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Two very different London trips provided fresh inspiration for QE’s musicians: a visit to a hit West End musical brought a GCSE set piece to life, while the opportunity to play one of the capital’s great organs deepened keyboardists’ appreciation for the instrument.

Year 10 Music students headed for the Apollo Victoria Theatre, where they watched the award-winning musical, Wicked. One of the show’s most iconic numbers, Defying Gravity, is a GCSE set work.

On their trip, members of QE’s Organ Club not only played the historic four-manual organ at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, but also heard an internationally acclaimed organist perform in the City of London in what is believed to be the world’s longest-running organ recital series.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “The happy circumstance of QE’s location within easy striking distance of central London means that when we plan trips, we can take full advantage of all the wonderful possibilities that the capital has to offer. These two trips are a great example of that.

“As our GCSE Music students attested afterwards, there’s really no substitute for experiencing a theatrical piece in its original dramatic context. For our organists, playing on Westminster Central Hall’s magnificent organ was not only thrilling in itself, but also enhanced their ability to adapt to different instruments – an important musical skill.”

Wicked, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, has been running at the Apollo Victoria since 2005. It is based on a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, which was derived from a 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Known in full as Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz, the musical explores the relationship between the witches. Defying Gravity forms the finale to Act One.

Assistant Director of Music Caroline Grint said that experiencing the work on stage helped the boys develop a deeper understanding of the music, its dramatic purpose, and its emotional impact, supporting their GCSE studies.

The pupils reported afterwards that they had found the trip both enjoyable and inspiring. Aaditya Pimple said: “It is the first time I have seen Wicked. It gave me context about the story, and it was interesting seeing the instruments in the pit band.” Zhekai Mao added: “It made me appreciate live performances, after only ever watching movies on a screen. We now know the entire storyline and how it is set to music, supporting our GCSE work.”

Eight organists and 13 pianists from the Organ Club visited Methodist Central Hall, which hosted the first session of the United Nations General Assembly in 1946.

Each pupil performed a prepared piece on the organ, which was built by Hill & Son in 1912, rebuilt and enlarged by Rushworth & Dreaper in 1970, and had its layout altered by Harrison & Harrison in 2010–2011. The boys received expert advice from the hall’s Director of Music, Gerard Brooks, on both registration and performance.

Assistant Director of Music Jas Hutchinson-Bazely said: “I am incredibly grateful to Gerard Brooks for his invitation and kind words of encouragement for our pupils. Adapting to new and unfamiliar instruments is an essential skill for an organist, and our pupils rose to this challenge admirably. These experiences are invaluable for our young players, and they are incredibly fortunate to play on one of London’s most significant instruments.”

The visit continued with the recital at St Michael’s, Cornhill. The church has a foundation dating back to before the Norman Conquest; its present building is traditionally attributed to Sir Christopher Wren. Its organ is another famous London instrument, with origins dating back to 1684. The recital series began in 1914.

The recital the boys listened to was given by English organist and recording artist, Christopher Herrick. His programme showcased contemporary organ repertoire.

“As well as hearing a performer of the highest calibre, pupils were reminded that organ music is not only a rich historical tradition but also a vibrant and evolving art form,” Mr Hutchinson-Bazely said.

The pianists and organists who went on the trip were in no doubt as to its benefits:

• Justin Lo, Year 7: “It gave me the chance to look at two beautiful organs as well as play a piece on one of them – a great opportunity that has definitely inspired me to learn the organ.”
• Anay Banerjee, Year 8: “I think that I really learnt a lot about real-life organs, how each one is different and unique, and also how it felt to play one in real life.”
• Parth Gulati, Year 7: “I particularly enjoyed playing at Methodist Central Hall, as I have never played on such a big organ.”
• Kai Nam Tsang, Year 8: “It was a great feeling to be able to play on the organ, especially such a large and grand one with so much history behind it.”

As part of the Government-backed National Year of Reading, Queen Elizabeth’s School has created a special list of 100 books for every pupil to read.

THE QE 100 features classics and new literature, fiction and non-fiction, poetry and biography, and even manga and graphic novels.

QE’s professionals in The Queen’s Library worked alongside the pupil librarians to whittle down the long list of more than 300 books nominated by students and staff to the final 100.

Headmaster Neil Enright says: “This a challenge like no other for all our young Elizabethans – a reading list tailored especially for them. With seven weeks of summer holidays now starting, there is no better time to begin!”

In choosing the books, Head of Library Services Jenni Blackford and Library Services Assistant Corinna Illingworth looked for those which reflected QE’s values, which would prepare the boys for life, and, perhaps most of all, those which were a pleasure to read. “Every book has been chosen to inspire, challenge and entertain, helping students develop a lifelong love of reading,” says Mrs Blackford. The QE 100 has something for everyone. Some books are perfect for Year 7, others better suited to sixth-formers. “The idea is to enjoy the challenge throughout your time at QE, choosing books that are right for you as your reading journey grows.”

Here are just a few of the authors who feature: Shakespeare; C S Lewis; Jules Verne; Michael Morpurgo; Harper Lee; J R R Tolkien; Robert Harris; Ray Bradbury; Charles Dickens; Yuval Noah Harari; Marcus Aurelius; Barack Obama; Jordan Peterson; Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky; Marcus Rashford; Homer (with The Iliad available both in Rosemary Sutcliffe’s retelling and in unabridged form); Suzanne Collins; Seamus Heaney & Ted Hughes; Antoine De Saint-Exupéry; Mark Haddon; and Rory Stewart.

The subjects covered span cultures and countries, from Hiba Noor Khan’s Safiyyah’s War, about a young Muslim girl living in the Grand Mosque of Paris during World War II, to the non-fiction title, Timelines from Black History, which chronicles events from ancient African kingdoms to the present day.

There are even two titles by Old Elizabethans. The list includes The Trial, a whodunnit by barrister Rob Rinder (OE 1989–1994) – TV’s Judge Rinder – and Mustafa Suleyman’s The Coming Wave, a warning that the rise of AI and biotechnology may impact global stability. Mustafa (OE 1995–2002), who is now the CEO of Microsoft AI, was the co-founder of Google DeepMind, together with Nobel laureate (and fellow alumnus) Sir Demis Hassabis (OE 1988–1990).

The National Year of Reading 2026, which aims to help more people discover or rediscover the joy of reading, is a Department for Education initiative, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust.

Ever the assiduous librarian, Mrs Blackford has one final suggestion for the boys: “Once you’ve finished a book, why not leave a review on the School’s library catalogue and share your thoughts with other readers? Happy reading!”

• Browse THE QE 100.

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.”

Six senior pupils have won Jack Petchey Achievement Awards, the School announced today.

The Jack Petchey Foundation allocated the awards after hearing from the six’s friends and classmates, who were invited to vote for those they felt contributed the most.

Today’s announcement follows yesterday’s news about a Jack Petchey Leader Award for Biology teacher Sam Acors.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “My sincere congratulations go to these six students. Our Boundless School plan sets out that we seek to nurture our pupils in becoming, among other things, Self-aware people who make things happen, Leaders of influence and valued collaborators, and Community-orientated. What better examples of those qualities could there be than these six Elizabethans?”

The achievement awards go to: Year 10’s Pranav Bonagiri and Arnay Gupta; Year 11’s Abishek Prenav and Rohan Katkar; and, in Year 12, Zane Shah and Hasnain Jiwa:

• Pranav was recognised for his exceptional contributions to both robotics and sport. As a volunteer mentor, he supported two Year 9 robotics teams that progressed to the VEX Robotics World Championship. He was also a member of the Year 10 team that won the prestigious Innovation Award at the competition. Pranav’s award also acknowledges his success in Eton Fives. Alongside his playing partner, he earned Players of the Match honours at the Eton Fives National Championships and made a significant contribution to QE finishing top of their division.
• Arnay was similarly recognised for his dedication to robotics. He mentors Year 8 and Year 9 VEX Robotics teams, helping them prepare for competitions, while also assisting with the organisation of events.
• Abishek won his award primarily for his work as founder and programme director of I’m Possible – a youth mental health peer-mentorship service preventing suicides, which featured in a documentary, Manosphere, on S4C and BBC iPlayer. Abishek is the co-founder and executive director of MenTomorrow, an initiative which seeks to redefine masculinity for the next generation. In addition, he is one of 20 ‘change-makers’ from across the world invited to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) headquarters in New York for the Transforming Global Education Summit and was also invited by the United Nations Secretariat to its Palais Des Nations office in Geneva.
• Rohan received his award mainly for being an upstanding all-round academic student. A high-flyer even within the elevated context of QE, he also finds time to help others, mentoring younger pupils in Maths as well as in chess. Rohan is part of the Chess A team that will be going to the National Chess Championship Finals in Nottingham in the next few days.
• Nominated primarily for his work with the QE Islamic Society, Zane spearheaded with his peers a charity drive for Islamic Relief. To help raise the profile of the campaign and revive the society’s speaker programme (which had been dormant for six years), Zane invited in Saleh Rashid from Islamic Relief. The Islamic Society over a number of years raised more than £5,000 – with Zane’s own contributions including sponsorship from running a half-marathon – and were recognised with Charity Week Awards.
• An exceptional role model, Hasnain was praised by his peers for his leadership and mentorship with younger boys. This is in Vex Robotics competitions and CAD (Computer-Aided Design) activities. Additionally, he offers advice on A-level selection and careers.

The Jack Petchey Foundation was set up by businessman and entrepreneur Sir Jack Petchey, who died in 2024 at the age of 98. Since 1999, the foundation has been recognising and celebrating the achievements of young people across London and Essex.

The award-winners, including Dr Acors, have been invited to receive a medallion at a special awards ceremony on 7th July. They also win a pin, certificate, a book on Sir Jack and a £300 grant to spend on a project that benefits QE. The coordinator of the awards in School is Economics teacher Kishen Patel.

Biology teacher Sam Acors has won a Jack Petchey Leader Award after being nominated by his pupils.

QE is announcing the award to Dr Acors on National Thank a Teacher Day.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “It seems especially fitting to be able to congratulate Sam today on this award, which is well deserved.

“It’s also an excellent opportunity to celebrate the immense contribution that all our hard-working, dedicated and inspirational staff make to the success of Queen Elizabeth’s School.”

Dr Acors joined QE last year after working as a post-doctoral researcher at Imperial College London. His doctorate from King’s College London was awarded in March 2024.

His pupils praised him for the good humour he brings to his teaching, as well as his supportive and nurturing approach.

Expressing his appreciation for the award today, he said: “It feels good to have made an impact on the students and be appreciated. I got into teaching to make a positive difference to young people’s lives, so having won an award that suggests I have influenced many of our pupils means a great deal to me. That being said, the students at QE are outstanding, so it makes our job as teachers that bit easier.”

The Jack Petchey Foundation was set up by entrepreneur Sir Jack Petchey, who died in 2024 at the age of 98. Since 1999, the foundation has been recognising and celebrating the achievements of young people across London and Essex.

The foundation’s Leader Awards recognise the ‘above and beyond’ commitment of adults who help young people. It encourages their schools and organisations to get the young people themselves involved in making nominations for the awards.

The Thank a Teacher campaign is run by the Teaching Awards Trust and has a vision to help create a society which values and celebrates “the great work that takes place in education every day across the UK”.

The Trust was established in 1998 by Lord David Puttnam, with the support of all the leading political parties, the teaching unions and the wider education community, as well as industry and media partners.

Dr Acors’ research at King’s included working with post-doctoral researcher Dr Nathalia Almedia to create populations, or lines, of a special type of human stem cell, which could help uncover why HIV leads to different outcomes in different people.

Announcing this development in February this year, Professor Mike Malim, co-senior author of the paper, said: “This has been a long journey for us, and I am particularly pleased for Nathalia Almeida and Sam Acors whose dedication and attention to detail enabled the creation of this panel of lines. It will be fascinating to see what we and others can discover about HIV biology and pathogenesis in the years to come.”

Twenty-four French pupils visiting QE as part of their language exchange had ample opportunities to express themselves during their week-long stay – and not always with words!

The boys and girls from the Institution Saint-Pierre gave free rein to their creative side in activities that included a hip-hop workshop held just for fun, as well as an English literature and poetry class led by Head of English Robert Hyland.

Having worked up an appetite through the dance and through outdoor team-building activities, they were sent on their way on their last day with a full English breakfast, courtesy of the School canteen.

Head of Languages Helen Shephard said: “We welcomed our French visitors by providing a range of varied and enriching cultural visits and activities, and giving them a taste of QE life in which staff across the School delivered a series of fun and educational activities.

“They stayed with QE families, benefitting from language immersion, and had the chance to participate in classes with their QE correspondents, who are drawn from Years 8 and 12.

Highlights of the week at QE included visiting the Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio and taking in iconic London sites.

“With bonds developed and friendships made, we now look forward to the return leg to Bourg-en-Bresse [between Lyon and Geneva, at the foot of the Jura mountains in south-east France] in June.

“Immersion in a foreign language is a key aspect of language-learning in Key Stage 3,” Dr Shephard said, explaining the importance of the exchange, which has been running since 2010.

“By the time boys become A-level linguists, they are fully conversant, and confident in their speaking, reading and writing skills.”

One prime example of this is the participation of QE sixth-formers in the Institut Français’ annual Joutes Oratoires Lycéennes national debating competition.

This year, four students (Year 13’s Edward Muscat and Colin Copcea, and Year 12’s Akira Norimura and Jun Lin) reached the Final d’Or – Gold Final – at the London heat, hosted by St Paul’s Girls’ School, after achieving high scores in the qualifying rounds.

Edward and Colin finished fourth in the Final d’Or, thus narrowly missing out on progressing to the national final held at the London headquarters of the Institut Français.

The competition involves debating complex and thought-provoking motions entirely in French.

The motion they had to support was: Centrist political parties should not collaborate with extremist political parties. With 15 minutes to prepare and no access to the internet (by phone or laptop), the boys had to rely on their knowledge of politics in the past and present. “It was certainly a pertinent topic in light of the current political climate,” said Dr Shephard.

Colin said: “This was a highly enjoyable experience, which helped us improve our spontaneity in French oracy.”