was focused on the rising international obesity epidemic. Dr Kevin Murphy, of Imperial College London, spoke to Year 11-13 boys as part of the School’s new enhanced enrichment programme.

Dr Murphy set the scene by pointing out that we live in a world in which calories are cheap. Since 1985, there has been a huge rise in the proportion of people with excess BMI in developed countries such as the US and UK.

A Reader in Endocrinology in the Faculty of Medicine, Dr Murphy has a particular interest in how the gut senses nutritional status and how it signals to appetite centres of the brain such as the hypothalamus and brain stem to regulate food intake.

Scientists had looked at giving people medication to control obesity, but there was, he explained, considerable uneasiness at this prospect, since patients would potentially have to take this medication for life.

Another line of research has been to look at controlling the hormones in the digestive system as a way of curbing appetite. Dr Murphy explained how studies have been undertaken involving implanting neurons in mice and these have had startling effects.

Overall, said Dr Murphy, the ‘bottom-line’ message was clear; if we eat sensibly and get exercise, we can all avoid obesity, whatever our genetic makeup.

Head of Academic Enrichment, Nisha Mayer, who organised his visit, said that the next talk in the six-lecture series will be in the Spring Term. It will be given by Dr Jason Lowe, of the Met Office, who will address the senior boys on weather.

An award-winning team of QE engineering students have won plaudits for two presentations they gave on their solution to the problem of dust on construction sites. The presentations were delivered to representatives of the world’s largest occupational health & safety organisation, the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

The Year 13 team, who won the South East Regional Final of the Constructing Excellence 2015 competition during the summer, gave a presentation to an IOSH South East seminar at Millwall FC’s stadium, The New Den. The following day, the four-strong team – Daniil Slavin, Mitul Shah, William Forrester and Alex Norcliffe (pictured below, left to right) – were in action again, presenting to the IOSH London Metropolitan Branch in Marble Arch.

Both presentations form part of the national final of the Constructing Excellence competition.

The team explained to the IOSH representatives how their idea for a water-fed broom could mitigate the problem of dust, which is one of the construction industry’s largest health risks.

The boys developed the broom as part of the Engineering Development Trusts’ (EDT) Engineering Education Scheme in conjunction with Lovell Construction. Danny Read, Senior Scheme Manager with EDT South East, also played a leading role in the presentations.

After carrying out research and experiments and collaborating with Lovell’s small tool and equipment suppliers, they devised a prototype broom incorporating a controlled water mist.

William told the seminar at Millwall FC: “We started off with very little knowledge of the entire construction industry. With the help of Lovell and other experts in the sector, it has become a large part of our lives.”

In the course of their presentations, they looked specifically at how their product might alleviate the threat of an epidemic of silicosis caused by construction dust and debris.

They also discussed the implications and limitations of other potential solutions and answered questions from members of IOSH about the effectiveness, design, testing and future potential of their product.

Among the feedback following the seminar at Millwall FC were very positive comments from Chris Lucas, HM Inspector of Health and Safety at the Health & Safety Executive, who said: “It is not always what you can see that is the problem; it is what you can’t see.

“One of the reasons construction workers are at risk is that they are doing the same job day in, day out, and it can lead to an accumulation of dust in their respiratory systems over the years. Dust is sometimes seen as tomorrow’s problem, but it soon catches up with you.”

IOSH London Metropolitan Branch Vice-Chair, Sue Manthorpe, said the project offered a “simple solution to a chronic problem” in the sector and was a “fantastic example” of the construction industry involving the next generation to make it healthier and safer.

Technology teacher Michael Noonan, who oversaw the boys, reports that IOSH representatives at the Marble Arch meeting have written to say that the presentation there was very well received.