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QE have won first place at the national finals of the English Schools Chess Championship.

The A team took QE’s first-ever top place at the prestigious competition’s Nottingham finals, beating opponents from several famous schools on their route to victory.

They secured their win with a hard-fought final-round victory over Westminster School.

Teacher in charge of chess Geoff Roberts said: “This is a truly outstanding achievement, made even more impressive by the fact that Queen Elizabeth’s are only the second state school to win the event in the last forty years.

“My congratulations to all the boys who represented the School. The trophy is a fitting reward for their consistent dedication and excellence – the most coveted trophy in schools’ chess, with a rich history dating back to 1958.”

Earlier this year, QE had become the first school ever to have two teams qualify through the regional rounds for the national finals in its current format. Of the 24 teams to reach Nottingham, QE’s A team was seeded sixth and the B team seeded bottom. Both teams comprise pupils of all ages from throughout the School.

The A team powered through the first two rounds, defeating Lancaster Royal Grammar School 4.5-1.5 and then King Edward VI GS Chelmsford 5-1.

In round 3, they faced a team seeded higher than them, last year’s winners, Hampton School, for the first time. Taking wins on boards 1, 3, 4 and 6, QE convincingly won the match 4.5-1.5, placing them in joint-first place with Magdalen College at the end of the first day.

Day 2 began with a crucial match against Magdalen. Taking on an International Master on board 1, QE captain Nishchal Thatte, of Year 12, put up a tough fight but was ultimately outplayed. But QE then struck back, with three wins and two draws, taking the match 4-2.

Round 5, against Westminster, had by now become a final showdown: QE was in first place by a full point, so a win or a draw would secure the tournament, but a loss would result in Westminster taking the crown.

QE began strongly, with two wins and a draw making the score 2.5-0.5: with three games remaining, only a half-point more was needed. However, two losses followed. levelling the score at 2.5-2.5. All eyes turned to Year 8’s Advait Keerthi Kumar on board 2, who had to draw or win his game.

“At QE’s team base room, everyone waited with bated breath, staring intently at the live board transmission,” said Mr Roberts. “With only seconds left on his clock, Advait’s opponent blundered a checkmate in one move, which Advait coolly capitalised upon.” The final score was QE Barnet A 3.5 to Westminster School’s 2.5.

Captain Nishchal said: “This moment was the result of every hour of training we put in over many years. We believed we would win from round 1, and, having played in this competition since joining the School in Year 7, I cannot explain how happy I am that we finally achieved victory. To stand here as national champions is something we will always remember when we reflect on our time at secondary school. I am incredibly proud of my teammates and everyone who supported us along the way. We earned this together.”

The B team also far exceeded their expectations as bottom seed. Although they fell to defeat in round 1, they then took down Lancaster Royal 4.5-1.5 and held the stronger St Paul’s Girls’ School and Haberdashers’ Adams to 3-3 draws. Despite losing to Wilson’s in the final round, they still finished in a respectable 16th place out of 24.

“Players in both teams showed great focus and resilience,” said Mr Roberts, adding that a special mention should go to Rohan Katkar of Year 11, who won all five of his games, said Mr Roberts.  Three more players also went undefeated: Aayush Dewangan and Ashwin Ravithas, of Year 10, both scored 4.5/5, while Year 8’s Hubert Bates scored 3.5/5.

Team A

1. Nishchal Thatte, Year 12
2. Advait Keerthi Kumar, Year 8
3. Aayush Dewangan, Year 10
4. Rohan Katkar, Year 11
5. Hubert Bates, Year 8
6. Shlok Parakh, Year 10

Team B

1. Gautam Sriram, Year 7
2. Djad Ben-Eshak, Year 8
3. Akshaj Khandelwal, Year 10
4. Shehroze Labeeb, Year 8
5. Nuhad Khan, Year 11
6. Ashwin Ravithas, Year 10

In addition to the boys named above, Daiwik Solanki (Year 13), Rithwik Gururaj (Year 12), Bharath Jayakumar (Year 10) and Kian Aggarwal (Year 10) all represented the School in the regional stages.

Speaking during Barnet Climate Action Month, campaigner Nick Mabey gave a sunny assessment of political progress towards a low-carbon future, despite the United States having moved away from its previous leading role.

Invited to QE by sixth-formers Vu-Lam Le-Nguyen and Keshav Aggarwal, the co-founder of climate change thinktank E3G argued that nativism and isolationism have too often hindered effective global climate action.

Yet, taking a long view, overall he found many reasons to be sanguine.

Year 12’s Vu-Lam said: “Mr Mabey delivered a fascinating talk. Perhaps most strikingly, he was optimistic about the progress made in climate diplomacy despite the scale of the challenge.”

Keshav, who is also in Year 12, added: “In looking at the challenges and opportunities involved in international climate policy, he reflected positively on international cooperation going right back to the Villach climate conference in 1985. ‘A huge amount is happening; it’s just an enormous issue,’ he observed.”

Mr Mabey mentioned especially the significant progress made since the 2015 Paris Agreement, pointing out that the largest increase in climate investment has come from China and East Asia, where investment has grown sixfold. Africa is beginning to adopt solar energy on a much larger scale, giving the continent enormous potential.

Mr Mabey was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Jubilee Honours list in 2022 for services to climate change and support to the UK COP26 Presidency. (Conference of the Parties, or COP, is the supreme decision-making body of the UN Framework on Climate Change, or UNFCCC). He is also a founder of London Climate Action Week, which finished on Sunday and mobilised 75,000 people to attend city-wide events ahead of the COP 31 UN Climate Change Conference taking place in Antalya, Türkiye, in November.

He spoke about the work of E3G (Third Generation Environmentalism) as it celebrates its 20th anniversary this month. Its purpose, he said, is “to build the machinery to make [climate action] happen,” adding that this was something that foreign ministries normally failed to do. One of its most significant achievements was helping to secure the first-ever climate security debate at the UN Security Council.

He also explained the ‘Iron Triangle’ that comes into play in COP negotiations: the EU and UK, developing nations, and the countries most vulnerable to climate change often operate as three separate blocs.

Successful climate action depends on making change acceptable to society, he added. “Fundamentally, we need to find a leverage point to make people comfortable.”

He was hosted by Vu-Lam and Keshav as part of their Ideas Unmuffled talk series.

During a question-and-answer session:

• Vu-Lam, who is one of QE’s 2026 Senior Vice-Captains, asked why the Montreal Protocol and Kigali Amendment (which concern reducing the consumption and production of hydrofluorocarbons) had been successful, while broader climate agreements have often struggled. Because, said Mr Mabey, the broader agreements often lack one or more of the conditions necessary for them to be effective: a clear and achievable goal, the necessary technology, and the willingness of major economic powers to act.
• Keshav asked whether the UK’s pursuit of net zero had made the country “colder and poorer,” as claimed by former Brexit Minister Steve Baker, among others. Mr Mabey argued that climate policies have instead helped improve the UK’s historically poor record on home insulation, making homes warmer and more energy-efficient. He further stated that dependence on fossil fuels leaves countries more vulnerable to energy price shocks, such as those caused by the war in Ukraine.
• Head of English Robert Hyland posed a question about careers in the green economy, to which Mr Mabey stressed that opportunities extend beyond STEM subjects. While confirming that careers in areas such as green agriculture and clean technology will continue to grow, he highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary roles that combine science, technology and the social sciences. In particular, he argued that the world needs more “people who do people” – individuals who can work in government, diplomacy and policy to bring about meaningful change.

Mr Mabey concluded his visit with a resounding final message: “Diplomacy is not something diplomats do. Diplomacy is something everybody does. Everybody can contribute to building something together.”

Year 10’s Aaryan Prabhaker entry to a Cambridge-based international essay competition saw him placed in the top 10% out of more 15,000 submissions worldwide.

He has now been invited to the Cambridge Re:think Essay Competition’s awards ceremony at King’s College, Cambridge, where the speaker will be Physics Nobel Laureate Dr Barry Barish.

Aaryan’s Honourable Mention for his essay comes just weeks after it was announced that he had won another global competition, the 2026 World Math Hackathon.

Head of Digital Teaching & Learning, Michael Noonan said: “It’s proving to be quite a year for Aaryan! Our congratulations go to him on this latest success.”

Aaryan’s entry in the 14-17 senior division of the competition explored the question Should AI systems be granted legal personhood, or are they tools that must always remain under human accountability?

There were prompts to help answer all the questions. For Aaryan’s chosen topic, these came from Dr Biswadeep Khan, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the US’s Stanford University. A recommended reading list was provided.

Mr Noonan added: “As AI continues to reshape society, this question sits at the heart of important ethical, legal, and technological debates. Aaryan’s essay is, thus, a very good and pertinent example of the free-thinking scholarship that we seek to encourage among our pupils.”

The competition is run by the Cambridge Centre for International Research, which was founded by a group of Cambridge graduates committed to making academic research more accessible to the public. Entries this year came from more than 50 countries.

The awarding of Aaryan’s Honourable mention followed four rigorous rounds of blind review conducted by scholars from Cambridge, Oxford, Stanford, MIT, and several Ivy League universities.

Aaryan, who has received a digital certificate, balances the time he spends on competition entries with his studies at QE and his love of cricket. He plays the piano and is a member of QE’s strings orchestra. He said: “You have to be organised and you have to have schedule to fit in the things that you are interested in.”

Founder’s Day 2026 brought together the finest traditions from the School’s history with glimpses of its future – all enlivened by the colourful afternoon fun of the FQE Fete that was made possible by the parents, pupils and staff of today.

The day began with a morning thanksgiving service at St John the Baptist, Barnet’s Parish Church. After that, staff, guests and Year 7 pupils from the congregation repaired to Queen’s Road for the lunchtime Roll Call and Reading of the School Chronicle in front of the Main Building, which this year was seen at its very best following the recent removal of scaffolding put up during an ongoing £2.3 refurbishment programme.

Crowds of pupils, parents, alumni and local residents then flocked to Stapylton Field for an afternoon’s enjoyment at The Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s Fete, where the attractions included dozens of stalls, food from around the world, and a full programme of entertainment on the stage.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “What a joyous and spectacular occasion this was! Founder’s Day is a tremendous celebration of our QE community in all its wonderful, rich diversity, and it was lovely to see so many people at the fete having a good time. I offer my heartfelt thanks to all who made the day possible, including staff and prefects, and particularly our wonderful FQE parents, without whose tireless efforts the fete simply would not happen.

“Through our QE Global Schools programme, our broad Elizabethan community is set to become even broader this summer with the opening of QE Dubai Sports City and QE Gurugram in India. I was, therefore, especially pleased to welcome among us those schools’ Founding Principals, Dan Clark and Craig Cook.” During the church service, Mr Clark and Dr Cook received a replica of QE’s 1573 Great Seal to take to their new schools as they move towards opening.

“Founder’s Day is our biggest single fundraiser of the year. Donations are still coming in, but I am pleased to report that we have already greatly exceeded our £25,000 target, with the current total standing at over £35,000 – a magnificent effort!” Mr Enright added. “The money raised will go to helping us improve the learning environment at Queen’s Road – through projects such as the complete refurbishment of our Biology department, starting this summer – thus providing an even better educational experience for current and future generations of bright boys from all backgrounds.”

The service featured hymns and readings, with anthems performed by the School Choir and Junior Barbershop Group, and music before the service from School organists. VIPs attending included the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Zahra Beg. The prayers included the traditional Prayer on Founder’s Day, as well as a Prayer of Remembrance for Old Elizabethans who have died in the past year. The Founder’s Day pledge in its various forms was said by all in the congregation, who also joined in the singing of the anthem, And Be It Known, written by composer Howard Goodall for the School’s 450th anniversary in 2023.

The Guest Speaker was economist Promit Anwar-Westander (OE 2002–2009), who has occupied senior roles at the Treasury, as well as serving with several international development projects. In his address, he spoke about success not being the absence of failure, and about persevering through it: “failing better”. He drew on deeply personal experiences, as well as more light-hearted examples, such as the long wait for the Premier League title endured by Arsenal, the team beloved of so many QE pupils.

After the service, all boys gathered in front of Main Building, joined by staff robed in their academicals. Mr Enright followed the time-honoured Founder’s Day practice by reading aloud the School Chronicle. Brought up-to-date each year, this charts QE’s history, starting in 1568 – which is even before the School’s foundation in 1573 – when one of QE’s early promoters, Edward Underne, became rector of Chipping Barnet. The Roll Call was read by the 2026 School Captain, Tunishq Mitra, with each House Captain replying: “Ad sumus” (“Here we are.”)

The stage on Stapylton Field played host to both School performances and to displays by parents and visiting groups. The former included an opening performance by the School Choir and a strings and winds ensemble, followed immediately by an opportunity to see hip-hop dance from a new School group drawn from Years 7–10, who recently performed a five-minute routine as part of Step Around Town, a regional dance event in Camden. There was also music from QE’s Junior Jazz, Bollywood dance from a group of School mums, traditional Chinese dance and Telugu folk dance, to name just some of the attractions.

The fete featured dozens of stalls, selling items ranging from books to plants. Hungry fete-goers were spoilt for choice, with the food on offer including South Indian dosa, meat & vegetarian barbecues, Sri Lankan kothu roti, and an international tent serving oriental, Eurasian and African cuisine. For the energetic, there were the ever-popular stocks and the jungle run assault course, while the PE department brought a cricketing attraction, with boys offered the opportunity to bowl a teacher out.

Cricket was also very much in evidence at a planning consultation event held during the afternoon in the Main Building’s Conference Centre. This featured plans for the Sports Hall that the School hopes to build, if approved. In addition to the four-court Sports Hall building (with classrooms on the top floor), which would be able to house indoor cricket nets among other sporting facilities, the plans also envisage the creation of six ECB-compliant outdoor nets and six new Fives courts.

• To view the full 36-page fete programme, which includes special features, recipes and advertisements from firms supporting the event, click here.
• To visit the Founder’s Day JustGiving page and make a donation, click here.

The musical classic that began this year’s Valediction in many ways set the tone for the afternoon that was to follow.

The platform party processed into the Shearly Hall to the strains of Feeling Good – a song from a 1960s musical later made famous by Nina Simone, among others.

As the sounds of the QE Jazz Band faded and the audience settled in the summer heat, Headmaster Neil Enright told the assembled Year 13 leavers: “Feeling Good is, at its heart, a song of renewal and freedom; of stepping forward into possibility with poise, courage, and a quiet, unmistakable confidence. It feels especially appropriate this afternoon, as we mark this moment of transition for all of you.

“You stand on the threshold of something new: ‘It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life’ – and, for each of you, that new life begins now.”

Mr Enright celebrated the successes past and present of the leavers. Not only had they navigated challenges including a global pandemic with determination, they had set records for QE with their GCSE results. The outcomes of their university applications have also set new standards, including a highest-ever total of 62 offers from Imperial College London and a string of offers from leading US universities.

Looking forward, Mr Enright told Year 13: “You will make decisions some wise, some… educational. That is not only inevitable, but also essential. Growth requires risk. Be bold enough to seize opportunities, but also humble enough to learn lessons when things do not unfold as planned. Setbacks are not failures; they are part of the process… It is in those moments that perseverance becomes your greatest ally.”

This was a theme also explored by Guest of Honour Lord Karan Bilimoria – an entrepreneur best known as the founder of Cobra Beer.

After beginning by reminding the boys of the benefits they already enjoyed – “You have the privilege of being at one of the best schools in the country and indeed the best in the world – you will all be leaders” – he set out what was required to be an entrepreneur.

“You need guts – to take the risk. You also need to be creative and innovative.” Another essential was luck, Lord Bilimoria said, and he had his own definition of this key ingredient: “Luck being where determination meets opportunity. If you are not determined, you won’t see the opportunities.” As an example of such determination, he cited the story of a six-year-old boy in his native India who could not go to his local school. He, therefore, had to be passed textbooks out of the window by his brother in order to learn.” This boy, K. R. Narayanan, later became the 10th President of India (1997–2002).

In concluding his address, Lord Bilimoria struck an optimistic note. “However bad things may seem in the country at the moment…. remember all that Britain has in its favour,” he said. This included: institutional resilience; the Royal Family; the best schools and universities; the best arts (theatre, film, music, the BBC); the best lawyers; the best accountants; the City of London as a global financial centre, and high-tech industry.

In keeping with the formal-but-fun flavour of the ceremony, the School’s Jazz Band, Barbershop group and Junior Jazz struck a positive tone, with numbers including Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing and Duke Ellington’s jazz standard, Caravan.

The vote of thanks was given by Year 13’s Simardeep Sahota, who was the 2025 School Captain. Thanking the cohort’s form tutors, teachers, and Head of Year Akhil Gohil, he said: “We’ve come further than we ever thought we could, not despite each other, but because of each other.” And he quoted Master Oogway in the Kung Fu Panda martial arts comedy: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift.”

In addition to the valediction for all the Year 13 graduands, there was a presentation of prizes for academic subjects, co-curricular activities, academic excellence, contribution & responsibility, and leadership & involvement.

After the ceremony, refreshments were served outside to the pupils, their parents, staff and guests by volunteers from The Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s.