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A Year 11 pupil has had the rare opportunity to perform before the Nobel Peace Laureate and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama.

Daniyar Ismailov was invited to perform in Limerick University – alongside his mother Dr Razia Sultanova, a Fellow of the University of Cambridge – where the Dalai Lama was giving a special address on The Power of Forgiveness.

Daniyar, who plays cello in the School’s Senior String Orchestra, plays both traditional Western classical music and also music from Eastern cultures. At Limerick he and his mother performed Tanovar, with Daniyar on doira – a frame drum – while his mother played the dutar – a long-necked plucked lute.

Following a performance at the British Embassy in Uzbekistan last year, Daniyar was invited to visit the Foreign & Commonwealth office in May where he had the opportunity to meet experts on Central Asia.

Artworks by two senior students have been selected for display alongside the work of professional artists at a summer exhibition.

Lower Sixth-Former Henry Yang, whose work is pictured top left, and Arjun Paliwal, of Year 11, have had their work chosen for artsdepot open 2011 at the artsdepot in North Finchley – the only professional arts venue in the borough of Barnet.

The selection was made by freelance art critic Estelle Lovatt (known for her work with BBC Radio 2’s flagship arts programme The Arts Show with Claudia Winkleman), by north London artist Anya Beaumont and by art history student Evgenia Bentchava.

The exhibition, which runs from Wednesday 20th July-Sunday 4th September 2011 primarily shows the work of professional artists but this year also encouraged participation by art students. It is curated by Alice Lobb.

Art teacher Stephen Buckeridge said: “Henry and Arjun are to be congratulated on their achievement, particularly since the selection of students’ work was limited to a couple of places. I’m pleased to say that both their pieces look at home in the venue.”

• A fractured post-modern vision of the landscape linked to a study of mirrors and reflections, also by Henry Yang, was one of only 40 pieces chosen for display in the Royal Academy’s A-level Summer Exhibition Online until 15th August. It may be viewed here (top row, far right).
• The Royal Academy also shortlisted Adrian Chua’s interpretation of the theme Mirrors, which may also be viewed online (4th row, middle). Adrian is also in the Sixth Form.
• Arjun Paliwal has been chosen for two weeks’ work experience this summer at Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the practice of world renowned architect Lord Rogers. Arjun and his classmates have been producing paintings on surrealism, exploring mixed media approaches taken by artists such as Jasper Johns as well as the varied graphic and fine art techniques of James Rosenquist, Richard Hamilton and Dexter Dalwood. Arjun’s piece, currently on show at the artsdepot, is shown to the right.
• Former pupil Tom Kikuchi (1999-2006), who took A-level Art at QE, has already had his art selected to show in a London gallery, following completion of his Fine Art degree at Chelsea College of Art and his final show in June.

John Marincowitz retires this month after 12 years as Headmaster of Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet.

During this period, the School has been rated as ‘outstanding’ in five consecutive Ofsted reports and has cemented its reputation as one of the country’s leading academic performers.

At the same time, it has maintained its position as a true meritocracy: a School where any boy with ability can succeed, regardless of his parents’ income, his ethnic background or the area in which he lives.

Dr Marincowitz will be succeeded by Neil Enright, currently the Deputy Headmaster, who in September 2011 will become the 40th Headmaster in the School’s 438-year history.

Chairman of Governors, Barrie Martin, said: “Appointed as Headmaster in 1999, John set about taking the School ‘from excellence to eminence’, recognising the quality of the establishment he had inherited from his predecessor, Eamonn Harris, but recognising also the potential to take the School to new heights.

“Boys at the School achieve spectacular results, but their personal development, the opportunities for them to indulge their interests, the word of praise in a corridor from a member of staff who has noted their achievement, the careful guidance which sets them on the appropriate path as they move on from Queen Elizabeth’s, all of these rank equally in the School which John has led.”

A report published by the Sutton Trust this month found that QE is the country’s leading state School both in terms of the percentage of pupils achieving places at Oxford or Cambridge and of those gaining places at the UK’s 30 leading universities. The only schools above it in the report are fee-charging independent schools: unlike these, QE ranks as average for England for social deprivation, according to Ofsted.

Mr Martin said: “Such findings underline the fact that under John’s tenure the School has achieved at the very highest levels, while at the same time making a significant contribution to social mobility.”

Dr Marincowitz first came to the School in 1985, when he was given a temporary contract as a History teacher. At that time, the School was sending just 10 boys a year to university and what were then polytechnics. Today almost all boys in the 280-strong Sixth Form win places at Russell Group universities.

In his time as Headmaster, in line with the School’s mission of producing young men who are ‘confident, able and responsible’, he has always expected QE boys to pursue interests beyond their studies. As a result, the School continues to perform strongly in areas as diverse as sport, chess and public speaking.

The School became a specialist Music College in 2004, with a secondary specialism of IT. This specialism was re-awarded in 2008.

Also under his tenure, in 2009 the School gained Training School status from the Department for Children, Schools and Family (now Department for Education), having become eligible to apply because it was recognised as a High Performing Specialist School by the Government.

Determined to provide pupils with the best possible educational environment, Dr Marincowitz has overseen the development of impressive new facilities, such as the Martin Swimming Pool and Shearly Hall, funded through the generosity of parents and supporters.

In his farewell letter to parents, he paid tribute to the “vital role” they have played in the School’s success in creating a culture in which boys “behave considerately, achieve splendidly and go on to make a valuable contribution to society”.

“It has been a privilege to lead this School,” Dr Marincowitz added. “I have derived enormous professional and personal fulfilment from my work at Queen Elizabeth’s, so I leave with mixed feelings. However, it is most reassuring to know that the custody of the School now passes into the very capable hands of my successor Neil Enright and his formidable staff.”

In his retirement, Dr Marincowitz plans first to take a “gap year” with his wife Miriam who is also retiring from a career in education, as a university lecturer. This will give him time to decide in which of many worthy causes he will become actively involved. His interests include literature, art, coastal sailing and of course, his family.

Queen Elizabeth’s School has recorded its best-ever A-level results, with A*s making up more than four of every ten grades awarded.

The School saw widespread improvements on last year’s already-strong results. With 98% of grades at A*-B and an average points score per pupil of 504, the boys in the Upper Sixth demonstrated academic strength across the board.

Boys at QE took the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) for the first time this year and here, too, there is success, with 26 of the 27 candidates (96%) gaining A* or A grades.

Among the individual success stories are twins Jin-Min and Jin-Xi Yuan, who amassed seven A* grades between them and have won places to read Medicine at Cambridge. They are among 24 boys with confirmed places at Oxford or Cambridge.

Neil Enright, who takes over as the School’s 40th Headmaster in September, said: “These are tremendous results by any standards. QE is emphatically a meritocracy, open to boys of ability from any social or ethnic background, and, according to Ofsted, we rank as average in England for social deprivation. It is very encouraging to see pupils from a diversity of backgrounds achieving highly.”

“We seek to provide an enriching educational experience which does far more than merely prepare pupils for examinations. By the time they become undergraduates, we aim to have helped boys discover where their academic interests lie and to have instilled in them an intellectual curiosity and a passion for their university subject.

“Our academic symposia, debating competitions and encouragement of independent research – not least through the EPQ – all contribute to this enriching experience, as indeed do the wide variety of trips that we offer and the School’s strengths in music, drama and sport. Of course, none of this would be possible without the dedication and expertise of our staff, and I know that they will justly derive great satisfaction from these results.”

Mr Enright added that close study of this year’s results reveals that the School has performed well across the breadth of the curriculum. “I was delighted, for example, to see the remarkable English results, with more than three-quarters of our A-level candidates gaining A*, while seven of our 11 Art students also achieved A*,” he said.

Economics and Mathematics were among other subjects in which performance was particularly strong, with just over 50% and 45% respectively gaining A*.

A large majority of the Year 13 boys will now go on to Russell Group universities, including 27 boys reading medicine and five studying dentistry.

Key statistics at the School, which became an Academy in September 2010, include:

• 40.98% of all A-levels were given the A*grade (up from 32.4% last year)
• 84% received A* or A (79.5% in 2010)
• 97.8% received A*-B (95.7%)
• Average points score per A-level was 124.3 (121.2).

Mr Enright added that the Year 12 AS results were also strong. A and B grades were awarded for 94.9% of examinations taken (up from 94.2% last year), while A grades accounted for 79.4% (79.1% in 2010). (There is no A* grade at AS.)

“I am delighted to become Headmaster at a time when our Sixth Form has never been stronger. At QE we take pride in sending our boys to top-flight universities already equipped with an academic curiosity and a commitment to excellence that will later enable them to contribute greatly to society,” Mr Enright concluded.

Click any of the thumbnails below to open a slideshow of photographs taken at the School on Thursday, 18th August 2011. 

How boys from state academy joined the top performers in a cast of stars, The Times

40 per cent of grades were A* in record year at Queen Elizabeth’s School, The Barnet Times

Twins get top marks at Queen Elizabeth’s, The Barnet Times

Queen Elizabeth’s School has once again exceeded all previous years’ GCSE results, it announced today [25 Aug 2011].

90% of examinations taken by the 179 boys in Year 11 were awarded A* or A grades, with almost all the others (8.9%) at B.

The recent growth in the proportion of boys gaining five or more A* or A grades continued. This year it was 97.8%. In 2010 – the previous best-ever year for GCSEs at the School – the figure was 96% and in 2009 it was 92.1%.

“These are very encouraging results, with the boys being duly rewarded for their consistent hard work,” said the Headmaster, Neil Enright. “The statistics show that on the one hand there has been a diminution of the ‘tail’, with the number of lower grades now very small indeed, while on the other we have achieved a significant improvement at the top end.

“It is important to note that these results were achieved against the backdrop of boys participating fully in our extensive range of extra-curricular activities.”

“Last week’s A-level results underlined that we are losing a wonderful group from Year 13, but we can take solace from what is clearly a very strong cohort coming into the Sixth Form from Year 11!” Mr Enright added.

Science was a particular highlight at QE this year. Around 100 boys took individual science GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics, rather than the Science Double Award. In Chemistry, 98% of grades were A*, while the figures for Biology and Physics were 90% and 84% respectively.

Boys also performed well in Geography, with an A* grade recorded for 94 of the 129 candidates (73%) and 96% gaining either A* or A. Similarly, in Mathematics 83% gained A* and 99.4% an A* or A. In fact, only one boy in the year received a lower grade than A*/A in Mathematics (a B).

Key statistics among this year’s GCSE results include:

• 90.0% of all examinations taken were at A* or A (up from 89.1% last year)
• 98.9% were at A*-B (up from 98.1%)
• 97.8% of boys achieved five or more A* and A grades
• 100% achieved the Government’s preferred benchmark figure of five or more A*-C grades including English and Mathematics.

A Year 8 pupil has been placed 12th in a national diving competition. 12-year-old Gil Segev competed at Level 3 at this year’s National Age Group Diving Finals in Sheffield.

Gil started diving when he was eight, and was immediately talent-spotted. “I had been doing gymnastics at Hendon Leisure Centre, and when I started diving lessons the coach moved me straight into the Barnet Copthall Diving Club,” said Gil.

He competes in individual competitions on the 3m and 1m boards, and in ‘synchro’ on the 1m board. For each event he has to perform a number of dives, each of which is rated with a tariff that reflects the difficulty of the dive.

“Although I have won silver and bronze in competitions across the country, I’ve yet to pick up a gold, so that is one target for me. And as my diving improves I will be learning more complicated dives which get higher scores. I might have to change to the Crystal Palace Club because they have 7m and 10m platforms,” he added. “If I work hard then one day, you never know, I might make it to the Olympics.”