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The Old Elizabethans’ Association Dinner saw a return to the School by former Headmaster Dr John Marincowitz, who spoke of the remarkable changes he oversaw during his 26 years at QE.

Firstly, there was the transformation of QE from an undersubscribed comprehensive to an outstanding one. The next phase he recounted was the reintroduction of academic selection and QE’s development into a leading grammar school. Finally came the progression to become one of the leading academic schools nationally, across both the state and independent sectors.

The dinner was well supported, with strong attendance from the ten-year leavers (the class of 2003-04), for whom this annual gathering now serves as a reunion. John stressed the importance of strong ties between the School and its Old Boys.

He also spoke of how much he is enjoying life, recommending retirement to his audience! He explained that retirement provides opportunities to spend time with those who mean most to you (his retirement almost perfectly coincided with the birth of his granddaughter, Amelia) and to spend time on those pursuits which most interest you. He gave the example of his latest sailing adventure, in which he took his boat to Corfu after four weeks' sailing from Totnes, taking in Brittany, La Coruna, Porto, Gibraltar, Majorca, Sardinia, Sicily and the Straits of Messina along the way.

In his speech, the current Headmaster, Neil Enright, updated the dinner guests on progress at the School, including the opening of new buildings.

He looked at School life in 1573, when the School day ran from 6am to 5pm, only Latin was allowed to be spoken and boys frequently made a mess when cutting their quill pens. Today, he said, QE remains one of the few state schools where Latin is still taught. Spilt ink is no longer such a problem: “In 2013, the major source of stress seems to be iPad batteries running flat – much less messy, but equally as frustrating.”

“OEs are becoming more frequent and I enjoy giving tours of the site and catching up over coffee on these occasions,” the Headmaster said.

“This term many of our younger OEs have been assisting with careers advice and mock university entrance interviews. I would encourage anyone interested in participating in this in the future to get in touch with my office.

“It is always nice to see OEs at the dinner debate which is organised by the Association in the Spring Term and I also enjoy my hearty lunches with the Forty Society.”

“Founder’s Day, is of course, when we hope to see all OEs back at the School, whether it is for the church service, roll call, fete or the past v present boys’ cricket fixture,” he said.

An eclectic musical mix of seasonal classics and more modern compositions at the Christmas Concert and the traditional Service of Nine Lessons & Carols helped round off the Autumn Term in style. The festive spirit was also much in evidence as boys savoured their Christmas lunch in the School’s newly opened Dining Hall.

The Christmas Concert, run in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Barnet, was held in QE’s Shearly Hall. The programme included carols such as We Three Kings of Orient Are and Ding Dong Merrily on High as well as classical favourites such as All we like sheep from Handel’s Messiah and a performance by the School’s Senior Indian Ensemble of Vinayakane Viney Theebavane (Talam–Adi), which was rehearsed by Sixth-Formers Mithushan Sathiaseelan and Selvamurugunantham Kabilan.

The President of The Rotary Club of Barnet, Daniel Orchard, welcomed the audience to the concert and spoke of the club’s “proud association” with the School, adding: “We are looking forward to another evening of seasonal and traditional music, performed by the many talented musicians that make up the School’s music department.”

QE’s Director of Music, Kieron Howe, paid tribute not only to the boys who performed but also those who had a more supporting role: “I would like to thank all the directors of the ensembles for their hard work and dedication in getting the boys to this level of performance. In that I also include Kabilan and Mithushan for their work with the Senior Indian Music Ensemble; and all of the boys themselves, for their continued commitment and diligence.”

The evening was rounded off with a selection of traditional carols, with the audience joining in.

The final musical event of the term was the annual carol service held at the Parish Church in Chipping Barnet, attended by the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Melvin Cohen. Christmas Bible readings were given by representatives from each School year, School Captain Nikhil Patel, members of Staff and by the Headmaster, Neil Enright. The readings were interspersed amongst a selection of traditional and modern musical offerings, including Once in Royal David’s City and My Lord has Come by Will Todd.

The Christmas lunch menu offered traditional turkey with trimmings and a vegetarian option. “Boys and staff thoroughly enjoyed the experience of dining in the wonderful new facility,” said the Headmaster. “These events together comprised a fitting celebration of a term which saw the School record notable successes on a number of fronts.”

After recording comprehensive victories in the first stage of the prestigious Hans Woyda Mathematics competition, the QE team have qualified top of their group and now progress to the knock-out round.

The competition attracts entries from 64 schools in the South East Region. The QE team of Gabriel Gendler (Year 13), Bhavik Mehta (Year 12), Rishi Umeria (Year 11) and Aneesh Chopada (Year 9) qualified for the knockout stages as group winners after victories against Highgate School, Claremont School and St Michael’s School.

“The competition is regarded as an intellectually highly demanding competition; in order to be successful boys have to be adept at applying a wide range of mathematical skills under time pressure, as well as adapting to a variety of different round formats,” said Mathematics teacher Geoff Roberts.

Each round covers a different aspect, ranging from mental mathematics to the efficient use of a calculator. The competition includes a mixture of individual and team questions. “To win three matches in a row with excellent points totals against strong schools is highly pleasing, added Mr Roberts.

A QE team has qualified for the regional final of the Cambridge Schools’ Debating Competition. Gabriel Gendler and Ethan Axelrod from Year 13 were among six teams from the 24 entering the local heat to reach the next stage. The national final of the competition, which attracts entries from more than 500 schools each year, will take place in the historic Cambridge Union building in February.

In other debating news, Omar Haider and Zaheer Badat of Year 11 came third from 30 teams at the Haberdashers’ Young Parliamentarians’ Debating Competition, narrowly losing out to teams from Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School and Dame Alice Owen’s School.

“We entered two teams into the Haberdashers’ competition,” said teacher in charge of debating, Nisha Mayer. “Both performed well, but it was the B team of Omar and Zaheer who achieved a very creditable third place. Such debating competitions present an excellent opportunity for our boys to hone their persuasive linguistic skills, which can only stand them in good stead in later life.”

Five Year 13 boys have won a prize following a special business skills workshop held at the School. Yonny Lee, Niral Malde, Viknesh Hariharan, Shiv Ramchandani and Vighnesh Shah formed the winning team at the event run by the Cass Business School and social enterprise MyKindaCrowd.

Twenty-five QE boys took part in the workshop, working in teams of five. They were given an imaginary £100,000 and the use of a theatre of their choice, with a challenge to maximise revenue streams. “The boys were encouraged to be as creative as possible with how they would use the theatre,” said Economics teacher Michael Feven. “From the choice of theatre and the cost implications, through to marketing and branding and coping with unexpected cost changes, the boys had to juggle all the economic strands to produce and deliver a presentation to their peers and a representative from MyKinda Crowd.”

The boys also had to produce a written portfolio and report on their plans. This was then assessed by Cass Business School alongside entries from a number of other UK schools. The winning QE team were invited to the Cass Business School, part of City University London, where they received their prizes of an iPad each. They have also won an individual mentor meeting with Cass representatives.

MyKindaCrowd aims to engage and inspire young people and to connect them with the world of work through an online platform that allows businesses to set innovative challenges.

Barrie Martin, Chairman of both the QE Governing Body and of the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s, has been awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List. The award citation for “services to education” recognises his long years of devotion to the School – an association which began when his elder son, Piers, came to QE in 1987.

He has presided as Chairman over the Governing Body during a period in which the School has become one of the top-performing schools in the country: it has now gained five successive ‘outstanding’ ratings from Ofsted and, for example, took first place in the 2013 Sunday Times Parent Power academic results league table of the top 500 State Secondary Schools. He has met several Education Secretaries as the School has won various awards over the years.

'Education is vital' – school governor receives MBE
– The Barnet Times, Thursday 2 January 2014

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “I am delighted that Barrie has been awarded an MBE and congratulate him on behalf of the whole School community for an honour richly deserved. He is an asset to QE in so many ways, combining a tireless work ethic with tremendous focus and an utterly reliable good nature. Moreover, he has a remarkable ability to generate support from others and, notwithstanding a demanding career and his many voluntary commitments, makes himself constantly available.”

Mr Martin said he was “extremely flattered” by the award, which had come as a complete surprise.

Until last spring, he worked full-time in his own chartered surveyor’s practice, Martin Russell Jones, in Edgware. Having sold the firm, which looks after accommodation including almshouses and social housing for the visually handicapped, he now works there as a consultant.

Mr Martin has risen from humble beginnings. His father was a part-time jobbing builder who also worked as a policeman during World War II, a bus driver and a chauffeur, while his mother was a countrywoman from Dorset who remembered meeting Thomas Hardy in her youth.

“Between the ages of 10 and 14, I spent a lot of time in hospital, which obviously had a very detrimental effect on my education,” he recalls. Leaving school at 16, he went to work in an estate agent’s and chartered surveyor’s office and began studying at night school. His perseverance earned its reward when he qualified as a chartered surveyor at the age of 24.

As his sons, Piers and Giles, grew up, he supported their schools, firstly becoming a governor at St Paul’s C of E Primary in Mill Hill, where he continues to serve both as a governor and PTA committee member, and then at QE. He has thus served alongside three QE Headmasters – Eamonn Harris, John Marincowitz and Mr Enright.

When Mr Harris was appointed in 1984, the School was “under-subscribed, seriously flawed and failing,” Mr Martin says. “I believe that the School has been saved and then transformed by three successful Headmasters. You cannot do anything unless you have strong leadership from the Head, but with strong leadership, you can attract and retain good teachers and support staff. We are also blessed by having very supportive parents, some of whom have become very good friends.”

In 1999, Mr Martin became Chairman of Governors and also Chairman of the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s (FQE) – the same year in which Dr Marincowitz succeeded Mr Harris as Headmaster.

Although a start had been made on replacing the School’s long-neglected buildings under Mr Harris, it was during Dr Marincowitz’s tenure that FQE successfully raised millions of pounds to enable a succession of new facilities to be opened through parental giving, all without recourse to the taxpayer.

These facilities included the Shearly Hall and the new complex comprising the recently opened Food Technology Suite, Dining Hall and Café 1573, as well as the new Queen’s Library due to open during 2014. “The Headmaster’s baton has been taken up with vigour by Neil Enright since his appointment in 2011,” said Mr Martin.

One of his proudest moments came in 2006 when the Olympic-standard Martin Swimming Pool opened. Named in tribute to him, it has subsequently revived swimming and water polo at the School. Both his sons were among a group of boys in the early 1990s who gained national honours in the latter sport while at QE. Piers has gone on to a career as a sports administrator and consultant; he was Chief Executive of British Fencing from shortly before the Beijing Olympics in 2008 until after London 2012. Younger brother Giles, who came to QE in 1992, is an academic – a physicist and mathematician – and is currently Academic Staff Developer at Bath University.

“Barrie’s guidance and leadership have been fundamental in securing our site’s development over the years – not least in terms of his professional expertise as a chartered surveyor – and his support continues to be important as we implement our long-term Estates Strategy,” said Mr Enright. “He has galvanised the activities of FQE to the point where almost all parents are actively involved in the support of the School.”

“We are also deeply appreciative of the way that his wife, Perin, strongly supports the School, as indeed do Barrie’s brother and sister.”

In addition to his work at QE and St Paul’s C of E Primary School, Mr Martin has been involved with Hendon Baptist Church in north London for 30 years, where he leads Junior Church. Every Sunday morning, the group of children aged three to 11 listen to Morning Worship and then meet to study and learn from the Bible.

His other voluntary service has also centred on his home locality of Edgware and Mill Hill. He has been an active member of Mill Hill Rotary Club, engaging in a variety of charitable activities, such as driving for elderly people.