Alumni supporting leaders of the future

This term has seen many great examples of alumni generously lending their support to the School. You can read more below about our 2021 leavers coming to the University Convention and about OE support for our Economics department. With QE Rugby Sevens making a welcome return, it was great to see so many OEs there, particularly from the class of 2001. We are very happy to work with groups to set up such visits. One priority of our current School plan is to ‘develop skills of both leadership and collaboration’ in the boys. I am so pleased to see alumni supporting us in achieving that, with, for example, Arjun Paliwal and Matthew Chew (both 2006–2013) setting out to current sixth-formers the importance of authenticity in their own careers and touching on their sexuality when they returned as guest speakers at our Year 12 luncheon. My thanks go to Izzet Hassan (2005–2012), Ravi Karia and Jathieesan Umaasuthan (both 2011–2018), our Dinner Debate after-dinner speaker and OE debaters respectively. It was good, too, to see Oli Palmer (2005–2012) there, accompanying Izzet. I must also mention old boys who have been giving advice to Sixth Form linguists and those who conducted mock interviews in the autumn, thus contributing to this year’s magnificent tally of 35 Oxbridge offers. More recently, Karan Dewnani (OE 2006–2013) has been generous with his advice to our Year 8 engineering teams, one of which won a prestigious Institution of Civil Engineers competition.

I am grateful for the financial generosity of those who have joined the 450 Club this term. I pay tribute again to the late Richard Newton (OE 1956–1964) for his vision, support and liberality in establishing QE Collections: the challenge now is to sustain that funding and momentum as we move towards next year’s 450th anniversary.

Next month we will celebrate the official opening of our Music School complex, including the new Friends’ Music Rooms and the Friends’ Recital Hall. This fantastic facility is already fully operational, and boys are enjoying using it. It is only through generous giving by alumni, parents and other friends of the School that it has been possible to build and equip it to such a high standard. In the latest edition of The Elizabethan, there are details of The Robert Dudley Studio, which will give us better facilities for the development of drama, oracy and self-presentation skills. It is great to have the endorsement of Jay Shetty (OE 1999–2006) for this next exciting project for the benefit of the current generation of Elizabethans.

Founder’s Day is on Saturday 18th June and the OE Association Dinner on Friday 18th November: please save the dates so you can join us.

Neil Enright

Headmaster

University Convention 2022 – and a water polo first

After the 2021 University Convention had to be moved online, alumni turned out in force to support the 2022 event. It was a relaxed, informal time, with last year’s leavers passing on ultra-current advice and guidance to Year 12s thinking about their next steps, whether that is university and course choices, or gap years and industry placements. Afterwards, OEs caught up with each and their teachers over lunch.

The day also saw a QE first: 16 old boys of the School took to the water for a friendly water polo fixture, playing with, and against, senior pupils. The day finished with two OE sides playing each other, which finished in a well-fought draw. It was, said Head of Aquatics Richard Scally “a very enjoyable afternoon, with some competitive polo played. There was considerable interest – including from old boys who couldn’t make it on the day – so we would like to expand it in the future. I was pleased that a good number of OEs are still playing, whether for their university sides or clubs. Hopefully, by chatting to them, our current team will be inspired to follow suit.”

One day in March: QE Sevens Tournament returns – and welcome back to the class of 2001

Our U16s battled valiantly in the 46th Queen Elizabeth’s School Sevens Tournament – the first running of the event since 2019. Visiting alumni cheering them on – and enjoying a feast of rugby featuring leading schools from across the south – included a reunion of 2001 leavers, who were taken on a tour of the School by the Headmaster. The U16 Cup went to Trinity School, Croydon, and tournament debutants Woodlands School were convincing winners in the Plate. Although beaten in their three matches, the home side fought hard, with rising star Taro Niimura, of Year 11, often shining. There was no U14 competition this year.

Joining our 450 Club is currently a favourite way to support your School – but time is running out!

The 450 Club was established as we approach the 450th anniversary of the School in 2023. You can join just by committing to donating £450 before September 2022 (in instalments if you wish). Existing members have recently received their invitations to the Festival Concert to celebrate, as special guests of the Headmaster and Chairman of Governors, next month’s formal opening of the Music School. Another 450 Club benefit is a free copy of Dr Marincowitz’s new book (see below). Members can be immortalised on the donor page, but if you’d like your name included, you’d better be quick! The book is due out in time for the 450th anniversary, and, given publishing schedules, we may have to bring forward our September deadline for the donor page to July.

Donating to the Digital Fund

Another way of giving to QE is through our Digital Fund, which supports QE Collections, our state-of-the-art online archives, freely available to all. Contributions to the fund allow us to digitise more of our heritage while ensuring the long-term preservation and accessibility of historical material. This term’s completion of the Ties Through Time project – a huge installation of 232 School photos, dating from 1880 onwards, either side of the Main Hall – would not have been possible without QE Collections.

Our youngest philanthropist

Talented guitarist Atul Kanodia has received his invitation to the new Music School’s formal opening Festival Concert. But unlike his fellow members, he doesn’t really need it…because he will be playing in the concert himself.

Current Year 12 pupil Atul was enrolled as the 450 Club's youngest member by the Headmaster for his remarkably generous gift of £550 he earned last summer tutoring a neighbour for her 11+ examination. Atul asked that the money go to the Music department “to help future generations of QE boys”. It has been duly used for a purpose close to Atul’s heart – the purchase of new and better guitar amplifiers.

The definitive history of QE: order your copy now

Former Headmaster John Marincowitz’s new book will chart the 450-year story of Queen Elizabeth’s School, from its founding by royal charter in 1573, through its struggles and successes as a small market town grammar, to its position as one of the country’s foremost schools today – and all against the wider backdrop of national economic, political and cultural shifts. Dr Marincowitz’s book will be published in time for QE’s 450th anniversary in March 2023, but you can pre-order now from the FQE Shop at the discounted price of £35.

A life transformed by QE

David Farrer QC (OE 1954–1961) rose from a family of modest means to enjoy considerable success as a barrister, becoming a Queen’s Counsel in 1986 and going on to sit as a judge. Looking back on his time as a pupil in the final years of Ernest Jenkins' long headmastership, he remains intensely grateful for the impact that the School, admittedly so different from the QE of today, had in his formative years.

He relished the deep learning and the challenge provided by some of his teachers, the competitive environment, and the freedom of speech fostered there (“nobody and nothing was ‘cancelled’”). “Whatever my perception of its shortcomings, it worked for me,” he says. “Perhaps, above all else, despite its austere exterior, QE was fun.”

David taught Modern Languages at the School from 1965–1967 and was then called to the Bar. His long involvement in the School continues to this day: he serves as a Governor and helps current pupils directly by giving careers advice and conducting mock interviews.

Helping today’s boys benefit from our experience

An alumni trio of Economics graduates gave current QE sixth-formers key insights to guide them along their university and career paths in a series of talks. Zainul Jafferji (2000-2007) visited on three occasions, while Zain Gulamali (2005–2012) and Yemi Falana (2008–2015) gave virtual talks. It was, Zain told the Headmaster afterwards, “lovely to get a chance to ‘give back’… I’m always keen to help where I can. I still remember how I felt when I was in their shoes, and how important QE has been in my life since I left.”

MasterChef was a “dream come true”

Taking part in the BBC’s MasterChef had long been a dream, yet Old Elizabethan Rishi Nanavati assumed the programme would not be interested in his vegetarian and vegan food. But when the young dentist went along to try out for the show last year, he found that far from ruling him out, the MasterChef team were “actually quite intrigued: they loved what I did”.

Finding a way through: overcoming early setbacks to forge a successful career path

Today, Barry Lui is a manager in one of the world’s leading professional services organisations, pressing ahead in a successful career in enterprise technology – a field he loves. But it wasn’t always that way, and in fact Barry (OE 2004–2011) had to overcome serious early disappointments in order to put himself on the right track.

Robert Rinder collects MBE

Robert Rinder (OE 1989–1994) and his mother, Angela Cohen, last week collected their MBEs from the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle. The award was given for services to Holocaust education and awareness in last year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours. On picking up his award, Rob spoke of the “gift and privilege” of finding and helping the grandparents of his former Strictly Come Dancing partner, Oksana Platero, on a visit to Ukraine last month. He had found out that her grandparents were in special difficulty and was able to get a wheelchair and medical supplies to them.

And finally…

We trust you have enjoyed reading this edition of the QE Connect e-magazine produced by QE for all our old boys. What next? Well, if you haven’t already discovered QE Connect, our online social and business network, why not take a look.