Queen Elizabeth’s has been cited as ‘one of the highest performing schools in the country” in a feature in The Times.
The article, which appeared in the newspaper’s Saturday colour supplement, featured a large photo of the two sets of twins from this summer’s Year 13 leavers – Jin-Min & Jin-Xi Yuan and Anup & Amit Desai – together with comments from the Headmaster, Neil Enright.
Both sets of twins exemplify QE’s emphasis on boys developing extra-curricular interests alongside a high level of academic achievement.
Jin-Min and Jin-Xi Yuan, who are 18, comfortably exceeded the grades they needed for their places to read Medicine at Cambridge: Jin-Min achieved four straight A*s, while his brother gained three A*s and an A.
During their seven years at QE, they made time to pursue both sporting and musical interests at a high level. Both reached grade VIII in piano and both played clarinet for the school’s Concert Band. And the pair also represented the school at swimming.
They were also among the 27-strong group who took taking the Extended Project Qualification at QE for the first time. Jin-Min chose as his EPQ topic Comparing the education system of Finland and the UK and his brother explored Sibling Rivalry.
Anup Desai achieved three A*s and one A grade and secured his place to read Economics at the London School of Economics. Amit’s one A* and three As also gave him his first-choice course, Economics and Geography at University College London.
Like the Yuan twins, Anup and Amit, who are also 18 , have by no means confined themselves solely to their studies at QE. Both have represented England and the school at chess. Amit told The Times’ chief political correspondent, Anushka Asthana, that they had worked hard at improving their chess ever since they were in primary school.
The feature in the Saturday Magazine centred on the achievements of Asian children and the attitudes of their parents, but Mr Enright emphasised that QE encourages all its pupils to home in on similarities, not differences, and not to focus on ethnicity.