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More than 300 children and 30 adults from five local primary schools enjoyed a specially organised concert at QE. The youngsters also made the most of the opportunity to find out more about the instruments they had heard.

The children from Bushey Heath Primary School, Christ Church CofE School, Foulds School, Frith Manor Primary School and Moss Hall Junior School were treated to a broad repertoire including Elgar’s Pomp & Circumstance March No.4, Walton’s Crown Imperial and Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King.

“We were delighted to welcome the children to QE for this musical event,” said Headmaster Neil Enright. “Our place in the local community is of great importance to us and it is very satisfying to have the opportunity to share our facilities and expertise with others.”

The focus of the concert was on recognising the instruments of the orchestra. The QE boys demonstrated, and talked about, their individual instruments. These included the viola, double bass, oboe, bassoon and tuba – some of which the visiting children had not seen before.

QE’s Director of Music, Kieron Howe, said: “The visitors clearly enjoyed their visit and I was very impressed with how entertaining and informative our boys were when explaining their instruments to the younger children. The event was of mutual benefit to all involved.”

Over the course of the concert the visiting children heard the instruments in a large ensemble, small ensembles and individually. Mr Howe said he hoped the experience would inspire the younger children either to take up an instrument for the first time, or to practise their instruments even more.

QE boys were given a special tour of the cosmos during a visit to the Royal Observatory at Greenwich.

A group of 23 Year 9 students took part in a visit to attend an interactive show entitled Solar System, Galaxy, Universe and Beyond, which was led by one of the ROG’s astronomers. They received insights into how observations by early astronomers led to a modern understanding of the solar system and how astronomers first measured the distances to the nearest stars. The show then moved on to the latest technologies for exploring and understanding structures in space.

“The boys thoroughly enjoyed the visit,” said Physics teacher John Varndell. “In addition to the show, the boys visited the newly-refurbished planetarium and saw John Harrison’s famous chronometers. They also had the opportunity to bestride the east/west meridian line.”

En route to the Observatory, in brilliant weather, the boys were able to see the Cutty Sark and the new Olympic Equestrian Stadium. “The boys’ behaviour was exemplary,” said Mr Varndell. “A teacher from another school praised both their behaviour and appearance, which was very satisfying.”

Six Year 10 boys have achieved the gold standard in a national Biology competition. A further 10 boys were awarded silver and 23 bronze medals in the Biology Challenge, organised by the Society of Biology. The competition is the junior version of the Biology Olympiad, in which QE has also recorded considerable success.

It is the first time the School has entered the junior competition: 130 boys sat two 30-minute papers covering all aspects of Biology. Christopher Brown, Adam Hilsenrath, Andre Hui, Bhavik Mehta, Roy Aronya and Tialin Zhang were all awarded gold medals.

More than 30,000 students from across the UK took part in the competition, the stated purpose of which is to encourage interest in Biology beyond the curriculum. It also aims to reward those students whose knowledge of the subject has been increased by reading books and magazines, and by watching natural history programmes.

“The boys rose to this new challenge,” said Dr Gillian Ridge, the School’s Head of Biology. “I hope it will encourage them to be even more curious about Biology in the world around them.”

In addition to the medal winners, a further 31 QE boys were highly commended and 24 were commended.

A group of Year 10 students have taken part in an academic symposium at a leading independent girls’ school. The 45 boys joined a group at the North London Collegiate School (NLCS) for an afternoon of discussion and debate on a broad range of academic topics, including core areas of English and Science, specialisms such as Music and History of Art and Classical Civilisation and Current Affairs.

The purpose of the symposium is to broaden the academic opportunities on offer to QE’s pupils and has become an annual event since its successful launch last year.

“We enjoy a number of links with high-achieving schools, both in the state and independent sectors,” said Headmaster Neil Enright. “A cross-curricular symposium such as this gives students the opportunity to develop their critical thinking and discursive talents. It also takes them outside the comfort zone of learning and discussion solely with their classmates, and helps to develop social confidence too.”

NLCS was named Sunday Times Independent School of the Year in 1999 and 2006, while QE was top state school in the Financial Times Top 1000 Schools 2011 table.

During the symposium a number of topics were introduced by the teachers, but it was then left to the students to ‘drive’ the discussion. Tahmer Mahmoud, who is QE’s Head of Academic Enrichment, said: “The boys thoroughly enjoy these symposia and the opportunities they provide to generate sophisticated responses to a given issue. The level of critical thinking that is provoked amongst the students is of a very high standard.”

During the afternoon, each student gave a brief presentation on a source material before joining in a more general discussion within their groups. The sessions were chaired by Year 12 students, providing them with useful experience of overseeing and directing lively debates.

Welcome to the blog for the QE Music Department’s trip to Durham, 14th – 17th July 2012.

Wednesday 11th July 2012

A reminder of the arrangements for the morning of Saturday 14th: we will meet at the music department at 6.00 am, ready to load the coach for a prompt departure at 6.30 am.

The gates to the Main School will be closed, so please drive straight past these and down to the music block, leaving space for the coach to drive out through the gates.

Please be ready to hand any medication which your son requires to his group leader in a clearly-labelled bag. If you wish to hand in money for safe-keeping, this should also be presented to your son’s group leader in a clearly-labelled envelope.

I look forward to seeing you on Saturday morning.

Miss Lancelot

Saturday 14th July 2012, 2pm

We have arrived safely (from both Barnet and Shrewsbury) and settled in to our beautiful accommodation. Lunch was taken under the impressive chandeliers of St Chad's College. The boys are looking forward to seeing the bands at the cathedral service for the Miners' Gala at 3pm.

Saturday 14th July 2012, 9.30pm

This afternoon the Miners' Gala service proved to be a splendid, moving occasion, with marching bands leading new banners into the cathedral at the start of the service. Boys enjoyed the opportunity to sing one of our Founder's Day hymns, Jerusalem, again, and hear the cathedral choir in action for the first time.

Afterwards, we saw the bands make their way back through the streets of Durham, and enjoyed our first glimpse of sunshine in a very long time! Boys spent some leisure time getting settled in to their rooms and playing football on the Cathedral green.

After a delicious supper in St Chad's (BBQ chicken, steak and mushroom pie, lamb chops or butternut squash risotto), the choir had an intensive rehearsal with the cathedral's Master of the Choristers and Organist, James Lancelot, which was a very valuable experience for all involved. The band rehearsed shortly after, making a very impressive sound under Mr Howe's direction.

At the end of a long and exciting day, we are due a period of recreational activities led by the seniors, followed by bed. Roll on Beamish tomorrow!

Sunday 15th July, 9.30pm

Day Two of the Durham tour was spent at Beamish museum, Stanley, and saw three very well-attended performances, one by the choir and strings, and two by the band. Boys took advantage of the brilliant sunshine, and enjoyed sampling the delights of Beamish's traditional sweet shop.

Having dined at St Chad's, we're spending the evening aboard Durham's largest vessel, the Prince Bishop (this is her first outing in seven weeks due to the recent flooding!). Boys are enjoying the beautiful scenery over complimentary refreshments, and are very much looking forward to tomorrow's cathedral performances.

Monday 16th July, 11.15pm

Monday's itinerary was a busy and challenging one for the boys, but they more than rose to the occasion and excelled in a riveting lunch time concert and an enchanting evensong, both of which were extremely well received.

All boys were treated to a tour of the cathedral this morning, and those who were involved in just one of today's two performances also toured the historic castle.

The day was aptly rounded off with a relaxing BBQ event at St Chad's College, which was attended by the boy choristers of Durham Cathedral Choir, with whom the QE chamber choir had performed at evensong, and Prof P J Rhodes OE of Durham University's Classics Department.

We're looking forward to our tour of the city and university in the morning. It seems it will be hard to say goodbye to Durham tomorrow!

Tuesday 17th July, 3.30pm

Our final morning comprised a fantastic talk about and tour of Durham University with Mr James Randle and Dr Peter Swift. We felt very privileged to be able to see inside labs in the Physics, Geography and Engineering departments, as well as a brand new lecture theatre. The tour ended with a trip to St Mary's College, from where we could admire the stunning panoramic view of the cathedral.

After a brief trip to the shops to purchase souvenirs, we set off at 1pm, and currently our ETA is 18.15.

A wonderful time has been had by all; boys have performed to a very high standard and rightly received numerous compliments not only for their musicianship but also for their polite manner. It has been a pleasure for us as staff to take such talented and considerate young men on tour, and we look forward to facilitating similar opportunities in future.

Former QE pupil Claude Francois Muhuza (2001-08) urged award-winners to make the most of their opportunities when he returned to his alma mater as guest of honour for the 2012 Junior Awards Ceremony.

And Claude has certainly been true to his own advice. He has progressed from war-torn Rwanda as a small child to success at Cambridge University, following a distinguished School career at QE.

Welcoming him to the event, Headmaster Neil Enright told the audience of award-winners, parents and staff: “Claude’s story is a remarkable one and one that I hope is inspirational for boys currently at the School, particularly those of you in the hall this afternoon.

“He is an Elizabethan who completely embraced everything that the School stands for and has to offer and we are incredibly proud of his many successes and achievements.”

Born in Kigali, Rwanda, in 1990, Claude spent the first four years of his life there before being forced to flee the country with his mother when war broke out. During the next two years spent with his mother in Tanzania and Kenya, he had no formal education. He arrived in London at the age of six and started to learn English when his mother enrolled him at Harlesden Primary.

“Claude quickly made a positive impression when he joined this School in 2001 and his leadership qualities emerged soon after,” said Mr Enright. He was Deputy Form Captain in Year 7 and started Year 8 as Form Captain and was chosen to greet visitors at open evenings and School events. Claude also worked hard in his studies, picking up many commendations whilst in the Lower School.

In Year 10, he was selected as one of the Colt Prefects and later, as a Sixth-Former, was appointed a Senior Prefect. Whilst in the Sixth Form he consolidated his passion for debating and was jointly responsible for organising and leading the School’s entry to the European Youth Parliament. That particular team’s success in the regional and national rounds saw them ultimately being invited to represent the UK in events in Turkey and Greece, which was a first for the School.

“So, in his final year at the School, on an occasion much like this one, Claude’s significant contribution to the life of QE was recognised when he was awarded the Chairman of Governors’ prize,” the Headmaster added.

His Year Head’s report praised him as “one of the outstanding students in his year group, or indeed any other, Claude is all that one would wish for in a Year 13 student; he balances academic drive with good humour, while giving of his time freely and openly.”

He gained A grades in Economics, English Literature, French and History and French A-levels, together with an A in Critical Thinking. Claude secured a place at Pembroke College, Cambridge, to read Law.

He was elected President of Pembroke College Student Union and was presented with the Crowden Award for making such a distinguished contribution to the life of his college. Claude is also committed to opening access to Cambridge, serving as treasurer to a committee charged with putting on a Law conference for more than 300 sixth-formers from around the country and also serving on the 1347 Development Committee, which raises money for causes including an African Scholarship scheme and student support. He was the Publicity Officer for the Black and Ethnic Minorities Students’ Campaign, helping to organise careers events and a diversity week.

Now that he has gained a good degree and completed his studies at the College of Law, he starts at the London offices of international law firm Baker & McKenzie in March 2013.

In the meantime, he has secured a place on International Citizen Service and will be going to Nicaragua in October for a three-month placement with the charity Raleigh International.

“This was a memorable afternoon,” concluded the Headmaster. “In his speech, Claude encouraged the boys present to make the most of all that is on offer at the School and not to limit their aspirations. He also recognised the important influence of his mother’s support, having now accepted, as he said, that ‘my mother does know best’ – a comment which went down well with the mothers in the audience!”