Watch our anniversary video

As we wrap up our 450th anniversary celebrations, if you haven’t done so already, why not take a couple of minutes to watch our video with its whistlestop tour of the highlights, all to the accompaniment of the special Chamber Choir recording of our anniversary anthem, And Be It Known, commissioned from international composer Howard Goodall.

Help us secure a lasting legacy from our brilliant 450th anniversary year

I am pleased to report that this term has added still more lustre to the anniversary year. We came back in September still basking in the light of superb summer examination results, with 58.2% of A-levels awarded an A* grade, shattering our pre-pandemic record. QE is the second-placed state school in this year’s Sunday Times Parent Power league table. We have held one of the top two spots there for well over a decade, a truly remarkable feat. Figures from The Spectator showed that QE pupils received more offers from Oxford and Cambridge than those at any other state secondary school.

Boys have been enjoying the newly refurbished Chemistry laboratories, completed thanks in no small part to the generosity of OE Tony Sherrard (see below). The launch of our 1:1 programme in September was a huge step in the implementation of our digital strategy. By this time next year, everyone from Year 7 through to Year 10 will be involved, with 1:1 devices (tablet computers) fully integrated into education here. More prosaically perhaps, but no less importantly, we have enjoyed keeping warm in recent weeks, with the boilers working well following the completion of extensive work in the Main Building plant room. FQE financial support was vital for both the laboratory and boiler projects, as it has been in every other major project of recent years. You can read more about the work of the charity in the annual FQE Impact Report.

Amid all the celebrations this term, we sadly lost two figures who were, in their different ways, both significant players in the QE story. First, we heard that FQE stalwart, former parent and retired staff member Diane Mason had died. Just days later came news of the passing of former Headmaster Tim Edwards at the age of 98. A linguist who served at Bletchley Park during the war, he had a long headmastership here, from 1961 to his retirement in 1983. Tim was a man of principle and compassion, as well as being a figure of substance at QE and more widely, serving on the Education Committee of Barnet Council.

Looking ahead, work to create the Robert Dudley Studio for drama and spoken word activities, is now due to start in the spring. Also, expect further news in 2024 on the development of QE Futures – the new name for our extensive programme of career and university guidance and support. In the meantime, please sign up for the Careers Convention below. We are very grateful to the many alumni who lend their time and expertise to support boys applying for university or looking ahead to careers.

Through a partnership with Saracens RFC, Old Elizabethans are being offered a 10% discount on tickets for Saracens’ Showdown game vs Harlequins on Saturday 23 March 2024 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. This will see two of the most exciting teams in the Gallagher Premiership face off a week after the end of the 2024 Six Nations. There is early-bird pricing until early January, which can be combined with this deal – securing the best prices. Tickets are available through Saracens’ website. The discount code is: SD10PC36X5.

As we head into the Christmas break fuelled by the huge positive energy generated throughout the year, we are now asking alumni to help us secure a lasting legacy from our 450th anniversary year. Please do consider making a donation to FQE. Our vision is to offer a state school experience like no other: to provide to students, very many from modest means, opportunities usually only available at the most expensive fee-paying schools. This is not possible with state funding alone. Using the links below you can make donations quickly and easily online – or join our 450 Club (details also below). Many find that regular monthly donations are a sustainable and powerful way to give, although one-off gifts are also possible. We are immensely grateful for each and every gift: your donations contribute directly to our goal, as stewards of this great School, of leaving it better than we inherited it.

It was great to see so many alumni from across the generations at our very successful, new-style OE dinner, and I hope OEs have enjoyed our end-of-term events, including the OE reception & Carol Service. 

I trust you enjoy this QE Connect. My best wishes to all alumni for a happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.

Neil Enright

Headmaster

Celebrating in style: 2023 OE Dinner

The revamped OE Annual Reunion Dinner attracted a record attendance for recent years, with alumni of all ages coming along to enjoy a relaxed evening together in a lovely atmosphere, catching up on old friendships and making some new contacts. Feedback has been fantastic: alumni appreciated the more informal feel and relaxed dress code, while enjoying the opportunities to take tours of the School, listen to live music, and look through the display of selected items from the archives. Some are already talking about getting groups of friends together for next year! There’s a full report on the dinner on the School website. To see all the professionally taken photos from a memorable evening on QE Connect, click below.

Calling for Careers Convention volunteers

QE’s Year 11 Careers Convention is coming up fast – and we need your help! Our pupils spend the morning attending sector-specific talks given by professionals, before an afternoon that features a large careers fair alongside some longer, interactive workshops. Last year, we were delighted that so many OEs were generous with their time and supported us on the day. If you are available on Wednesday 7th February 2024, please take a couple of minutes to add your details to our short form. The Careers Convention runs from 11.30am to 3.35pm. Please also pass this appeal on to any friends or colleagues who might be interested.

Join our 450 Club

There is still time to join our 450 Club – but don’t delay. To join the ranks, just commit to donating £450 or more: 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.

From a slightly shaky QE start to forging a successful path in international business

Sam Colman (OE 1998-2005) is today a Global Key Account Manager for Boortmalt – the world’s second-largest malting business, supplying brewers and distillers of all sizes. He combines globe-trotting on business with time spent with his young family in beautiful rural Suffolk. Yet, he says, without QE, “I would not have the skills or education to have the life I currently live. I received the invitation for the 450 Club and wanted to give something back.”

Quick return: Tony’s rapid reaction to Chemistry labs project

OE benefactor Tony Sherrard (1952-1959) enjoyed the chance to see the fruits of his generosity only a few months after making his substantial donation to the School. His gift was put towards work to completely refurbish two Chemistry laboratories in the Fern Building. The project went ahead this summer after The Wolfson Foundation (an educational charity) provided its maximum £100,000 grant in January in response to FQE committing significant funds towards the £230K overall cost.

Forty Society: Going strong by strengthening friendships

The Forty Society’s autumn lunch saw a record turn-out for recent years. Guest speaker Matthew Rose (OE 2002–2009) said: “It was, I understand, a particularly high turn-out, and, happily, I was there to see it!” The society, which is open to alumni who left the School at least 40 years ago, has gained an influx of new attendees over the past year to 18 months.

Filling in the gaps: harnessing AI to democratise education

Medics and QE contemporaries Kavi Samra and Paul Jung (OE 2008–2015) are working with the School to trial their education app, Medly AI. The app aims to harness AI to help students from backgrounds like theirs who may not have access to all the educational resources available to others. They only started working on the business in August, yet already it has won funding and been accepted into Microsoft’s start-up programme. “We’ve always wanted to try to democratise education,” says Kavi.

New Governor’s guiding hand

A new pupil in QE’s first year as a comprehensive, David Burton (OE 1971–1978) returned to Queen’s Road decades later to work as its Head of Finance. Now retired, he is back with the School once again: this time, to serve as a Governor. “I have always set great store by education and learning, which meant that I was happy to accept the Governor position as a way of supporting the running of QE, in particular guiding on the finance aspects,” says David. “I look on it as giving something back to the community and the institution of QE.”

AI giants’ warnings to the world

Hugely influential OEs Mustafa Suleyman and Demis Hassabis have both spoken of their grave concerns about the risk to humanity posed by AI. The pair were among the three co-founders of leading AI company DeepMind, formed in 2010. Mustafa (OE 1995–2002) now leads Inflection AI, a California-based ‘public benefit corporation’ that he founded last year. He has written a new book warning of the risks. Demis (OE 1988–1990), remains chief executive at DeepMind, which was acquired by Google in 2014.

Learning the art of argument at QE

George the Poet (George Mpanga, OE 2002–2009) did not hold back in his praise of QE and his parents in an interview for BBC Radio 4’s This Cultural Life programme. “It helped me that [my parents] did not compromise on what they expected of me educationally,” he said. George’s grandmother, Joyce Mpanga, had been Minister of Women’s Affairs in Uganda, yet when his parents moved to the UK in the late 1980s, his mother’s qualifications were not taken seriously. It was she who pushed him to apply to QE. On arrival, he initially rebelled, expecting to be expelled. Yet, as the lyrics to one of his poems put it: “…they never turned their back on a kid.” Later, QE helped lay the foundations for his success as a poet. "One of the things that I think the teachers taught me well was the art of essay-writing and the art of argument…My work was always intended to be analytical and to present experiences and scenarios in a way that would allow me to advocate…In terms of respect for the English language, and an understanding and awareness of different literary devices and linguistic technique, I also think studying English at QE helped me.”

Love of rugby spanning the generations

Mike Hagger (OE 1955–1961) saw his first rugby game at Twickenham more than 60 years ago when he went there as part of a group of QE boys to see the Varsity Match. Now a tour guide at the iconic stadium, he enjoyed the opportunity to show current pupils around. About 40 Year 8 players were on a special day that included an expert training session with the Lions Rugby Academy, followed by the tour of the stadium. Director of Sport Jon Hart said the group “really enjoyed listening to Mike’s stories of Queen Elizabeth’s rugby in years gone by”. Year 8 A team captain Kevin Gajera added his appreciation: “Having the chance to visit the home of rugby and to sit in the royal box and the home changing room was an amazing experience.”

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.