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QE's young Economists gained valuable insights into how to manage the economy during a visit to the Bank of England – and were rewarded with gold chocolate coins when they successfully broke into a safety deposit box!

All 135 Year 11 boys studying Economics enjoyed a morning tour of the Bank’s museum, which not only offers historical information but also allowed the boys to interact with some of the artefacts.

They learnt how much a single gold bar weighs (28lb) and were surprised both at its weight and its value – £333,000 on the day of the visit. They flew the inflation balloon simulator and explored the security features on bank notes.

The tour was followed by a presentation on the role of money, interest rates and inflation in the UK economy. The lecture explained the Bank of England’s role in managing the economy and its financial markets. Boys also gained further insights into how monetary policy is used to control inflation.

QE young musicians enjoyed a golden opportunity to see a sell-out performance of West Side Story – the first London revival of the ever-popular musical since 2008.

The show, featuring famous songs including Maria, America, Somewhere and Something’s Coming, was staged at Sadler’s Wells for just six weeks from the middle of August before setting off on a UK-wide tour.

“We were fortunate enough to obtain tickets to a sell-out performance,” said QE’s Director of Music, Kieron Howe. “Our boys were able to appreciate the Edexcel set work Something's Coming first-hand and in its true context, an opportunity denied to previous classes as the show has been absent from London's music scene.”

The award-winning West Side Story has gained legendary status since its first performance in 1951, with conception and choreography by Jerome Robbins. It features a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, and, in his first big break, song lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. This 2013 production was choreographed by Joey McKneely, who has worked extensively on Broadway and is a former assistant to Jerome Robbins.

The show opened to rave reviews: “The brilliance of this powerful Romeo and Juliet adaptation is rediscovered,” – Guardian 9th August 2013; and "Ground-breaking choreography with exhilarating drive," – Evening Standard 9th August 2013.

The group of Year 10 musicians were accompanied on the trip by Mr Howe and Music Teacher Rebecca Lancelot. “It was an excellent opportunity for boys to experience and appreciate a world-class live musical only an hour's journey from school; a most enjoyable time was had by all.” said Mr Howe.

Year 12 Politics students saw at first hand the scene of Britain's greatest political debates – and then had the chance to engage in one themselves.

A tour of both the lower and upper houses, together with the lively debate with pupils from other schools, were the highlights of the trip to the Palace of Westminster.

“The aim of the trip was for our students to discover at first hand our Parliament works,” said teacher Helen MacGregor, who organised the trip. The Palace of Westminster organises various tours and workshops specifically tied to particular key stages of the National Curriculum.

The tour started in the Members’ Lobby, where the boys saw the 650 MP pigeon holes and identified the slot for the Barnet MP, the Right Hon Theresa Villiers. “We then went into the House of Commons and stood next to the famous green seats. We were very tempted to sit on them, but we weren’t allowed!” added Miss MacGregor.

“The boys were surprised how small the Commons was in reality. We saw the dispatch boxes and the Speaker’s chair and enjoyed imagining the history that had taken place in that room. We then went through the lobby, where the television broadcasts are made from, into the House of Lords. The glowing red seats stood out against the shining gold of the monarch’s throne. We saw the cross-benches and the woolsacks in the middle of the House.”

After the tour, the 26 boys from QE participated in a lesson with 50 pupils from other schools on how politicians make decisions and the difficulties they have to deal with, culminating in a vote. They were given a scenario where, as a constituency MP, they had to vote on a motion that prisoners should be given jobs. They were given relevant data, such as unemployment statistics and information from employers, and then asked to vote on whether to allow the proposed bill to pass. With each vote, the boys had to justify their decision, which led to a debate.

“A number of our boys presented their points very convincingly, and the debate was very lively and interesting,” said Miss MacGregor. “Most of our boys were against the motion, but we did have some spirited defence of it, too.”

QE boys will perform an abridged version of Macbeth for this year's Shakespeare Schools Festival.

The team of 24 actors, technicians and marketing assistants from Years 9-12 have been working on a cut-down version of the play in readiness for a public performance next week.

They have worked alongside three other schools at a special drama workshop run by experienced actors and theatre technicians at The Abbey Theatre in St Albans. While others chose King Lear, Henry V and The Tempest, QE selected Macbeth, renowned for its psychological study of the corrosive effects of ambition, betrayal and guilt.

“The workshop provided the boys with an excellent range of techniques and tips to improve their performance skills,” said Head of English, Susannah Sweetman. “These included the visually spectacular techniques of ‘withering’ – where actors slowly melt to the ground as though dying, after a battle, for instance – and ‘blossoming’ – where they slowly stand up and grow like a tree.”

The Shakespeare Schools Festival is the UK's largest youth drama festival. It aims to give young people “the opportunity to engage with their cultural heritage, their education and their future” by performing Shakespeare in professional theatres. This year, around 1,000 schools are taking part, performing in 125 theatres across the UK.

The four 30-minute productions, including QE’s Macbeth, will be performed on Monday 14 October. “We would very much welcome support from family and friends,” added Ms Sweetman. Tickets are available at the theatre’s box office on 01727 857 861, or from www.abbeytheatre.org.uk.

Two of the country's top musicologists explained the multiple benefits of studying Music at university to a group of Year 12 boys.

Dr Berta Joncus, head of the Music Department at Goldsmiths, University of London (pictured left), and Dr Barley Norton, a senior lecturer and ethnomusicologist at Goldsmiths, encouraged the boys, who are all studying A-level Music, to consider not only the direct benefits of studying Music, but also to reflect on the transferable skills that are acquired.

“When you follow the MMus programme you will develop intellectual and transferable skills of value to employers,” said Dr Joncus. “Many elements of the programme require a high degree of self-motivation and initiative in planning and implementing tasks, and managing of a personal schedule of learning. You develop your capacity to organise, articulate and present ideas in a systematic and professional manner”.

She added: “The programme offers many opportunities for students to work cooperatively, effectively and creatively together, employ social skills in the conduct of research when appropriate, and develop effective skills of communication.”

The two academics were accompanied by a current undergraduate Music student, who gave the boys a brief introduction to the Music department of Goldsmiths and offered insight into the kind of study they could expect to encounter at university level. 

“This was a very positive experience for our boys, who were able to contribute to discussions and who displayed impressive thinking skills,” said Music teacher Rebecca Lancelot. “They now have a clearer understanding of what is on offer to them at undergraduate level if they wish to pursue their study of Music beyond the Sixth Form.”

In addition to her post at Goldsmiths, Dr Berta Joncus is also a Research Associate of the Faculty of Music at Oxford University. Her previous positions include editor at the New Grove Dictionary of Music, working with the dictionary’s editor, the late Stanley Sadie. She took her MA at the University of Bonn, Germany, and worked earlier as a professional singer after finishing a performance degree at the Franz Schubert Conservatory of Vienna. She is also a regular contributor on BBC Radio 3.

Dr Barley Norton studied Music at City University and completed MMus and PhD degrees in ethnomusicology at the School of Oriental and African Studies.  Prior to joining Goldsmiths, he was Principal Lecturer in Music at Roehampton University, where he was director of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Music Research.

Gifted Year 13 pupil Gabriel Gendler is hoping to build on the extraordinary success he enjoyed representing the UK in the International Mathematical Olympiad by securing a place at Cambridge.

The UK’s six-strong team came ninth out of 97 countries in the Olympiad (IMO), the best result since 1996. Gabriel (pictured right in the photograph) and his teammates beat all other EU nations and came second in Europe behind Russia. The competition took place during the summer in Colombia.

His strong showing earned him the rare accolade of an IMO silver medal: only a quarter of the 527 contestants received gold or silver medals, with silver going to those who scored more than 24 points out of a possible 42.

QE’s Headmaster, Neil Enright, said: “Gabriel is the first boy from QE to be selected to represent the UK at the Olympiad, having been a reserve for last year’s team. He is to be congratulated on his selection and on his subsequent performance, which both represent achievement at the highest level and bring great credit on the school.”

Assistant Head of Mathematics Wendy Fung added that Gabriel is applying to read Mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge, the traditional destination of many of the country’s top young mathematicians: “He is looking forward to joining the rest of the IMO team at Cambridge next year.”

Contestants in the IMO must answer six problems, each worth seven points. It was first held in Romania in 1959 and has since been held annually, except in 1980. Participants must be under the age of 20 and must not be registered at any higher education institution, so Gabriel hopes to compete in the IMO one last time next summer before taking up his university place.