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QE’s young chemists scored a double victory in a prestigious competition, with two teams taking joint first place.

The eight boys – four in each team – beat off the challenge from some 50 other school teams to take the trophy in the Chilterns and Middlesex final in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Top of the Bench contest.

Five of the eight QE teams who entered finished in the top ten places, further setting the seal on the School’s enviable record of Top of the Bench success in recent years.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “I congratulate both the winning teams on this spectacular success. Providing our pupils with ‘stretch and support’ beyond the curriculum through competitions such as this is a great way to explore their Boundless potential and encourage a genuine love of learning.”

Speaking on International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Mr Enright added: “It seems especially apt today to be able to pass on my thanks to our Head of Chemistry, Amy Irvine, for all that she and her colleagues did to make such an outcome possible.”

The two winning teams comprised boys from Years 9–11. They scored 41 points out of a possible 47, a clear two points ahead of the two teams in joint second place.

Dr Irvine said: “The Top of the Bench competition is a fantastic way for students to apply their knowledge to fun and challenging problems.

“It is great to see students from different year groups working together and supporting each other to think through the difficult questions which often go beyond the school curriculum.”

The winners’ prize included an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of Imperial College White City’s chemistry labs – a privilege many undergraduates do not receive until their fourth year at university. The tour was led by Dr Lisa Haigh, Head of Technical Operations, who is also a qualified assessor for the Royal Society of Chemistry.

QE pupils saw how chemists use high-precision mass spectrometers to analyse samples from human lungs. Their tour included an investigation of why cheddar from different areas of the country tastes different, assisted by mass spectrometry of volatile compounds.

Pupils also saw inside an inorganic research lab, where chemists have to work in glove boxes filled with nitrogen to stop their samples exploding.

And they observed a ‘clean lab’, where chemists have to wear full body suits to work on solar panels.

Their tour finished in the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) facility, where they learned about superconducting electromagnets that are cooled using liquid nitrogen and helium.

One of the winning team members, Vihaan Pal, of Year 10, said: “The competition was really fun, as we had to answer difficult chemistry questions together and solve problems such as how you could find out what a mystery black powder is.

“It was really intriguing to tour the campus and look at students doing projects in the chemistry labs. There was also lots of new equipment and compounds that I have not come across before. My favourite part of the trip was seeing the NMR machines, which have a very strong magnetic field!”

In addition to the tour and the trophy, the boys’ prize included £30 Amazon vouchers.

The two winning teams were:

• Team 9: Noble Laturia and Sachin Saddi, of Year 9; Niketh Putta, of Year 10; and Kelvin Chen, of Year 11;
• Team 13: Aydin Mazumdar and Ash Raghav, of Year 9; Vihaan Pal, of Year 10; and Avi Goel, of Year 11.

Sixth-formers saw up-to-the-minute manufacturing technology on a visit to one of Britain’s most famous car factories.

The first QE trip of its kind to the historic Mini Plant Oxford provided a look behind the scenes at how advanced manufacturing processes, automation, and teamwork are combined on a single production line.

The Year 13 pupils also learned about the history of the iconic Mini, from the 1960s classic car through to today’s newer version, first produced in 2001.

QE’s Head of Technology Bilaal Khan said: “It was an outstanding experience for the students, allowing them to see the theories and concepts they have been studying brought to life in a real industrial setting. The trip not only deepened their understanding, but also inspired many of them to think more broadly about future careers in engineering, technology, and design.”

The plant on the Oxford ring road was the car body manufacturing business of the Pressed Steel Company, founded in 1926. It became part of the huge Morris Motors – later British Leyland and then Rover Group – site at Cowley, which incorporated three factories. Today only the Mini plant remains.

The original Mini became an icon of the 1960s, featuring in the 1969 film caper, The Italian Job. Its role was reprised by the modern Mini in a 2003 remake of the film.

BMW bought the Rover Group in 1994. The new Mini was first unveiled as a concept car in 1997. When BMW sold the other parts of the Rover Group in 2000, it retained the rights to the Mini.

After an initial tour during which they learned about the history of the iconic car, the pupils were shown around the factory.

Among the group was Danyal Talha, of Year 13, who said: “We witnessed a clear progression in the design styles of the cars, with evident links to design movements and ideas of the time.

“The factory tour then took us through one of the most advanced flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) in the world. FMS allows for various specifications of a product to be produced on a single line, and we witnessed this, with endless variations of Minis being made: from cabriolets to hard-tops, left and right-hand drives, with customised-to-order body colours and wheel alloys.”

They delved into details of the manufacturing process such as the ‘Prüfcubing process’, used to evaluate the fit, function and development of parts before a model launch. The boys saw a Prüfcubing body – a life-size model of a car body with a tolerance of +/- 0.2mm that was manufactured from solid aluminium, taking 2,000 hours to machine and worth some 1m Euros.

The group also saw automated guided vehicles (AGVs) in use. These are portable robots which, unlike autonomous robots, rely for their navigation on infrastructure in their environment, such as lines or wires on the floor, radio waves, or lasers.

“While we had already learned about AGVs in our theory lessons, getting to see them communicate with one another and work seamlessly to optimise the production line’s efficiency was fascinating,” said Danyal.

“Overall, the trip was a fabulous insight to real-world flexible manufacturing systems, and taught us about the evolving nature of production lines becoming fully automated.”

Year 8 learned creative secrets behind the Harry Potter films on a magical visit to the Warner Bros studios.

During the Art department trip, boys were encouraged to draw parallels between their classwork and the professional practices they saw at the studios in Watford.

Craig Wheatley, Head of Art and Design, who organised the trip said: “The visit was a remarkable experience for Year 8, blending education with inspiration and offering a behind-the-scenes look at the artistry and innovation that goes into film production. It truly fostered a deeper appreciation for the craft and ignited the creative passions of young aspiring artists.

“Our students explored the many creative industries that bring these iconic films to life, enriching understanding of film production and inspiring their own artistic journeys.

“Through our QE Flourish co-curricular programme – and thanks to QE’s advantageous location – we can offer educational experiences like this to bring classroom subjects to life, broaden horizons and develop future-ready skills.”

The day began with a lesson specially tailored for the pupils that was led by the studios’ education art department team. They delved into topics such as set design, architectural model-making, costume creation, and character design.

After that came a tour in which pupils immersed themselves in the world of Harry Potter and saw the stage sets, enjoying the chance to examine some of the special effects deployed there.

“Many pupils recognised similarities in their own projects, such as creating concept art for dystopian landscapes and developing storyboards, underscoring the relevance of their studies in the context of the creative industry,” said Mr Wheatley.

There were rave reviews afterwards from the boys. It was, said Akhil Kotha, “a truly beneficial trip, pulling out the secrets of designing a movie, with all the complex roles and activities clearly explained, aided by the hospitable staff”.

Akhil’s Pearce House classmate, Neil Mann, said: “I learned a lot about the process of making the film sets in Harry Potter, particularly the various stages used to produce the final outcome – from carefully calculated blueprints to scaled paper structures of the set – to ensure it is absolutely perfect.”

The Rugby Dinner featured inspirational speeches, startling statistics and honours for all ages – but most of all, the evening was about celebrating the love of a great game.

Hundreds of boys from across the year groups gathered in the Shearly Hall for a programme that included the eagerly awaited announcement of the QE Rugby Team of the Year.

And guest speaker, Old Elizabethan Max Hassell (2002–2009) gave a stirring address, urging today’s QE players: “Remember, you’re not just representing yourself and your teammates, but a long line of former pupils who have made that shirt what it is today…Whatever you put in, rugby – and this School – will give back to you tenfold.  And whatever you do, please don’t lose to Habs!”

Headmaster Neil Enright afterwards lauded a “brilliant” evening. “Rugby’s core values of teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship are what makes the game special for those who enjoy the environment and culture they create,” he said. “They resonate deeply with the mission of Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet which is to produce young men who are confident, able and responsible.”

During the dinner, attendees also learned about the benefits of schools rugby – that, for example, 69% of players reported being more confident, according to research.

They were told that so far this season, more than 400 pupils had represented QE across some 22 different teams.

There were presentations of prizes for boys in Years 7–11, for the Second XV and for the First XV. Awards went to: the Most improved player; Players’ player (for both the A and B teams in Years 7–11); and Player of the season.

The achievements of boys awarded their Senior Colours were celebrated, while there was also praise for the Sports Leaders – senior pupils whose contribution has included managing Year 7 boys in their rugby fixtures, as well as coaching training on Friday afternoons.

Guest speaker Max recalled growing up within earshot of the School: “I could hear the firsts and second teams playing on a Saturday afternoon from my garden, and as odd as it may sound, dreamt one day it would be me on those pitches.”

His dream was realised a few years later when he won a place at QE. While in Year 7, he idolised sixth-former Aaron Liffchak (OE 1996–2003), the “England U18 star of the School”. Some years later, Aaron coached Max “to a silver medal in one of my proudest-ever life achievements – representing Great Britain Rugby at the Maccabiah Games in Israel, an international sports tournament held every for four years for Jewish athletes from all around the word, second in size only to the Olympics and Commonwealth Games”.

Max had played for the School, the county and the University of Bristol, and he had had “the honour of both representing my country and captaining my current club, Saracens Amateurs”.

His talent was recognised at an early stage, as he was made Year 7 captain. “I remember we had an almost unbeaten season, winning every game except a narrow 3-0 loss to St Albans. I’m proud to remember I have never lost to Habs [QE’s traditional friendly rugby rival, Haberdashers’ Boys’ School]!”

The evening culminated with the naming of the following boys, drawn from across the School, for the QE Rugby Team of the Year, 2025–2026.

• Starting forwards: Thinuka Geeganage Kapugama, U16; Dhamma Singappuli, U15; Ashar Khan, U13; Vivann Reddy, U13; Cyrus Kiani, U13; Alfie Enderby, U14; Daniel Ogidi, U15; Esa Aslam, U16
• Starting backs: Victor Varbanov, First XV (Year 12); Andy Hasanaj, U14; Aarush Mehta, U13; Jake Owens, First XV (Year 13); Yashwant Reddy Sunkara, First XV (Year 12); Jerry Ju, U14; Carl Nkouka-Backa, U13.
• Replacements: Marcus Ingal, U14; Nazif Ashik, U12; Sachin Saddi, U14; Ronith Bala, U16; Oscar Kaltenbronn, First XV (Year 12); Emile Uju, U14; Edward Corcoran, U12; George Dhapre, U15.

The evening ended with a video highlights package from the year, plus some humorous segments, put together by Neelesh Fotedar, of Year 11.

The starting team of the year attended the Gallagher PREM fixture between Saracens and Newcastle Red Bulls the following day.

Click on the thumbnails to view the images.

American libertarian academic Dr Tom Palmer took time out from a mini lecture tour to Kings College London and the LSE and gave a popular lunchtime talk at QE.

Active since the 1970s in promoting classical liberal ideas, he decried what he saw as the recent decline in American democracy, but expressed his beliefs that, with the application of optimism it can be successfully renewed, and that all democracies must constantly look to renewal to avoid decline and collapse.

In answer to questions from the boys, he also spoke of the importance of trying to undo damage done by Brexit and of cutting UK Government expenditure.

Politics teacher John Haswell said: “Dr Palmer delivered a compelling talk about the meaning of freedom and democracy, and the rise of authoritarianism. At the heart of his talk was the centrality of open discussion, the exchange of ideas and the importance of persuasion.”

The invitation to QE came about after Senior Vice-Captain Vu-Lam Le-Nguyen met Dr Palmer at an event organised by the John Locke Institute. QE’s well-attended talk in The Robert Dudley Studio was organised by Vu-Lam and his fellow Year 12 student, Keshav Aggarwal.

Dr Palmer travelled across Eastern Europe during the collapse of the USSR, facilitating seminars and distributing writings and resources. A Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute and Executive Vice President for International Programs at the Atlas Network, where he holds the George M Yeager Chair for Advancing Liberty, he has collaborated with NGOs and thinktanks worldwide on topics such as free trade, civil society, and individual rights. He drew upon these experiences in a talk which, with explanations and arguments grounded in academic theory, had the feel of a university lecture.

He spoke about the nature of democracy and its importance. The majority of the world’s population do not live in democracies, he pointed out. It is not enough to call yourself a democracy, or even to hold elections if the outcome is essentially already known.

Democracies are not the natural state of mankind, he added, highlighting the “error” made by George Bush and Tony Blair when they supposed in 2003 that simply deposing Saddam Hussein would see Iraq “transform itself into Oregon or Belgium or Britain or Japan. That did not happen.”

He outlined some of the characteristics of democracy, including: a loyal opposition; no fear that if you lose an election you will be arrested or killed; limited power; freedom of speech, or equal speech. He stressed that democracy is ‘government by discussion’.

As an individual, you have to listen to the other side and understand their arguments in order to truly know an issue. He also explored the nature of the law, drawing a distinction between ‘rule by law’ and the ‘rule of law’.

A development economist by training, he explained how important it is to understand local culture and context to create appropriate policies. Local knowledge and processes might not make immediate sense to an outsider, but there are often good reasons for those processes, perhaps based on local geography. You cannot just impose western methods and expect them to work, he said.

He has a PhD in politics from Oxford University, where he was an H B Earhart Fellow and President of the Oxford Hayek Society.

Dr Palmer is the author of books including Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice and the editor of volumes such as The Morality of Capitalism, Why Liberty, and Peace, Love & Liberty. His writing spans major newspapers and academic journals, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Foreign Policy, Ethics, and the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy.

In the short Q&A at the end, he was asked what advice he would give the UK Government regarding the economy. He suggested:

• Trying to undo some of the damage caused by Brexit by reducing trade friction with the European continent. He noted that there were reasonable people and arguments on both sides of the Brexit debate, but that things had not worked out as some of the more optimistic Brexiteers had imagined.
• Cutting government expenditure. The UK government is spending too much, leading to higher taxes, which then impact growth, he said. He acknowledged it is difficult and that tough choices are needed, but it is necessary and the job of government to build the narrative.