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Nine Year 13 boys started the School year with an opportunity to sample life at Exeter College, Oxford.

Accompanied by Economics teacher Sonia Strnad, the group attended a conference specifically aimed at Sixth-Formers, which was organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).

“The boys enjoyed the intellectual rigour and challenge of the day,” said Mrs Strnad. “They attended four lectures, all focusing on different aspects of Economics. A question-and-answer session also provided an opportunity to inquire about Oxford and what it means to study there.” 

The first lecture was delivered by Dr Andrew Sentance, CBE, a Senior Economic Adviser to PricewaterhouseCoopers and former external member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England. In his talk, he raised questions about monetary and supply policies and discussed where to look for solutions to re-balance the economy and kick-start growth.

Nicholas Wapshott, a prominent British journalist and founding editor of The Times Magazine, spoke of whether the business cycle of boom & bust is inevitable. Possibly best known for his 2011 book, Keynes & Hayek: The clash that defined modern economics, he brought to life the academic debates between the two highly influential economists.

This was followed by an intellectual ‘drilling’ from Professor Alan Morrison, Professor of Finance at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and a Fellow of Merton College. His areas of expertise include bank regulation, investment banking and corporate governance. The final lecture of the day from Dr Steve Davies, the IEA’s Education Director, introduced an historical perspective. He highlighted key milestones in economic history and looked at the patterns of growth and decline over the centuries.

The boys enjoyed lunch in the college dining hall and coffee in the college grounds. They left with a generous selection of publications for further reading, courtesy of the IEA. “They all agreed that it was a really informative and stimulating day,” said Mrs Strnad. “The day gave the boys a flavour of what it would be like to study at Oxford and has fired them with enthusiasm to succeed in the selection process. We agreed that it is important not to limit their ambition, but to always believe that targets are within their reach.”

The School is adopting Guy’s Trust as one of its charities for this year. The Trust has been set up by the family of Guy Joseph (OE 1997-2002) who was killed in a paragliding accident in the Pyrenees on 14 October 2011, aged 25. The School’s announcement has been timed to coincide both with the first anniversary of the accident and with Guy’s birthday, 4 October.

Guy graduated from Newcastle University with a first-class degree in Marine Biology. He spent two years as a scuba-diving instructor, first in East Timor and then on the remote Indonesian island of Flores. He then travelled to Nepal, spending the winter there and learning to paraglide.

Guy was intelligent, warm, compassionate and non-judgmental and despite his youth and legendary sense of fun and zest for life, had a reputation as a responsible and gifted teacher. He also had a talent for developing friendships with anyone, whatever their background, nationality or age. His family has established the Trust to support the causes that he was particularly passionate about – children and marine conservation.

The Trust supports disadvantaged children in Nepal through the provision of pre-school education and is funding internships at MantaWatch – a conservation organisation that Guy helped to establish, dedicated to protecting the endangered manta ray. “We want to honour Guy’s memory by supporting the projects that were close to his heart” said his mother Vicky.

“The School supports a number of charities each year,” said Headmaster Neil Enright. “We were greatly saddened to hear of Guy’s death; his adventurous spirit and commitment to the causes he espoused were very much in keeping with the ethos of the School.”

On the anniversary of Guy’s death, the Trust is hoping to spread the word about Guy’s Trust and to increase traffic to its Facebook page www.facebook.com/GuysTrust through which donations can also be made. “If we can reach 5,000 ‘likes’ this will greatly increase the opportunity for corporate sponsorship,” said Mrs. Joseph.

The Guy’s Trust website may be reached through the Facebook page, or at www.guystrust.org Guy’s Trust is also on Twitter: @GuysTrust

QE boys are looking forward to another year of intense inter-House competition.

The School’s new House Co-ordinator, Martin Bassett-Jones, said: “House events are an excellent way to promote a spirit of healthy competition in areas as diverse as music and sport.”

Among the highlights last term was an inter-house challenge that required boys grouped in their Houses to transfer as much water as possible across tracks on the School field, using only plastic cups, string and bamboo.

“A total of 360 boys from Years 8 and 9 worked together well to plan and execute methods of getting water across a gap without simply carrying it themselves,” said Mr Bassett-Jones. “Many different and innovative methods were in evidence.  The boys clearly had a very enjoyable time, with good co-operation between the year groups.”

“The event proved to be an excellent means of encouraging team-building between boys in different year groups within the same House.”

Leicester House won the challenge, because they were the first to transfer five litres within the 15-minute timeframe.

Some 35 Sixth-Formers visited the Houses of Parliament as part of their Politics studies.

The Year 12 boys found out about the history of the mother of parliaments during the trip to Westminster, as well as enjoying the opportunity to try the business of government for themselves.

Jamie Martin, of Year 12, said: “Overall the trip was a thoroughly enjoyable, educational and unforgettable experience.”

In addition to learning about the subjects of current Parliamentary debates, the boys also created their own political parties and framed laws and policies, incorporating into their party manifestoes ideas that they had previously discussed in class. The groups had put forward contrasting views on issues such as youth and the environment, thus giving a realistic representation of actual debates in the Commons, Jamie commented.

He added that his impressions from the day included being surprised by the small size of the Lords and Commons Chambers.

Head of Politics, Liam Hargadon, led the trip, which is one of a series of visits organised annually for Sixth-Formers by the Politics Department. These include a conference later this year at which boys will hear from a diverse range of speakers such as MEP Nigel Farage, Leader of the UK Independence Party, and George Galloway MP. Boys can question politicians on topics covered in lessons and other issues about which they feel strongly.

“Such trips offer our students the chance to explore in greater depth an aspect of Politics which interests them,” said Mr Hargadon. “For some, it provides insights that will serve them well when they later pursue a Politics-related degree at university.”

Thirty-six pupils from the Upper Sixth took part in the latest research symposium to be held jointly by QE and one of the country’s leading independent girls’ schools.

The collaborative events with North London Collegiate School (NLCS) allow pupils to experience discussion in mixed-gender groups, encouraging them to think flexibly as they respond to previously unseen source material.

“The aim is to increase students’ awareness of subject material beyond the confines of the taught curriculum, whilst developing their skills of analysis and debate,” said QE’s Head of Pupil Progression, Dr. Sarah Westcott.

In the most recent symposium, eight Year 13 students from QE focused on English, eight on Economics, twelve on Medicine and eight on Natural Sciences. A similar number of girls from NLCS took part across all subjects.

“This event was challenging for the students on many intellectual levels,” added Dr Westcott. “They had to present their ideas articulately both on material which they had been given time to read and analyse, as well as on source material which they were given on the day to evaluate. These sessions represent an excellent opportunity for our students to experience the type of high-level, argument-based discussion which forms the core of many of the degree courses at the universities they aspire to.”

Among the topics discussed was What advances has science made in the treatment and prevention of HIV transmission and progression in to AIDS? The English group looked at six works, including A Defence of Cosmetics by Max Beerbohm and Reticence in Fiction by Hubert Crackanthorpe.

QE is involved in a number of joint academic symposia with both NLCS and another girls’ school, The Henrietta Barnett School in Hampstead. These have involved students from a number of different year groups.

Queen Elizabeth’s School boys are to perform an abridged version of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, following a special drama workshop at the Arts Depot in Finchley.

Four schools in total are taking part in the project, with the QE boys, who are drawn from Years 8-11, representing Key Stages 3 and 4.

The QE team of actors, technicians and marketing assistants have been working on a cut-down version of the play in readiness for the public performance after half-term. They received expert help at the drama workshop at Finchley from an actor/director from the Central School of Speech and Drama, which is overseeing the project.

At the workshop, the School’s team met up with participants from the three other schools, who have been preparing abridged versions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth and The Taming of the Shrew. The workshop provided the pupils with a range of techniques and tips to improve their performance skills.

All four schools will present their 30-minute plays at the Arts Depot on Wednesday 7th November. Parents and friends who would like to support the QE actors can purchase tickets from the theatre’s box office on 0208 369 5454.