Deep and wide: thriving from our ancient roots

As our 450th anniversary year continues, there has, rightly, been considerable emphasis on celebrating our own remarkable history as Queen Elizabeth’s School. Yet alongside this, we have continued reaching out and actively getting beyond our campus, both to learn from the world around us and to serve alongside those who are not part of our immediate Elizabethan family. In this regard, the anniversary anthem we commissioned from composer Howard Goodall for our Westminster Abbey service says it well: QE today thrives from ancient roots spread deep and wide.

In terms of logistics, this term’s largest anniversary events were undoubtedly the shooting of the School photograph and Founder’s Day. Happily, the rain stayed away for the postponed photoshoot, and all 1,295 boys assembled with staff on the temporary staging so that we could secure this important record of the School in its 450th year. There was a real buzz around the place on Founder’s Day, and it was great to be able to greet so many of you there. The day included a moving ceremony to pay tribute to our Chairman of Governors, Barrie Martin, who retires from the Governing Body this summer. He has been Chairman since 1999 and also Chairman of the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s since that time, steadfastly supported by his wife, Perin. During this period, the School has made enormous strides, and Barrie’s contribution has been immense. I personally will miss his warmth, wisdom and unfailing kindness. It was fitting that his son, Giles (OE 1992–1999), was guest speaker at the Founder’s Day thanksgiving service.

Our Flourish enrichment programme goes from strength to strength. For its latest innovation, QE Flourish Days, the calendar entry read simply: “All students out on trips”. In fact, the whole term has been characterised by a large number of local, national and international visits.

As we reach out, we seek to do so in partnership with others. Through our Sports Leaders programme, our Sixth Form sportsmen help Barnet primary schools with events such as cricket tournaments and sports days. Our long-established academic partnerships with The Henrietta Barnett School and North London College School provide opportunities for collaboration to mutual benefit. It was great to see HBS girls at the Galactic Challenge event that we hosted with the expert assistance of Old Elizabethan Aadil Kara (2010–2017). Our QE Together partnership with Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School included a joint life-drawing activity, while we welcomed the girls here for our inaugural Design Festival – another great example of the Flourish subject festivals we have been running this year. QEGS were also involved in a joint project that highlights the importance of our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion: the production of an advertisement for the LGBT+ young people’s charity, Just Like Us. Our School Play, The Jungle, reminded us that refugees and migrants are real people with real stories to tell.

OE visitors included Sahil Handa (OE 2009–2016) and Sunil Tailor (OE 1999–2006), welcomed as guest speakers at, respectively, our formal-but-fun Valediction celebration for Year 13 and at Junior Awards. Sahil, the first-ever Elizabethan to go to Harvard, recalled the difference that dedicated QE teachers had made: in his case, an episode of tomfoolery brought an inauspicious start to his relationship with David Ryan, now Deputy Head (Pastoral), yet, he said, “I went on to learn everything from him.”

This summer will see some significant improvements to our facilities. The complete refurbishment of two Chemistry laboratories goes ahead, funded by a £100,000 grant from the Wolfson Foundation, supplemented by a contribution from FQE. We are making a major investment in our heating system, while a huge upgrade to our WiFi network paves the way for our new 1:1 programme, which will see the integration of tablet personal computers into the curriculum, opening up many exciting possibilities for enhancing teaching and learning.

My best wishes to all our Old Elizabethans for the summer, 

Neil Enright

Headmaster

Making history together at Founder's Day

Founder’s Day 2023 combined the familiar with special 450th anniversary elements to make it a resounding success. Old Elizabethans were much in evidence throughout the day and the afternoon fete saw a record attendance, with alumni of all generations coming along. Founder’s Day is the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s biggest fundraiser, and it was hugely successful here, too: FQE smashed their £25,000 target, raising some £42,000.

The day started with a procession from Tudor Hall led by the new School banner. At the parish church, Giles Martin, now the Programme Leader for Higher Education Practice at Bath Spa University’s School of Education, recounted examples of QE teachers who went above and beyond to support him. School Captain Darren Lee’s planting of a time capsule intended for opening at the 500th anniversary in 2073 took place alongside the Roll Call and reading of the School Chronicle. The programme featured a special event for Giles’ father, Barrie Martin, stepping down as Chairman of Governors after a remarkable 24 years in the post. Attractions at the fete ranged from jazz to jiu jitsu, while the ever-popular food tents were extended this year. Several alumni stepped inside to see the original 1573 Charter and greet former Headmaster John Marincowitz, who was signing copies of his new history of the School. “I met many lovely boys, old boys, parents and even a descendant of former Master James Barcock (1689-1719)!” he said.

The alumni claimed a well-deserved victory in the Stanley Busby Memorial Cricket Match, reports Head of Cricket Richard Scally. “Both openers for the OEs, Omar Mohamed (2010–2017) and Shahil Sheth (also 2010–2017), amassed runs quickly, scoring 50 apiece and setting a challenging total of 159. In reply QE lost early wickets and the run rate became too high, and although there was some strong resistance from Year 12’s Rohan Belavadi and Ranvir Sinha, it all proved too little, too late, and the old boys won by 39 runs.”.

Join our 450 Club

We are now more than half-way through our big anniversary year, but there is still time to become a member of the 450 Club. To join the ranks, just commit to donating £450 or more – and you don’t have to do it all in one go! Why not give your payments a 450th anniversary theme? At £45.00 a month it would take ten months, or it could be £20.23 or at £15.73 monthly. The benefits of joining include the chance to name a seat in The Robert Dudley Studio for drama and the spoken word once it’s completed, and we will send you a complimentary copy of Dr John Marincowitz’s brilliant history of the School.

Support across the board

While some alumni support the School by making financial donations, giving their time to help current pupils, attending QE events, or serving on a committee, Karan Dewnani is doing all four! A project manager with engineering and consultancy multinational Arup, his current role includes encouraging engagement in STEM careers. He has long supported QE boys in various competitions. He attended this year’s Founder’s Day, the Careers Convention and carol service. He is already a 450 Club member and will become a QE Governor this summer; he is likely to serve on the Governing Body’s Estates Committee.

Karan (OE 2006–2013), who has worked on some of Europe’s largest infrastructure projects, including HS2 and Crossrail’s Elizabeth Line, gave an early indication of his engineering prowess when he won the Institution of Civil Engineers’ QUEST award while in Year 13. He went on to read Civil and Structural Engineering at Sheffield. "At university, I began to realise the magnitude of the remarkable impact QE has had in shaping my career trajectory. Since then, supporting the School’s numerous initiatives has been a wholly positive experience. Recognising the significance of the 450th anniversary, I chose to donate to the 450 Club as a gesture of gratitude and a way to give back to the School."

Entrepreneur Arian passes on lessons from Silicon Valley

3D printing entrepreneur Arian Aghababaie, co-founder of California-based Holo, shared insights into the latest developments in additive manufacturing and gave advice on engineering careers when he led two inspirational events at QE during a visit to the UK. After working for global software firm Autodesk, based in San Francisco, Arian (OE 1998–2003) raised venture capital and successfully spun out its additive manufacturing team to form Holo, while also transitioning its technology from the 3D printing of polymers to metals. Six-and-a-half years later, Holo is at the forefront of innovation, using its proprietary digital platform to enable the manufacturing at scale of high-performance parts across a range of materials, including metals, ceramics and composites. Holo is supported by top-tier Silicon Valley investors and strategic partners.

Arian’s morning at QE began with a tour of the School, before he led a Sixth Form additive manufacturing workshop, with five of QE’s own 3D printers on hand. Later, he delivered a lunchtime talk, giving his take on careers in engineering and 3D printing.

Our new-style dinner: Join us to celebrate 450th Anniversary

Our 127th OE Dinner on Friday 17th November 2023 will be a little different – more informal, more networking opportunities and with the opportunity to see more of the School during the evening. We’re focusing on the social side, so no speeches – just an opportunity to enjoy a good meal with old friends and to make some new ones in a friendly atmosphere. Details of the programme are still being worked out, but we expect to be offering tours to areas of the campus that will be new to those who haven’t been back for a few years: our new music building, The Queen’s Library and the Dining Hall, for example.

We’ve already heard from some alumni who are planning to bring along friends from their year groups: if you could gather your contemporaries and be one of our dinner ambassadors, please click below. We are also keen to hear you if are interested in coming so that we can send you more information later.

The power of our network in action!

Medical entrepreneur and orthopaedic surgeon Ash Kalraiya has been in touch with a wonderful story of how the alumni network helped him secure investment from fellow OE Saav Shah’s firm – even though at QE their paths had never crossed.

Ash (OE 1997-2004), the 2003 School Captain, is the founder of MediShout, a London-based company that brings together medical suppliers and help desks. Using just the ‘one stop shop’ app, hospitals can tackle an array of tasks, from reporting broken equipment and requesting IT support, to managing stock levels, resolving estates & facilities problems and contacting equipment suppliers.

Ken Cooper, OE 1942–1950: “truly an Elizabethan for life”

Headmaster Neil Enright has paid tribute to Old Elizabethan and former Vice-Chairman of Governors Ken Cooper, who served QE over several decades in senior roles. Ken died earlier this month, a few days after his 92nd birthday.

“What an incredible servant of the School community! He distinguished himself first as a pupil, becoming School Captain in 1949, and subsequently in an illustrious professional career. We all have reason to be grateful that he then gave loyal service to our School throughout his long retirement, when he was variously president of the OE Association, a foundation trustee and a Vice-Chair of Governors at period of rapid development and considerable change at QE.”

Helping pupils meet the challenge of the red planet

Aadil Kara (OE 2010–2017), himself a veteran of an international space design competition, was one of the judges when QE hosted its own Galactic Challenge. His QE contemporaries Dr Sam Bayney and Harikesan Baskaran were also among those helping out on the day.

Competing in the challenge were two home teams and two visiting from The Henrietta Barnett School. They produced proposals for an Earth–Mars cycler settlement – a proposed future orbiting hotel which would ferry 1,000 people to and from Mars following a ‘cycler’ trajectory that regularly intersects the orbits of the two planets.

Sunil’s sporting journey

Former QE First XI cricket captain and First XV rugby player Sunil Tailor, who was guest speaker at this week’s Junior Awards, related how his career as an accountant has now taken him to a senior post in sport: he is Head of Commercial Finance at Saracens. Sunil (OE 1999–2006) read Economics at UCL, graduating in 2009, and was a coach at Middlesex from 2007–2011. He worked for more than ten years for accountancy firm MHA MacIntyre Hudson before joining Saracens in November 2022.

In additional to congratulating the prizewinners and their families, Sunil spoke about topics including values in sport and organisational culture. He chairs the newly formed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion group at Saracens and last year, following the racism scandal in English cricket, he was consulted about his own experiences by Middlesex CCC.

Telling the story of the man who tried to derail Hitler’s train

Alan Solomon accompanied film producer Ilana Metzger to the School for the first-ever screening to under-18s of her documentary about her father, a Holocaust survivor who once attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler. The film, Breathe Deeply My Son, was shown to Year 9, with a question-and-answer session afterwards.

Alan (OE 1951–1957) suggested the screening to the Headmaster after being impressed by the way it told the story of Ilana Metzger’s father, Henry Wermuth, and also looked more widely at the Holocaust and its origins.

Makoto on the move

Fresh from his triumph in bringing his award-winning exhibition about the 2011 Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster to Cambridge University, Makoto Takahashi has secured a new position in academia. Makoto (OE 2003–2010), a Fulbright-Lloyd’s Fellow at Harvard who holds a Cambridge doctorate in Political Geography, is joining the Athena Institute at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam as Assistant Professor of Transdisciplinary Science and Technology Studies.

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.