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Queen Elizabeth’s School’s History Department took a leading rôle in a conference for History teachers on the Cold War.

Organised by the Prince’s Teaching Institute, the event updated GCSE and A-level History teachers on recent research and debates, as well as providing an opportunity to discuss how to use recently released archival material in their teaching.
Twenty-five delegates took part in the conference hosted by QE at the Edgwarebury Hotel in Elstree, including three members of QE staff and two Sixth-Formers. QE gained Training School status last year and this event was one of its Training School opportunities.

It included three talks and a teacher workshop. The workshop was led by QE’s Head of History, Annette Liston, who shared teaching resources from QE with the delegates. She also welcomed delegates and gave an overview at the start of the conference.

The talks were:

Political Violence in Germany since 1968, by Dr Martin Ruehl, Lecturer in German at the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages, Cambridge University. He linked the left-wing violence of the R.A.F/ ‘Baader Meinhof Komplex’ with developments in the Cold War, arguing that events in West Germany could not be understood in a vacuum but were only explicable by looking at the wider context of the struggles of the Cold War.

The Onset of the Cold War in Europe, by Professor Matthew Jones, a member of the School of American and Canadian Studies at the University of Nottingham. He set out the various historiographical approaches to the start of the Cold War, providing teachers with the framework for their own teaching of the controversy. He explained the arguments of the different approaches and schools of thought, and encouraged teachers and students to look for the strengths and weaknesses in each.

Crossing the Lines, by former Soviet journalist Andrei Ostalski, who started his career at the TASS News Agency and became special correspondent at Izvestia in 1986. He spoke of his personal recollections of journalism and politics in the era of the Cold War, especially of his time in the Middle East, and of the fall of the USSR. He pointed out the contradictions inherent in the communist state, which eventually led to its downfall, and the rôle of Gorbachev.

All Year 7 pupils learned about Hinduism and the Hare Krishnas on a visit to Bhaktivedanta Manor – the temple donated to the movement by ex-Beatle George Harrison.

During a particularly ‘hands-on’ day, the boys enjoyed bull cart rides, face-painting and dressing up as Hindu warriors at the temple near Watford. The visit, part of the boys’ Religion and Society learning, gave them the opportunity to learn more about a religion with which many were unfamiliar.

Religion & Society teacher Geraldine Booth said: “What an amazing day – the boys get to see first-hand how a temple works and how it educates its visitors; the highlight of the day was the bullock cart rides!”

A Queen Elizabeth’s School team came second out of 80 schools in the national final of the Team Maths Challenge 2010.

Having triumphed in the regional round in April, team captain Madhi Elango, Gabriel Gendler, Bhavik Mehta and Yash Shah, won a place in the national event at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London. Their second place behind Magdalen College School, Oxford, and ahead of Clifton College in Bristol, improved on the seventh place achieved by QE last year.

The Team Maths Challenge, which is run by the UK Mathematics Trust, is open to pupils from Years 8 and 9. The competition features four rounds – entitled Group Questions, Cross-Numbers, Head to Head and Relay – with an additional Poster Round held in the national final.

The QE boys were awarded trophies and copies of Ian Stewart’s book, Professor Stewart’s Hoard of Mathematical Treasures.

Three QE pupils were among the winners in a local competition run by the Baha’i Faith Group.

The Year 7 boys’ achievement builds on successes by QE boys in previous years in the annual competition. This year, it involved creating a poem, poster or essay on the topic of ‘What is the purpose of religion?’

Samuel Li took first prize in the 10-12 age category for his poster design, while Ryun Pang came second. In the essay-writing section, Norbert Sobolak was in third place.

The boys were awarded their prizes at a ceremony hosted by the Deputy Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Hugh Rayner, at Chipping Barnet Library.

"The fact that QE boys have won in two out of the three categories demonstrates what a strong ability the students here have to think through spiritual, moral and religious issues," said teacher Dr Sarah Jones.

Queen Elizabeth’s School concluded its Summer Concert with a huge joint performance featuring both its own musicians and those from its German partner school.

The Big Band from the Friedrich von Bogelschwingh Gymnasium (grammar school) in Bielefeld joined QE’s Big Band, Training Band and Junior Strings to play Herbie Hancock’s jazz standard, Watermelon Man.

Welcoming the German school’s musicians, Director of Music Kieron Howe congratulated them on their performance the previous weekend to a ‘large and appreciative audience’ at the East Barnet Festival.

The Summer Concert in the Shearly Hall also featured another partner school, Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School. For three weeks prior to the concert, three girls worked with nine composers from QE’s AS Music group on an innovative creative project inspired by poetry and pieces of art. The 12 were divided into three groups, each comprising three QE composers and one choreographer from the girls’ school. The concert programme was thus punctuated by three ensemble performances, with each piece danced by all three girls.

There was original work too from a group of Year 9 pupils who have recently been studying the genre of minimalism. “The group you are going to hear tonight were so innovative and musical and creative with their arrangement we thought it a shame to leave it in the classroom and thought it should be shared with you tonight,” wrote Director of Music Kieron Howe in his programme notes.

Other elements of the programme included:

• The Year 7 String Quartet – S. Hanson’s Fiddlers’ Contest 
• The Junior Indian Music Ensemble – works by Thyagaraja and Annamacharya 
• Junior Strings – pieces by Handel and S. Bulla 
• The Training Band – The Simpsons TV theme tune and an African-American spiritual
• Summer Strings – four pieces, ranging from Bach’s Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring to Singin’ in the Rain.

Pupils from QE performed strongly in a competition that is open only to the country’s best young mathematicians.

Fifteen QE boys were among 1,200 of the highest scorers in the UK Mathematics Trust’s Junior Challenge and thus qualified for the Junior Mathematical Olympiad.

Of the 15, five were awarded certificates of distinction, which are given to the top 25% of entrants in the Olympiad: Kieran Chan, Daniel Chen, Andrew Hui, Bhavik Mehta and Tianlin Zhang.

The top 50 candidates in the competition were also given a book prize, The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers by David Wells. “Bhavik and Tianlin were very worthy recipients of this book prize,” said QE’s Head of Mathematics, Gee Scarisbrick, who congratulated all the boys.

In addition, Kieran, Daniel, Bhavik and Tianlin were awarded silver medals for their impressive solutions to four questions in section B of the competition. Bhavik won a bronze medal in this competition last year. Andrew was awarded a bronze medal for providing three substantially correct solutions.