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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.

A water-polo international captain who won gold at London 2012 has inspired QE’s own players during a visit to the School.

Samir Barac competed in four successive Olympics and was in the world-champion Croatian team in 2007. His career culminated in his role as Croatia’s captain when they beat Italy in the final of the London Olympics competition at the Water Polo Arena in the Olympic Park.

His lunchtime talk at QE proved a popular event, drawing many other boys besides the School’s water-polo players.

Samir, who is 42, first played for the Croatian team in 1996, but his interest in the sport dates back much further than that: he enjoyed “swimming off the beautiful coast of Croatia” as a child, taking to water polo because he relished its competitive team sport elements.

He used to train for five hours a day, six days a week, and captained his national team for the final four years of his playing career. Whilst playing international water polo, he successfully completed an MBA in Economics – a feat which, he stated, was “like winning a second gold medal”.

Samir retired as a player in 2013.

QE’s Combined Cadet Force played a leading role as School and borough marked Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day.

Led by the CCF’s new commander, Captain Alexander Masson (pictured below), the boys joined other local cadet forces, veterans, representatives of the Gurkhas and adult reservists from the London Borough of Barnet for a parade service at St John’s Church, High Barnet.

The Remembrance Sunday activities included the wreath-laying ceremony at the war memorial outside the church and the parade back through the town, culminating in the march-past, with the Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London, Martin Russell, taking the salute.

All the contingents and their families gathered at the Barnet Army Reserve Centre, where they assembled in formation outside in the yard. After the parade was dismissed, they enjoyed a buffet lunch and drinks.

On Armistice Day, 11^th November, the School held its own act of remembrance. This included the two-minute silence observed in every classroom.

Senior members of the CCF marched in front of the School and then Zarius Meher-Homji, the most senior pupil in the CCF, laid a wreath as the Last Post was played. Year 12 pupil Hugo Flint read the best-known verse of Laurence Binyon’s poem, For the Fallen – starting “They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old”. The poem was first published in The Times in the early weeks of World War I.

QE boy Joshua Han has won the world title for his age group in his chosen form of Karate.

Joshua, who is in Year 9, achieved success in five rounds of the Kata individual category at the 23^rd SKDUN (Shotokan Karate-Do United Nations) World Shotokan Karate Championships in Serbia. He won the title ahead of two Romanians in the class for boys aged 14-15 and is the only English champion among all eight U18 classes for boys and girls.

Joshua (pictured with his karate teacher, or sensei, who travelled from the UK with him) was part of a 45-strong group representing England in the city of Subotica, north of Belgrade. Thirty-five countries participated in the championships and there were around 60 competitors in Joshua’s category.

The championships involved three categories: Kata, or Patterns (as in patterns of movement); Sparring, or Fighting, and Team Kata. In his addition to his world title, he came fifth in Sparring and was part of the fourth-placed team in Team Kata.

Joshua took up the sport when he was just seven and has been studying it seriously for the last four-and-a-half years.

It is not the first time he has represented his country at the World Championships: “I went mostly for experience like last time, but this time, I won!”

SKDUN describes itself as “a non-political organisation working for and promoting the good practice, principles and ideals of Shotokan Karate through the medium of international competition, technical instruction, international grading examinations and education for instructors, trainers and students”.

Three Alumni gave current QE pupils interested in becoming architects their own recent perspectives on entering the profession.

Art teacher Stephen Buckeridge hosted Ife Adepegha (2007–2014), Niraj Shah (2007–2014) and Nik Ward (2003–2010) when they visited the Art Department and met Year 12 & 13 pupils interested in studying Architecture at university.

Ife and Niraj are currently in the second year of Architecture degrees, at King’s College, Cambridge, and UCL respectively. Nik took a degree in Architecture at Newcastle University, graduating in 2014. He is now in the first year of a Master’s degree in the subject, again at Newcastle.

The three OEs talked to the boys about their areas of interest and about the importance of being inspired and of taking note of the built environment around them. They are among a number of OEs who have returned to their alma mater to pass on their recent – and therefore highly relevant – experiences of starting a career.

Nik set out the seven-year process of qualifying as an architect. This starts with a three-year first degree in Architecture, followed by a one-year paid placement – a ‘Part I Architecture Assistant’. Then candidates return to university for two years to take their Master’s, before a final one-year placement, with examinations, leads to eventual qualification.

He explained that he completed his first one-year placement in a London practice, Rodic Davidson. The firm’s website describes his “keen interest in investigating architecture at a variety of scales and exploring the spatial qualities given by light”. Nik plans to return to London for his final placement; 70% of architectural practices in the UK are in the capital, he pointed out to the assembled Sixth-Formers.

Two QE Sixth-Formers have been praised for their “outstanding” entries to a national economics competition run by the Institute of Economic Affairs.

The School itself also received a prize after it was the runner-up – by a narrow margin – in terms of the number of entries submitted to the IEAs’ 2015 essay competition for the Dorian Fisher Memorial Prize.

Calum Johnson and Saif Rehman, of Year 13 (pictured below, on the right), were among just 20 short-listed finalists who were invited to the prize presentation lunch at the institute’s Westminster offices, close to the Houses of Parliament. They were competing against young economists from many of the country’s best-known independent schools.

IEA Education Director Dr Steve Davies, who spoke at the ceremony, said: “This year we chose to focus on the topic of the economics of healthcare, and the essays were of a consistently high quality, with many showing real thoughtfulness and a willingness to look outside the usual polarity of the NHS and the US system and to consider the example and performance of countries nearer to home such as Switzerland and the Netherlands.

“The top 20 essays were of outstanding quality and it is very pleasing to see so many young students tackling a quite difficult and demanding subject.”

All who took part in the competition received a complimentary copy of the IEA’s, magazine, Economic Affairs, and a monograph.

The £250 prize for the School was presented to QE’s Head of Economics, Liane Ryan.