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Boys joining Year 7 in September and their families were invited to special induction sessions designed to introduce them to the School.

The induction sessions took place over three afternoons, with two form groups accommodated each afternoon. The carefully tailored programme began with a series of short talks in the Main Hall.

Headmaster Neil Enright gave a general introduction. Head of Year 7 Michael Taylor, who is also Assistant Head in charge of Transition and Head of Lower School, gave guidance on making a successful transition to secondary school. And then his fellow Assistant Head, Business Manager Emi Aghdiran, spoke on how technology and the efficient use of administration can help parents and boys settle in and get the most out of School life.

School Captain and Sixth-Former Varun Vassanth spoke about his time at the School, while a number of current Year 7 boys recounted what it was like to change schools last year and gave their highlights of their first year at QE.

The boys were led out of the Main Hall by Year 12 pupils who were helping for the day. They were taken in their form groups into classrooms, where they enjoyed an ice-breaking quiz devised to help them find other future classmates with whom they had things in common.

After this, the Year 12 boys took their young charges on a tour of the School, and, as they walked, the new boys’ powers of observation were put to the test by a written quiz. It featured questions such as: ‘What subject is taught in the room opposite CR2?’ and ‘Who is the Head of English?’

Parents and boys then met up again in the Main Hall, where they had the opportunity to chat with the Headmaster and other staff over refreshments. These were served by representatives of the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s, who were also on hand to answer any questions about volunteering for the School. The School Shop was open so that families could be signed up for uniform fittings.

The Headmaster said afterwards: “I enjoyed meeting our new families and welcoming them to the School. They seemed to enjoy the afternoons, with the boys in particular seizing the opportunity to find out more both about QE and their future classmates.”

QE has been named the regional winner in a new national competition involving skills in STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

A Year 8 team won the South East Regional Award in The Bright Ideas Challenge by coming up with creative solutions to the energy challenges that cities are likely to face in 2050.

Viren Patel, Eeshan Banerjee, Thomas Mgbor and Deshram Ganeshamoorthy each won a tablet computer as well as £1,500 in the competition, which is run by energy company Shell. They will now go on to compete for the national award.

By 2050, the global population is predicted to be nine billion – almost two billion more people than today – and three-quarters are likely to live in cities. For the competition, secondary school pupils aged 11-14 were invited to identify an energy challenge that a city might face in the future and then devise a creative solution.

The QE team looked at supplying clean sustainable renewable energy in the form of biogas. Competition organisers say this idea could promote a better quality of life for future city-dwellers by recycling the carbon dioxide produced by burning biogas and using it to feed algae that has been genetically modified to photosynthesise more efficiently.

The four have been invited to visit Make the Future London, a four-day festival of innovation being hosted by Shell at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park this summer, during which the regional winners’ ideas will be showcased and the national winner announced.

The QE winners were congratulated by the School’s Head of Technology, Sheila Patel, who organised their entry, and by Sarah Westcott, Head of Lower School Science. Dr Westcott said: “Competitions such as the Bright Ideas Challenge help to reinforce the relevance of what our boys learn in the classroom. We are delighted that the QE team performed so well in the Regional round and wish them every success in the final at Make the Future London.”

At the festival, students will also explore energy ideas brought to life through a series of Science shows, hands-on activities and careers experiences. And they will get a chance to watch the Shell Eco-marathon – a competition that sees thousands of STEM students from across Europe take part in an energy efficiency challenge, competing in ultra-efficient, self-designed cars of the future. The winners are the teams that go the furthest on the least amount of fuel.

Anna Haslam, Head of Social Investment at Shell said: “It’s the possibility of a great idea that can change lives which inspires every engineer and scientist to keep on investigating, keep on researching and keep on pushing new boundaries. And that’s exactly the opportunity Shell wants to give to secondary school students through The Bright Ideas Challenge – to inspire them to become the scientists and engineers of tomorrow.”

A visiting theatre company performed a play in French to the whole of Year 8.

The production staged in the Main Hall was given by the specialist troupe, Onatti. Their comedy, Les Garçons, is a farce about the relationship problems of a young couple who babysit together for an evening.

The 50-minute play performed by two native French actors featured audience participation and drew much laughter from the boys.

Christopher Kidd, Head of Languages, said: “In other schools, this play is normally performed to pupils in Years 9-11 so I was particularly pleased to see how well our boys understood it – and to observe that they clearly derived so much enjoyment from something performed entirely in French.”

Onatti Productions, who are based in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, write their own plays, aiming to make them modern and relevant to young people.

They endeavour to ensure that all the plays are pitched correctly, training the actors to present the performance in a specific style to help pupils follow the play. Mime and repetition are used extensively to enhance audiences’ comprehension and enjoyment.

In addition to the French productions, Onatti also put on plays for language-learners in German, Spanish and English. Before arriving at schools, they send ahead a vocabulary list and part of the script.

Three QE musicians have achieved Grade 8 with distinction – the highest possible grade at the highest possible level for instrumental examinations. 

The youngest is Drew Sellis, from Year 9, who is a pianist. Zechi Nwankwo, of Year 10, plays the trumpet. And Year 12 pupil Varun Vassanth, who is the current School Captain, plays the violin.

Cheryl Horne, Director of Music, said: “We've just received the results for the Spring ABRSM [Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music] exams and I am delighted at this considerable achievement by three of our students.”

For his examination, Drew played:

• J. S. Bach: Allegro in E Minor, No. 20 from Easy Piano Pieces and Dances BWV 1019
• W. A. Mozart: Allegro con spirito, Sonata in D, K.311, mvt 1
• Philip Martin: Allegro con brio from The Rainbow Comes and Goes

"I was very pleased with my result, having practised my pieces and scales for so long," he said. Earlier this year, a piece of music written by Drew won the original composition in the Spring Grove Music Festival. He had performed it (playing alto sax) for the judges along with fellow Year 9 pupils Tai Oyama and Bhirammah Ramanohar.

Varun’s examination pieces were:

• Antonio Vivaldi: Danza Pastorale, Concerto in E, La Primavera, op. 8 no. 1
• Charles Dancla: Resignation, op. 59
• John Williams: Remembrances from Three Pieces from Schindler's List

Varun said: "Having played violin since the age of eight, it's something I've been working towards for a long time and I'm very proud of this achievement!"

Zechi played:

• F. J. Haydn: Allegro, Trumpet Concerto in Eb, mvt 3
• Jean Hubeau: Spiritual, Sonata for Trumpet, mvt 3
• Allen Vizzutti: Polka 

QE has held its inaugural Enrichment Week – and the School brought in two Old Elizabethan experts to assist.

Anthony Anaxagorou (1994–1999) (pictured below), who is a popular poet and performer, led two English workshops, while artist David Shillinglaw (pictured left), who was a contemporary of Anthony at QE, worked with Year 10 boys on a competitive Art activity.

Enrichment is an essential feature of life at QE: throughout the year, there are scores of opportunities to participate in activities that take place outside lessons, including clubs, sports, the performing arts, visits, competitions and House-based activities. In addition to extra-curricular activities, there are also subject-related clubs and clinics – the academic side of enrichment at QE.

Guided by their teachers, boys are expected to take advantage of these opportunities, with each pupil encouraged to select activities suited to their abilities and interests. In line with QE’s mission of producing young mean who are ‘confident, able and responsible’, enrichment helps boys develop skills and character attributes that will stand them in good stead throughout their lives.

Enrichment Week is an initiative aimed at strengthening the School’s provision even further. It featured activities that do not normally form part of the curriculum, developing in Years 7–10 boys a range of academic, personal and thinking skills.

The English department arranged for the visit from Anthony Anaxagorou. He has had several anthologies of poetry published, as well as a collection of short stories. He spoke about his own writing and led the poetry workshops, each for 90 boys from Year 9, on creative writing.

Since graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2002, David Shillinglaw has exhibited in galleries in Japan, China, The Gambia, Holland, and key cities such as New York, London, Berlin, and Istanbul. He assisted Year 10 boys in their inter-house Art competition. This was won by Broughton’s team with an artwork that explored street art and identity. The team comprised: Risharn Chandrann; Amar Isam-Abdu; Abishek Kengeswaran; Patrick Owen; Dharren Santhalingam and Ajith Suthakaran.

House competition is a key feature of enrichment at QE, and Year 7 took part in an inter-House drama contest during the week.

For Humanities, Year 9 pupils were encouraged to look at potential biases in the curriculum. In the Latin sessions, Year 7 boys learned about life in Roman Britain, particularly for Roman soldiers. Year 10 enjoyed a day devoted to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics); for Music, Year 7 boys spent a morning exploring rhythm; and for House drama, Year 10 pupils performing in Houses took the theme of ‘journeys’ to improvise a short play of their own creation.

Twenty-six members of QE’s Combined Cadet Force headed off to Kent for a week-long camp, giving them the chance to put into practice the skills they have learned over the past year.

The camp, or Exercise Cockney Fire, at St Martin’s Plain, Folkestone, featured a demanding shooting test – which all the QE boys passed _­­– a gruelling 24-hour field exercise and the opportunity to relax at a barbecue.

Afterwards, Major R P Manning, commanding officer of the London District Cadet Training Team, spoke highly of all QE’s cadets, pointing out that that their achievements went above and beyond the expectation set for them.

Captain Alexander Masson, the commander of QE’s contingent, said: “It was a really successful trip and a few cadets were recognised for their excellent efforts. Major Manning was particularly impressed with two Year 9 boys:  James Ford, who hit all 40 targets on the range (something which, he said, even regular soldiers struggle to do), and Sankeith Kirubakaran, for making the most progress on the ranges.” They were both awarded a prize from the army.

Captain Masson added: “In addition, we gave prizes to the best cadets, Uday Kataria (Year 10) and Shakshum Bhagat (Year 9), while the prize for the most improved cadet went to Yash Yadav, of Year 10.

“Hugo Flint and Akshay Narayan did brilliantly in leading the cadets throughout the week. In fact, all three Year 12s at the camp did an outstanding job. Jay Khetia was the Platoon Sergeant for the majority of the week, with Hugo taking on the position of Platoon Sergeant when moving into the field and Akshay was the Platoon Commander.”

The boys spent four days at the army’s small arms ranges close to the town of Hythe, which have been used for live firing for nearly 200 years. All QE boys passed the tough CCF shooting proficiency test at either first-class, marksman or pass level. Those attending the camp were required to have previously passed their weapon-handling safety test.

Evening activities at the ranges included paintball target exercises and sport, with an awards and social evening on the last of the four days.

The final full day of the camp was spent on the 24-hour exercise, which was organised, planned and run by QE. It included a navigation exercise, field craft and a ‘night stalk’. Boys spent a whole night out in the countryside, giving them valuable experience of ‘living in the field’.

The boys were overseen by Captain Masson, Biology teacher Captain Mev Armon, 2nd Lieutenant Richard Scally, who is a PE teacher, School Staff Instructor Charlie-Maud Munro, Languages teacher Rosie Hall and Technology teacher Michael Noonan.