The Association regrets to announce the passing on August 18th of Sidney Freedman MA (Oxon), a pupil at the School from 1946 to 1953.
The Association regrets to announce the passing on August 18th of Sidney Freedman MA (Oxon), a pupil at the School from 1946 to 1953.
The Association is sad to announce the passing of John Ingham, a pupil at the school from 1944-53.
The Association regrets to announce that the Rev Peter Newell MA, who attended the school from 1936 to 1945, passed away on July 5.
The Association is sad to announce the passing of Paul Olsen MA who was a pupil at the School from 1934 to 1941.
“The Association is sad to announce the passing of Geoffrey Birch BA, who attended the school from 1949 to 1956. He always held the school in great affection, and after leaving he eventually became Head of Languages at Sutton Grammar”.
The Association is sad to announce that Ron Peirce FRICS MRSH, who attended the School between 1941 and 1946, passed away on June 11th.
The Association regretfully announces the passing of Bill Storey FRICS (OE 1936-1942).
A new forum for discussing vital issues such as race, with respect to the School community and wider society, is being established in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in the United States and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Created in close partnership with Vice-Captains Thomas Mgbor and Ayodimeji Ojelade, the platform seeks to enable thoughtful and open conversations about critical societal issues, not least race and discrimination. This would not only be within the context of anti-black racism, but, in time, other forms of racism such as anti-Asian, Islamophobic or Antisemitic racism, as well as covering a diverse range of global issues on which it is important to think critically.
Introducing the forum to their peers, Thomas and Ayodimeji wrote:
“As students at Queen Elizabeth’s we believe the school, like all organisations, has an important responsibility to highlight and to speak out against inequality in all of its forms. This responsibility is particularly important in promoting the rights of those students in already disadvantaged and marginalised groups.
“To act in the best interests of the student body, steps must be taken in developing the education that is provided by the School regarding issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement and organisations which educate and act against all sorts of prejudice. Our School is in a significantly life-shaping position for ourselves and our peers, who must educate themselves holistically, in order to better understand different movements and gain a better understanding of the world and the global matters affecting it. This learning starts in an open and supportive school community in which we would ask all fellow students to be open-minded, tolerant and willing to tackle prejudice, racial or otherwise, when it occurs.
“We want to work with the School to provide resources to encourage this change. We are not aiming to educate our peers just to be ‘non-racist’, but to stimulate you to act on your own initiative and gain a more well-rounded view in order to become ‘anti-racist’. As students, we need to be informed about the global challenges that we face and do what we can, not only to raise awareness but so that we can tackle them ourselves.
“We are saying this in the belief that whatever problems society may face, there is always a way forward.
“We hope that the following resources may start to do so and would encourage fellow students to contribute to help us in making the necessary change.”
With the vast majority of pupils still working at home, due to the coronavirus restrictions, the forum begins as a new section within eQE (our virtual school). As more pupils return to School, over the coming weeks and months, further opportunities for discussion will become available.
Supporting the development, Headmaster, Neil Enright, said: “I hope that the new forum will provide a valuable and safe space in which all students can access resources and engage in open conversations about race and other matters important to them: to share their experiences, aid mutual understanding, and help us build a more equal and progressive community.
“This builds upon the work of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Ambassadors, as well as the lecture programme and Personal Development Time curriculum. But we know as a School, as in wider society, there is much more to be done.”
“We are placing much greater and more explicit emphasis on developing and encouraging free-thinking scholarship in our pupils. That is supporting them to challenge conventional or ingrained ideas; to take conversations forward with fresh perspectives. As educators this is one of the most important things we can do: to get young people to question the world around them and then to be able to communicate their viewpoints as part of reasoned and informed debate.
“To support this, we must continually reflect on our own cultural awareness to ensure that our curricula, resources and priorities properly meet the needs of all our pupils.
“A priority within our forthcoming development plan is to conduct a thorough curriculum review, to ensure that the voices of minority or marginalised groups are fully reflected, and another is to understand what more we can be doing to attract under-represented groups to our community at all levels. Whilst we have pupils and staff to help shape this work, there is also a great potential resource among our alumni and we hope that Old Elizabethans will be keen to support us in these endeavours.
“I am proud that many pupils and OEs have been in contact to contribute to our reflections, and of the empathy shown for their peers. The energy and passion of young people can be a significant driver of positive change.
“It is deeply upsetting that in 2020 we should still need to state that black lives matter, but sadly this is where we find ourselves in the world today. Black lives do matter.
“We are a meritocratic and generally very harmonious School community, but should rightly guard against complacency. Maintaining dialogue with pupils is an important part of this, so I would encourage boys to engage positively within this new forum and with staff as we work together collaboratively.”
Aly Sayani has won a sought-after scholarship to the University of Toronto, one of only 37 applicants from around the world to taste this success.
The coveted Lester B Pearson International Scholarship will cover Aly’s tuition, accommodation, materials and living expenses for the four years in which he reads Social Sciences at the Mississauga campus.
The letter he received offering him the scholarship also specified that in addition to the wide range of academic and co-curricular opportunities the university has to offer, “Pearson Scholars become part of a unique cohort, with access to specially enriched programming and select opportunities.”
Headmaster Neil Enright said: “We are naturally delighted for Aly on his successful application for this prestigious scholarship. I am always pleased to see our boys exploring overseas opportunities at top universities, and we believe he is the first Elizabethan to take up an undergraduate place in Canada.
“This has been a remarkable year in more ways than one: quite apart from the challenges posed by Covid-19, we have 40 boys with Oxbridge offers – a School record – and many others who will take up places on prestigious courses at Russell Group universities.”
The Lester B Pearson scholarship programme is intended to recognise students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement and creativity and who are acknowledged as leaders within their schools.
Aly, of Year 13, says: “I am immensely grateful and honoured to be a recipient of this scholarship. I was born in Karachi and raised in cosmopolitan London; I look forward to continuing to experience a wide range of beautiful and vibrant cultures, traditions and communities in the multicultural city of Toronto. I hope to learn how I can tackle problems such as poverty, inequality and climate change through my time at U of T.”
On its website, the University of Toronto says: “A special emphasis is placed on the impact the student has had on the life of their school and community, and their future potential to contribute positively to the global community.”
Only overseas students can apply for the scholarship, which is named after a former Prime Minister of Canada who in 1957 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for helping to resolve the Suez Crisis.
Students’ applications must be supported with a strong recommendation from their school and the university will only allow one applicant from any school.
In writing a letter to support Aly’s application, QE Assistant Headteacher and Head of Year 13, Michael Feven highlighted the many ways in which Aly met and even surpassed the criteria. He passed nine out of his ten GCSEs with the highest possible grade and also received the top grade for Mathematics, History, Economics and French at AS Level.
Mr Feven continued: “I cannot recommend Aly highly enough. He is a hard-working, ambitious and scholarly pupil, one who I have complete confidence would be appropriate for a programme such as yours. Academically, he ranks among the brightest that the UK has to offer.”
He went on to describe Aly’s activities within School and in his home community, where he supports the Ismaili community, acting as a youth club team member and chairman. “Additional evidence of his excellent community contribution can be demonstrated in his role as a volunteer at Hillingdon Refugee Support Group. Here, Aly has helped to lead and organise life skills sessions for refugees fleeing conflict to help them settle into new lives in the UK.”
Aly was one of the School’s prefects in 2019 and played his part in monitoring younger boys at breaks and events. “His willingness to give up much of his free time over the year to support the smooth running of the School’s celebrations, open evenings and charity events is symptomatic of his engaged community spirit,” concluded Mr Feven.
The Association regretfully announces the passing of Garry Lord PhD BSc CChem MRSC (OE 1940-47).