Viewing archives for Uncategorized

After no fewer than 255 QE boys from Years 7 and 8 took part in this year’s Junior Maths Challenge, 71 were awarded gold certificates and 16 qualified for the Junior Mathematical Olympiad.

Inspired by the various Challenges run by the UK Mathematics Trust, the School then ran a successful Year 7 Mathematics Fair – a morning of events run as a house competition.

Best-in-school in the national Junior Maths Challenge was Nico Puthu, of Year 8, who scored 124 out of 135, while the Year 7 high scorer was Ben Domb, with 117. The top 40% entrants nationally receive a gold, silver or bronze certificate in the ratio 1:2:3, while around 1,200 of the highest scorers are invited to take part in the Olympiad. Both Year 7 and Year 8 boys took part, with 44 awarded silver and 16 bronze. 

The Year 7 Mathematics Fair comprised a carousel of activities. Some were familiar mathematical problem-solving activities (A Question of Maths, Cross Numbers); others more practical (Origami, Tangrams [a puzzle in which a set of pieces can be assembled in different ways to produce geometric shapes]).  After these activities, all teams took part in the Relay, which combined speed in movement about the room with mental agility in solving a Mathematics problem as quickly as possible. All six houses were also required to create a poster on What is Mathematics?

Each team was supervised by a Year 12 Further Mathematics student. “This Maths Fair was a great opportunity for the Sixth-Formers to interact with Year 7,” said Assistant Head of Mathematics Wendy Fung.

The overall winners were Broughton with 699 points, second was Harrisons’ with 689 and third Stapylton with 684. Broughton were subsequently presented with the Scarisbrick Shield in assembly. The award for best poster went to Harrisons’.

Winning team captain Oscar Smith (pictured right) said victory in the fair had been “brilliant” and was “a nice surprise and a good achievement for our form”.

Other comments from the enthusiastic competitors included: “It was really fun, as you had to work in teams”; “I really liked the relay because we had to be quick and it was intense”, and “I liked the tangrams because I hadn’t done anything like it before.”

This year’s Sports Day saw hundreds of boys compete in glorious weather, making it a real high point in the School’s calendar.

Sports Day continues to grow: the programme for track alone included no fewer than 53 separate events, ranging from the Year 7 100m races to the Year 9 & 10 triathlon.

All boys in Years 7-10 took part in at least one event, competing for their houses in sports including tug-of-war, Eton fives, tennis and table tennis, as well as track & field.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “My congratulations go to all the boys and staff for all their contributions to making Sports Day such a success. I especially congratulate Broughton, to which I was delighted to present the cup after an admirable house performance.”

Sports Day was organised by PE teacher Nicholas Bird. “The day ran very smoothly thanks to the support and goodwill of all of the members of staff and, of course, to the hard work of my colleagues in the PE department,” he said. “It was good to see more colleagues than ever volunteering for the staff team in the QE Mile.

“Whilst there were too many highlights to mention, a particular mention should go to the house rowing competition, during which each house managed to row a staggering 25km in two hours. This really is a remarkable achievement of physical endeavour!”

Thirty professionals who have enjoyed success across diverse fields came to a QE Careers Fair designed to help Year 9 boys plan their future.

The whole of Year 9 was involved in the event, which extended over a full morning and lunchtime and included a number of workshops led by the visiting experts.

Dr Sarah Westcott, Head of Pupil Progression, said: “The aim of the day was to make students consider new and different careers. We especially wanted to underline to the boys that there are various routes into the same career and that over a lifetime they may have many different types of jobs.”

The year group was split into groups of eight boys, who took part in the series of workshops in rotation. Organised by Dr Westcott and Elaine White, Extra-Curricular Enrichment Tutor, the fair was held in the Main Hall and Conference Centre.

The 30 visitors were representatives from professions including the RAF, engineering, advertising & media, research science, forensic science, business, property management and design.

The workshops included case studies, business problems and practical scientific challenges, such as the detection of contamination and analysis of a crime scene.

QE provides extensive careers support for its pupils, including an annual Careers Convention in the autumn for Year 11 boys.

An insight into life in the year 2050 was among the highlights of the Geoexplorers Club trip to The Crystal – a building in London’s docklands housing a permanent exhibition about sustainable development. The boys also enjoyed taking part in a number of interactive challenges during the visit.

Owned and operated by Siemens and based in the Royal Victoria Dock, The Crystal focuses on urban sustainability and aims to offers the opportunity for discovery and learning. The site includes ten zones, which each explore a different aspect of life in cities.
During a tour, the boys watched a video on population growth and demographic change in the futuristic cinema, known as The Pumpkin.

This was followed by a tour of the attraction’s museum, which had designated displays on topics such as Forces of Change, Smart Buildings and Healthy Life. The boys also learned about the eco-friendly design of the building itself, which uses 100% renewable energy, including solar power.

Geography teacher Helena Yovichich, who organised the day, commented that the experience complemented and expanded upon classroom discussions. “The trip was excellent,” said Year 8 Geoexplorer, Druv Kadam. “I really enjoyed it, it made me think even more about a geographical view of the future of our lives and how sustainable the world will be with ever-growing pollution and population. I’d recommend a visit to The Crystal any day!”

The boys took part in a number of activities, which included creating their own electricity and building sustainable houses, as well as managing cities whilst trying not run out of money.

The Crystal also offered real-life experiences of everyday items that could be adapted in the future. “This showed us how our future technological lives will be forever evolving and changing to become more helpful and safe; it was really interesting,” added Druv.

To round the trip off, the group enjoyed seeing a different view of the capital as they travelled on the London Cable Car, which crosses the River Thames between the Royal Docks near Canning Town and the Greenwich Peninsula.

The First XI have enjoyed considerable success this season with victories over a number of schools with strong cricketing pedigrees, while two boys also achieved senior Middlesex selection.

“Sebastian Feszczur-Hatchett and Kushal Patel both appeared for the Middlesex Second XI men’s team – a huge achievement,” said PE Teacher Richard Scally. “Kushal has also captained the Middlesex U17 team.”

The team have had a string of successes during the Summer Term, including wins against Berkhamsted School, The John Lyon School and Highgate School.

They also beat Liverpool College by 130 runs in the semi-final of the annual Reid Trophy, with Jaimin Patel and Nikhil Patel scoring 80 and 60 runs respectively.

Mr Scally added: “We were hoping for the victory in the final that would have seen the trophy return to QE once again, but unfortunately it was not to be: Aldenham, who were the hosts, played exceptionally well on the day and were deserved winners, while we were without one or two of our better players for the final.”

Arjun Paliwal (OE 2006-2013) has just completed his first year studying Fine Art at New College, Oxford, where his focus has been on combining film and painting. One of his films – Human – was chosen as one of only ten being shown at the Ruskin Shorts show.

The annual event showcases the diversity of moving image work undertaken by students, alumni and staff of ‘the Ruskin’, Oxford University’s Fine Art department. The show took place at Modern Art Oxford, one of the UK’s leading venues for the presentation of modern and contemporary visual art.

Arjun’s three-minute film has a minimalist sound track and features headings such as ‘Robot’ and ‘It isn’t funny’ interspersed with fast-moving images.

“My films are short as I want them to capture a viewer’s attention from start to finish,” said Arjun. “I find using film and paint allows me to explore human emotion and thought and hopefully engages the viewer in a unique, emotional experience.”

It is not the first time that Arjun’s work has been exhibited publicly. Whilst he was still at School, his A-level examination artwork, entitled Frames, was shortlisted in the Royal Academy’s A-level Summer Exhibition Online. Two of his paintings were also displayed at a New College Garden Exhibition this summer.

“This year, through my painting, I have sought to question the boundary between painting and sculpture in the contemporary art world,” he said.

In addition to his studies, Arjun is taking on the role of President of the Oxford SSSK (Students Supporting Street Kids) and will help to organise and oversee a number of fundraising events, as well as trying to raise awareness.

In the longer term, Arjun would like to work as a product designer. “I hope that my creative exploration at art school will help me develop innovative and engaging designs in the future.”

• Human can be watched here. Here are links to two other films by Arjun: Criminal and Run.