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The year 2022 ended with the sad passing on December 30^th of Peter Allen BDS (Lond), LDS, RCS (Eng) (OE 1946-1954) who achieved sporting distinction at the school, representing the 1^st XV at the age of 16.

Barnet born and bred, Peter then qualified as a Dental Surgeon at University College London, before being called up for national service, after which he acquired a dental practice in Newbury.  Sadly he succumbed to a recurring illness just before last Christmas and passed away shortly after.  A fuller tribute will appear in the Elizabethan.

Peter’s funeral will be held at The West Berkshire Crematorium, Bath Road, Thatcham RG19 4LD on Monday 13^th February at 1.00pm.

The Association has recently learnt of the sad passing of Doctor Peter Olney, on October 27^th.  Peter was a pupil at Queen Elizabeth’s from 1931 to 1938.

With 85.6% of GCSEs at QE awarded level 8 or 9 grades – equivalent to the old A* – the first pupils to sit public examinations since 2019 have put in a “terrific” record-breaking performance.*

In fact, the results at the highest grades are not only stronger than for the last pre-pandemic GCSEs in 2019, but also surpass last year, when the Government brought in a system of Teacher Assessed Grades.

Behind the statistics lie many individual successes, such as the 28 boys recording straight 9s across all their full GCSEs, and Vigaashan Asokan, whose performance in Economics was the best in the country, according to examination board OCR.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “This is a super performance from our Year 11 boys, who faced significant disruption because of the pandemic in the first year of their GCSE courses. The results for the top grades are simply terrific!

“These pupils had to cope with home-learning, close-contact isolation, stringent health & safety measures and frequently changing routines. Yet their results indicate that while the methods used by them and their teachers were somewhat different from normal years, they have delivered on their potential. They worked diligently and with dedication, were always mature about the challenges, and were enthusiastic about embracing all the opportunities available to them, both within and beyond the classroom.

“Congratulations must also go to our staff, especially in view of the great flexibility they showed during those difficult months. Using our eQE platform and other technologies, they maintained the breadth and rigour of the normal QE experience as much as possible, ensuring that no one fell behind, that we maintained pace with course content, and even that we delivered opportunities outside of lessons for enrichment and collaboration.”

Among the key highlights of today’s GCSE results at QE are:

• Almost two-thirds of examinations taken (64.1%) are awarded the highest possible grade, level 9 *
• 85.6% of GCSEs are awarded grades 9 and 8 *
• More than 19 out of every 20 GCSEs are given grades 9–7, representing a 0.4% drop on 2021’s Teacher Assessed Grades, but a sharp increase of 4.6% on figures for 2019, when public examinations were last sat
• A near-perfect grade performance in Latin, with the 18 candidates achieving an average grade of 8.90
• Similarly strong performances for the individual science GCSEs – Chemistry (8.88), Biology (8.82) and Physics (8.82), with no pupil awarded a grade below 7
• In Mathematics, taken by all 191 boys in the year group, the average grade was 8.80: again, no pupil was awarded a grade below 7.

Mr Enright added: “Looking back, necessary though the lockdowns and pandemic restrictions were, we can now see that they gave staff, pupils and parents alike a fresh appreciation of the benefits of on-site learning. Happily, things here have since rebounded as strongly as ever, with these pupils, and the School as a whole, able to look forward with optimism to what comes next.”

* October 18th 2022. Following appeals and re-marks, the proportion of GCSEs awarded level 8-9 has risen to 85.9% and the figure for grade 9 increased to 64.8%.

QE is today celebrating its best-ever results, with seven out of every ten A-levels awarded the highest-possible A* grade.

The results are yet another golden achievement at the end of a year that has seen the School earn an ‘outstanding’ rating from Ofsted, win the Sunday Times’ coveted State Secondary School of the Year title, and secure 35 Oxbridge offers.

Not only are the results better than in the past two years, when no examinations were taken and figures were based on assessments, but they are also up on the last pre-pandemic year of 2019.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “Exams are back, everything is back, and all the better for it! This has truly been an annus mirabilis for QE, and I am delighted that we have been able to crown the year with such a magnificent set of results, notable especially for a substantial increase at the very top.

“These brilliant outcomes are well deserved and are testament to both the talent and dedication of pupils and staff, and to the quality of education maintained throughout the last two-and-a-half years.

“The return of public exams has given the boys the opportunity to clearly demonstrate the fruits of their continued hard work and focus during the challenges of the pandemic, and their strong motivation to push forwards.

“The fact that nationally pupils are being warned of lower grades and unusually strong competition for university places makes our own boys’ results all the more impressive: the vast majority here will secure their first choice of university, although of course, staff will be on hand today to guide and support anyone in need of help or advice.”

Among the many highlights of today’s results at QE are the following:

• A* grades amount to 69.9% of all results – up 10.4% on 2021 (when there were Teacher Assessed Grades or TAGs), and up from 45.3% in 2019; *
• 92.2% of results are at A*–A, again higher than during the pandemic and up 6% on 2019; *
• The A*-B figure is 98.3%, again higher than 2021’s TAGs. This is the 17th consecutive year above 95% for this benchmark figure;
• 71 of the 167-strong cohort (42.5%) have achieved straight A* grades;
• All 50 Economics candidates are awarded either A* (37) or A (13); similarly, there are no grades lower than A for English, French, Geography, Latin, Music and Sociology;
• Mathematics was taken by 139 boys (83% of the year group), with more than four out of five pupils (82.0%) achieving A*.

Mr Enright said: “As the Ofsted report helpfully pointed out, at QE, we are resolutely determined to keep up the momentum with further improvements. It’s not just about academic results – important though these are – but about achieving our mission to develop fully-rounded young men ready to make a positive impact in a fast-changing world.

“Extra-curricular activities here are flourishing: it was wonderful to open our state-of-the-art Music school in May and to celebrate boys’ endeavours in fields as diverse as drama, translation, robotics, debating, engineering and cricket.

“At the same time, many of our boys are involved in volunteering and charity work, while our pastoral programme aims to ensure that the School remains a happy, inclusive environment for boys from all backgrounds.”

* October 18th 2022. Following appeals and re-marks, the proportion of A* grades has increased to 70.7%, while the figure for A*-A has risen to 92.8%.

The Association regrets to announce the passing of Colin Gibbens on April 29^th.  Colin was a pupil at Queen Elizabeth’s from 1947 to 1953.

The Association is sad to announce the passing, on April 28^th of Robert Thorogood.  A pupil of the School from 1949 to 1954 and a strong supporter of the Old Elizabethans, Robert later achieved the distinction of Fellowship of both the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Institute of Management.

The Association has just recently been advised of the sad passing of Andrew Tarry OE. Andrew was a pupil at the school from 1955 to 1962.

The Association is sad to announce the passing on February 14^th, of John Keeley, a pupil at the school from 1956 to 1964, following a long illness.  John was part of the 1962 QE trip to Russia – reportedly the first-ever visit by a British school party to the Soviet Union.  John’s funeral will be held at St. John the Baptist church, Aldenham on March 11^th at 2.00 pm.

The Association has just learnt of the sad passing on January 14^th, of Paul Vivian Davis after a long struggle with multiple sclerosis.  Born in Yorkshire, Paul attended the school from 1945 to 1951 and enjoyed a distinguished career as a chartered accountant and financial director, which was sadly cut short by his illness.

Five QE musicians of different ages have had their talents recognised at a national level, being chosen to participate in a number of National Youth orchestras and bands.

Among the Sixth Form, Raphael Herberg (Year 13) and Jao-Yong Tsai (Year 12) have been playing with the National Youth Orchestra (NYO); whilst Conor Parker-Delves (Year 13) has maintained his involvement in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO), being elevated to first tenor saxophone in the NYJO Big Band.

Year 10 trumpeter Joel Swedensky is part of the National Youth Concert Band, and Ryuki Watanabe (Year 9) has passed his audition into the National Children’s Orchestra.

Director of Music Ruth Partington said: “I congratulate the boys on their notable achievements. Being selected to participate in these nationally-acclaimed orchestras and ensembles places them alongside the finest young musicians in the country. Practising and performing in these environments will only help them further as they progress in their musical development.

“I am also pleased that, following audition, Conor has been offered a place at the highly competitive Royal Northern College of Music to study saxophone when he leaves QE this summer, and Raphael has been offered a place to study Music at Clare College, Cambridge.

“The senior boys are fantastic role models for those younger in the School and already give a great deal of support and guidance to others.”

On his unconditional offer to study at the Royal Northern College of Music, Conor said: “I am really looking forward to study among like-minded individuals who are as passionate about playing music as I am. Being a part of the music programme here at QE since Year 7 has helped me immensely in getting used to a competitive environment where music is cherished and performed to a high standard. I look forward to pushing myself as far as I can, hopefully reaching a professional standard and sharing my experiences with younger students, taking inspiration from the brilliant teaching staff here at QE. ”

Raphael joined with the national Youth Orchestra this winter, as they expanded the strings section. “We played some fantastic music, including Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances and Ravel’s La Valse, and had the opportunity to perform at the Barbican. I am also incredibly excited to be offered a conditional offer for Music at Clare College, Cambridge. I am looking forward to studying music in such an inspiring environment, as well as exploring the huge range of extra-curricular opportunities available.” Alongside the cello, Raphael is a highly accomplished pianist, and also sings in the choir, chamber choir, and barbershop group at QE.

Raphael joined Jao-Yong Tsai, who navigated two rounds of auditions. “I was delighted when I found out that I had been given a place” said Jao-Yong. “Thus far, I have participated in one residency, culminating in a performance in the Barbican in January. What I have tremendously enjoyed is the extremely high standard of the ensembles, and the exhilarating feeling of playing as part of such a large orchestra. I wish to continue my music-making, through the Sixth Form and beyond, whether it be with the department at QE, the NYO or at university when the time comes.”

Joel, who says he was first alerted to the opportunities to audition for national ensembles when he was in Year 7, has been part of the National Youth Concert Band over the past couple of years, following an audition process that involved having to record himself playing a mix of both set pieces and his own choices. His first involvement came during the pandemic: “Two years ago there was only a virtual event over half term, last year luckily we could go in person for a week in the summer holidays. Going forward, I would like to look at other bands such as the NYO (I’m doing NYO Inspire soon) or the National Youth Brass Band.”

Ryuki, who plays the violin, noted that the School had given him experience of playing in different sized ensembles, as well as in prestigious competitions. “My trio got to the final of the Music for Youth Chamber Music competition and I have played in the Pro Corda Chamber Music competition in both a quartet and a quintet. I aim to take Grade 8 and then try to get into more big orchestras.”

Performance music at Queen Elizabeth’s has received a further boost with this term’s opening of the new £3.5m Friends’ Recital Hall & Music Rooms, intended to support widespread participation and excellence.

Headmaster, Neil Enright, added: “With over 20 different ensembles and around 160 boys in the School’s choir, extra-curricular involvement in music continues to be a hallmark of the QE experience. In bringing music into the heart of the campus through these new facilities, we are enabling more opportunities for the boys to learn, rehearse and perform. I have no doubt that this will support other boys to emulate Raphael, Conor, Jao-Yong, Joel and Ryuki’s great achievements.”