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Every pupil and all members of staff enjoyed the opportunity to get out and about during this year’s Flourish Festival.

The summer festival, part of QE’s Flourish co-curricular programme, offers boys a range of enriching trips away from the Queen’s Road campus.

It is designed to make the most of QE’s position on the suburban fringe of London – close to surrounding rural counties, yet also within easy reach of the capital’s world-leading attractions.

Assistant Head (Pupil Involvement) Crispin Bonham-Carter said: “We want boys to take time out from the classroom and relax a little at the end of the academic year, while also enabling them to learn something new – whether that’s about the venue they visit, or about their own strengths and abilities.”

Flourish Festival days out this year included: Year 7 at Whipsnade Zoo; Verulamium Roman Museum in St Albans (Year 8); and the Science Museum (Year 9).

The Headmaster, Neil Enright, went with half of Year 8, as they visited the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. “Like all QE boys, they were terrific company and it was a joy to be with them,” he said.

Year 10 learned about the Cold War as they visited Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker, near Brentwood, Essex, which was built in 1952–1953 and decommissioned in 1992.

Physical exercise was to the fore as Year 7 enjoyed letting off steam on a charity sponsored walk in the local countryside and Year 12 went on a hike in the Chilterns.

Year 9 looked to the skies on a visit to RAF Hendon, while Shakespeare took centre-stage when Year 12 went to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Bridge Theatre and Year 10 to watch Romeo and Juliet at the Globe.

Head of English Robert Hyland: “Our now annual trips to the Globe make the Flourish festival one of my favourite weeks of the year. It may have all the trappings of a 17th-century playhouse, but plays are still being explored in very modern ways.”

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Harrisons’ House swept past last year’s winner, Broughton, to win the Eric Shearly House Cup.

The announcement came at the end of the traditional end-of-year assembly, with Headmaster Neil Enright presenting the cup.

The 2023–2024 House competition went down to the wire, with Broughton besting Stapylton by just three points, but in this year’s competition, the 1,656 points amassed during the year by Harrisons’ placed it comfortably ahead of Broughton, on 1,625 points.

Pearce was in third place, followed by Underne, Stapylton and Leicester.

Mr Enright said: “My congratulations go to the Harrisons’ pupil leadership and to the whole of the House on this achievement, which is the result of consistent high performance throughout the whole academic year.”

Many of the points awarded to QE’s six Houses are gained through House competitions covering a huge spectrum of activities, ranging from quizzes and chess to sport and music.

Points are also secured according to the total number of merits and good notes earned across the year groups.

Harrisons’ was founded in 1954 and was the fifth House to be established, as the School underwent rapid expansion in the 1950s.

It is the only House to honour two people in its name.

Firstly, there was G W N Harrison, who taught at the School for 41 years from 1888 until his retirement in 1929. He died the following year.

The second person was another long-serving and dedicated member of staff, E W Harrison (no relation), who served from 1931 until his death at the age of just 45 in 1950. At the time of his death, he was a senior Mathematics teacher and Second Master Designate.

The House colour is brown. The Harrisons’ team is pictured above.

Junior Awards formed a happy highlight of the final days of the School year at QE, with some 80 prizes presented to boys in Years 7, 8 and 9.

Prizewinners, their parents, staff and VIPs gathered in the School Hall for the afternoon ceremony, which was punctuated by musical interludes performed by recipients of the Music prizes in the three year groups.

And the Guest of Honour, Old Elizabethan Ramesh Pari, had some stirring advice for the boys after presenting them with their prizes: they should both “fail brilliantly” (by aspiring to wildly ambitious goals) and “celebrate loudly” their successes.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “This was a very enjoyable celebration of those who have most excelled in their academic and co-curricular pursuits, and those who have shown a substantial commitment to the School over the past year.”

After a six-strong ensemble of young musicians began proceedings by playing as a processional Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, Mr Enright welcomed everyone.

The musical interludes were performed after each year group’s prizewinners had been presented with their awards. Pianist Youer Chen, of Year 7, played Columbine by John Ireland; vocalist Krish Bhatia, of Year 8, performed Jean-Baptiste Lully’s Bois Épais; and violinist Jeremy Shi, of Year 9, played Dimitry Kabalevsky’s Violin Concerto, Movement 1.

The recessional, played after Youer gave the vote of thanks, was Mozart’s A Musical Joke.

Guest of Honour Ramesh (OE 1997–2004), who is Head of Delivery Services for Ocado, advised them both to “fail brilliantly” (by aspiring to wildly ambitious goals) and to “celebrate loudly” their successes.

After leaving QE, Ramesh spent a year at Central St Martins art school before reading Architecture at Nottingham. He then worked as an architect for some years, before joining Ocado in 2018. In his current role, he applies “strategic design thinking” and is dedicated to “driving automation, value and efficiency within the complex world of fulfilment.

Mr Enright said: “I am so proud of the person Ramesh has become, having taught him in the QE Sixth Form from 2002 to 2004, when I first joined the School.”

Ramesh was accompanied by his wife, Millie. Reflecting on the day afterwards, Ramesh said: “To stand on that stage, as Guest of Honour, was not just a personal milestone – it was a moment of full-circle gratitude. It affirmed that the School that made me is proud to be associated with me, that the values and ethos nurtured in those classrooms still live in my actions today. QE gave me more than I could ever repay.”

Mr Enright also celebrated the presence of another special guest. It was, he said, also “lovely to have former colleague, Deborah Rivlin Bardou, a pastoral leader and history teacher at QE during Ramesh’s time as a pupil, with us to see him present the Rivlin Award for Outstanding Commitment in Year 8”. The award went to Emile Uju.

After the ceremony, all present enjoyed afternoon tea on Stapylton Field.

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The 2025 School Play is the first ever to have been staged in The Robert Dudley Studio – QE’s new facility for drama and the spoken word.

The production of Sophocles’ Oedipus the Tyrant comes some 2,450 years after the date given by some scholars for its first performance in ancient Greece!

The play revolves around King Oedipus’s search for the murderer of his father, Laius, in order to end a plague ravaging the city of Thebes, unaware that the killer he seeks is himself.

Assistant Head (Pupil Involvement) Crispin Bonham-Carter said: “I was concerned that our resident theatre director, Penny Gkritzapi, might have bitten off more than she could chew with her choice of Oedipus the Tyrant for the School Play this year. Oedipus – regarded by Aristotle as the perfect tragedy – tells the awful story of the young prince destined to marry his mother and kill his father… However, we have established a proud tradition of tackling weighty topics, so I was willing to give our junior drama club this challenge. I am very glad to say that it was a triumph! It was also wonderful to see the new studio being put to use for a major School production, with its amazing lighting and sound facilities.”

Mr Bonham-Carter added that the cast of more than 15 young actors had taken the audience through the story with great clarity and moments of tragic intensity. “Year 10’s Namish Thakur was a charming and convincing Oedipus, filling the studio with his agony, as he faces one awful revelation after another.”

The role of Kreon, who succeeds Laius as king, was played by Venkat Ganabathula, of Year 9. “I enjoyed exploring how his character changes throughout the story – from being calm and reasonable to standing up for himself when accused,” he said.  “It was fun to bring out the drama and intensity in his scenes, especially when arguing with Oedipus. I also liked working with students from other year groups and seeing how everyone interpreted their roles. Performing such a famous Greek tragedy helped me build confidence on stage and understand more about storytelling through theatre.”

Mr Bonham-Carter said: “This has been an outstanding year for QE Drama, with no fewer than three School productions – Lions and Tigers, Richard III and Oedipus. Our next production will be something much lighter, I’m glad to say – Shakespeare’s brilliant comedy, Twelfth Night, will be shown in November to get us into the Christmas spirit!”

Here are some further reflections from the cast and crew:

• Vihaan Pal, Year 9: “Being part of the modern rendition of Oedipus was an amazing experience. Working on such a powerful and emotional play really pushed me as an actor, and I loved the challenge. It was interesting bringing a classic Greek tragedy into a modern setting – it made the story feel more real and intense. I learned so much about stage presence, timing, and connecting with the audience. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and it’s made me even more excited to apply for future QE Drama plays.”
• Arnay Gupta, Year 9: “Acting in Oedipus has been a fabulous experience over the past few months including the rehearsals, the actual play and our behind-the-scenes excursion to the Criterion Theatre. The rehearsals have allowed me to not only meet up with younger and older students, but has also to build my confidence in speaking in front of others. The rehearsals are very beginner-friendly and have allowed me to make new friends in an enjoyable environment.”
• Oliver Song, Year 8: “Taking part in Oedipus was an inspiring experience. The play proved challenging to bring intense emotions from ancient times to a modern performance. It took teamwork, with many suggestions made.”
• Vihaan Sirpa, Year 8: “I enjoyed the rehearsals and the inclusiveness; it was also a great experience; it was fun making new friends and learning more about others. The play itself also turned out well and looked really good. A 10/10 experience!”
• Keeran Sudhakar, Year 9: “This was my first time doing a play this long. At the start, I didn’t really know how we were going to get it all done. However, we did get it done by slowly breaking up the script into different sections. The play gives you the opportunities to speak to other people in different years. Also, the fact that we got to do a trip was good as well.”
• Aydin Mazumdar, Year 8: “Acting in Oedipus was an amazing experience in many ways – an ancient tragedy was a first for me, and it was a thrilling experience to absorb the complexities of Oedipus, from the raw, conflicting emotions at play to the inevitability and tragedy of fate, which once lifted Oedipus, but ultimately led to his downfall. Beyond this, it was amazing being able to work as a team and enjoy the experience with the rest of the crew.”
• Snithik Muthyala, Year 8: “I really enjoyed the play, as every scene kept me hanging on, and even though I acted in it, I still enjoyed it immensely. It explored the themes of fate, suffering and the human condition, shown through powerful speeches and dramatic situations.”
• Nikhil Francine, Year 10: “It was a great experience, and unique because this was my first time tackling an ancient Greek tragedy, and one on the scale of Oedipus.”
• Aaryan Prabhaker, of Year 9: “This play was a thrilling Greek mythology that fused together love and hate, life and death, power and helplessness.”
• Micah Osayande, of Year 8: “I think that taking part in the Oedipus play has really helped me to understand ancient myths better. It was quite hard to do, as being in the 21st Century we may never be able to fully understand Sophocles’ full meaning. However, we were able to work through inference and deduction to create a modern version of a classic. I really enjoyed working with the rest of team and Ms Gritkzapi to put together this play – a wonderful experience, from which I learnt skills of collaboration, organisation and creativity.
• Siddharth Kumar, of Year 9: “Oedipus provided an opportunity not only to witness the tragic downfall of a great king, but to also mingle with so many from the cast. We enjoyed drama games at rehearsals and built our confidence through fun. The actual performance was only a small part of all that the Oedipus cast did and as a stage manager, I enjoyed helping out with the stage design as well as co-ordinating entries and exits during the play.”

The Forty Society’s biannual luncheon filled the clubhouse at the Memorial Playing Fields, where there was a special welcome for long-time former Head of Games David Maughan.

Some members sported the society’s new blazer (modelled here by OEs Ian Louis-Fernand and Giles Pratt), the design of which is based upon that used for the award of cricket colours in the 1930s. Giles has been significant in encouraging more alumni to come along to the Forty Society (open to any who left the School 40 or more years ago).

He visited the School this month, together with Jonathan Gould, who is over from Australia, while another Forty Society stalwart, David Leake (OE 1966–1971) came for a visit in June. David, who was Global Brand Director of Zurich, went to art college after QE. He attends the Forty Society, despite not living locally.

During the luncheon, rugby devotees and their friends paid tribute to the hugely popular David Maughan, who was attending the luncheon as a special guest.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “It was a great pleasure to welcome visiting OEs this term, most recently Giles and Jonathan. Whilst Jonathan had travelled all the way from Sydney, Giles didn’t have quite so far to come, given he is now one of the School’s closest neighbours here in High Barnet!

“There was much laughter as they shared their happy memories of their school days in the 1970s and early 1980s, when Jonathan’s father, Martin, was our longstanding Head of Design Technology, having joined the School in 1959.”

As well as continuing his support for the Forty Society, Giles also plans to put together a group for the OE Annual Reunion Dinner on Friday 21st November this year, starting at 7pm.