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High-flying business consultant Daniel Garsin, Guest of Honour at Junior Awards, told prize-winners that they will enter a world very different from the one that existed when he left QE just 20 years ago.

The continuing rise of artificial intelligence is “not a reason to be afraid”, he said, “but it does mean the old rules about how you get on in life are being rewritten”.

With AI already doing much of the careful, detailed work that young people used to do in their first jobs, Daniel, the 2005 School Captain, spelt out what that means for the boys: “It is no longer what do you know’, but ‘what can you do that a machine cannot?’”

Award-winners from across Years 7–9 gathered with their families and teachers in the School Hall for the formal afternoon event, during which Daniel (OE 1999–2006) presented the prizes.

The event included prizes for the academic subjects, for commitment, and for service in QE’s six Houses. There were also awards for co-curricular activities such as sport, drama, debating & public-speaking and supporting The Queen’s Library.

The Music prize-winners – Hercules Li, of Year 7; Julius Collins, of Year 8; and Ryan Hsu, of Year 9 – played piano pieces by Mozart, Debussy and Chopin respectively, while they and other award-winners formed an ensemble to perform the processional and recessional music for the ceremony. The VIP party included the Deputy Mayor of Barnet, Cllr Humayune Khalick.

In his introduction, Headmaster Neil Enright told the boys in the audience: “You are in pole position to be the leaders of your generation in your chosen fields; to be leaders of influence and valued collaborators.”

After leaving QE, guest speaker Daniel read History at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. He has since forged a career in consulting, firstly with Deloitte and, for the past 15 years, with Elixirr, which has grown in that time from a 30-person firm to one that is now listed on the London Stock Exchange with more than 800 employees worldwide.

He arrived at Junior Awards still captivated by what he had observed on a recent business trip to San Francisco. “Some of what I saw there was breathtaking and exciting, and some of it was genuinely unsettling. The pace of change is faster than anything I have witnessed in my career. Things that were impossible only a year ago are ordinary today.”

Echoing the Headmaster’s optimistic tone, he said: “The territory is being redrawn as we speak, and you get to help draw it. And you’re at the very best place to do this.”

Daniel reflected on how he is likely to recruit in the future and offered clear advice: “Do not try to compete with the machine. I will be looking for the deeply human things, because those are getting more valuable, not less. Can you win someone’s trust? Can you carry a team through a hard week? Can you walk into a tense room and read what is actually going on? No machine can do that, and I do not believe one ever will. I will be looking for curious people who can learn fast, and then learn again. And above all, I will be looking for character and personality.”

Daniel urged the boys to focus on three values.

• Be collaborative
• Be entrepreneurial
• Go beyond expectations.

“If I could swap places with you today, here is what I would do. I would try to learn how to use these new tools, but never once let them do my thinking for me. I would read more widely than I do today. I would say ‘yes’ to the things that scare me a little (and that I said ‘no’ to). And I wouldn’t worry about having it all figured out, because nobody yet knows what the world will look like in 5-10 years,” he said.

After Daniel’s address, the Year 7 debating & public-speaking award-winner, Parth Gulati, gave a vote of thanks. Everyone then stepped outside on to Staplyton Field for refreshments.

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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.

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.

QE’s Chamber Choir teamed up with a pair of Old Elizabethan choral scholars to sing Evensong at Christ Church, the historic cathedral in Oxford.

It was the latest prestigious booking for the choir, who have in recent years sung in some of the country’s most iconic settings, including Westminster Abbey and King’s College, Cambridge.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “This was a tremendous privilege and a great opportunity, and I am glad to say that the Chamber Choir rose to the occasion. They sang impressively, with poise and discipline, accompanied by our own Noah Morley, of Year 12, on the organ.”

Having sung its first-ever Evensong at Barnet parish church as recently as the autumn of 2022, the Chamber Choir has, in addition to Westminster Abbey and King’s College, since sung at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, and Southwark Cathedral,

The Evensong marked a further deepening of QE’s ties with Christ Church, which enjoys the unique distinction of being both a college of the University of Oxford and the cathedral church of the city, the only dual foundation of its kind in the world. Earlier this year, 45 boys from Years 7 & 8 visited the college, which is the Borough of Barnet’s partner college at Oxford.

The choristers were joined by Old Elizabethans Arjun Patel and Nikhil Mark, both now choral scholars at Oxford, who not only sang alongside the boys, but also provided tours of Merton College and The Queen’s College. Arjun took up his place to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Merton in October 2024, having completed his A-levels that summer. Nikhil (OE 2018–2025) is reading Materials Science at The Queen’s College.

Dan Clark, Founding Principal of Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dubai Sports City, which is due to open this summer, joined the Headmaster in the congregation. Also there was Old Elizabethan Isher Jagdev (2017–2024).

Noah played throughout the service, except for the anthem. Seated at the cathedral’s Rieger organ, he also played the pre-service and post-service music: Eventide by Hubert Parry and Sun Dance by Bob Chilcott. Noah performed these pieces in his recent Grade 7 examination, for which he scored 141/150.

The service was redolent both of the traditions of Oxford and of Evensong in the Church of England.

In keeping with Christ Church’s observance of historic Oxford time, five minutes west of Greenwich, Evensong began at 6.05pm BST.

The boys sang the works of three English composers closely associated with English and Anglican choral music:

• The Tallis Responses, from Preces and Responses by Renaissance composer Thomas Tallis
• Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D minor by 19th-century organist and composer Thomas Attwood Walmisley
• I am Alpha and Omega by John Stainer, published in 1878.

The cathedral stands on the site of an ancient Saxon church, founded in the eighth century by Saint Frideswide, the patron saint of Oxford. The present building was constructed in the 12th century as an Augustinian priory.

In 1524, just prior to the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Cardinal Wolsey gained permission from the Pope to close down St Frideswide’s Priory to use the land to build a vast new college for the university. Following Wolsey’s fall, the college was duly opened in 1546 in the name of Henry VIII.

Director of Music Ruth Partington said: “This visit exemplified the transformational experiences the Music department provides. We are very grateful to Arjun and Nikhil for singing with us and for inspiring potential future choral scholars to follow in their footsteps.”

Afterwards, some of the boys also reflected on the day. Sixth-former Leo Sellis, who has just been offered a choral scholarship at Jesus College, Cambridge, said: “I enjoyed how we were able to explore Oxford with the OE tour guides and then have a guided tour of Christ Church Cathedral before we did the service, meaning we could learn about the building (and the city) that we were singing in.” The choristers included another sixth-former with a choral scholarship offer: Adam Liang has been offered a place at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge.

Julius Collins, of Year 8, said: “The performance was outstanding and I am very grateful that I was able to take part in it, as I managed to develop my skills as a singer in an ensemble and demonstrate these in a formal setting with more resonant acoustics.” Year 9’s Krish Bhatia was impressed by the buildings:  “Some main highlights were visiting The Great Hall at Christ Church, which really fulfilled my inner ‘Hogwarts’ experience. I also thoroughly enjoyed the tour given by the OEs and learning different types of traditions and customs there, as well as seeing all the fascinating architecture. Overall, our visit to Oxford was nothing short of brilliant.” And Rishi Watsalya, of Year 12, added: “I really enjoyed the guided tour of Oxford with Nikhil, who also gave specific advice about the application process and his experience in Oxford as an OE. I also really appreciated the opportunity of, once again, singing in such a beautiful and historic cathedral.”

The Evensong was led by the Sub-Dean, Revd Canon Peter Moger. The Psalms for the service were numbers 126 and 127.

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Internationally respected economist Dr Sandeep Mazumder has been formally inaugurated as the ninth President of Georgia’s Berry College.

Sandeep (OE 1993–2000), who frequently gives his time online to support Economics at QE, was welcomed by representatives of the college’s Board of Trustees, by faculty, by current students, and by alumni in a special ceremony.

Roger Lusby, Vice Chair of the college’s Board of Trustees, formally invested him by presenting him with the presidential medallion.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “My heartfelt congratulations go to Sandeep on his inauguration: he is a good friend to QE, and I know that all here will wish him well in his distinguished new role.”

Also paying tribute was QE Governor Eric Houston, a teacher at the School from 1976 who was Second Master when he retired in 2010. After watching the livestream of the ceremony, he wrote to Sandeep: “The abiding memory for me will always be that of your happiness as you stood and acknowledged the warm and genuine applause from the audience at the end…I am certain that you will use your considerable ability, drive and energy to move the college forward, and so bring many benefits to the students and staff working there now and in the future.”

Berry College, a private university near Rome, Georgia, is named after educationalist Martha Berry, who in 1902 founded a boys’ industrial school, before going on to form a girls’ school and college. The trustees unanimously elected Sandeep to be the college’s president.

After studying at Cambridge, Sandeep moved to the US to complete his PhD at Johns Hopkins University. He served as an Economics Professor and Chair of the Economics Department at Wake Forest University and then as Dean of the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University in Texas. He took up the post at Berry College in July last year.

Before giving his inaugural address, he was introduced at the ceremony by Derek Radney, pastor of Trinity Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He has been a friend of Sandeep’s for over 15 years, and Sandeep is a former member of his church.

“I could tell you many things about how great he is, but instead I want to share with you what has always impressed me about him, and that’s his humility,” Mr Radney said. “…In a day and age when apologies might mean that you’re going to be cancelled, or when many leaders believe that you should never admit wrong if you want to be successful, Dr Mazumder has always been willing to apologise, to tell the truth about himself, and to take responsibility. …Because of his confidence in the forgiveness and acceptance of God through Jesus Christ, Sandeep has been willing to humbly embrace the weakness of repentance without fear or shame, enabling him to grow into into a person capable of greater love, freedom, and power for service.”

Sandeep concluded his inaugural address with these words: “Let us walk together in a way that is worthy of our calling. And I look forward to taking that journey with you all. Thank you for joining me on this special day, and may God continue to bless the pursuits of Berry College.”

During the ceremony, representatives of various parts of the college and wider community gave their own tributes to Sandeep.

Among them was Dr Laurence Ball, Professor of Economics at Johns Hopkins, representing higher education. He was the primary advisor for Sandeep’s doctoral dissertation, completed in 2009. The two have gone on to co-author several publications, and Dr Ball lauded the quality of Sandeep’s research.

John Parker, Berry College Faculty member in the Department of Religion and Philosophy and a Faculty Assembly officer, said: “We are very glad that your path from London and Cambridge to Baltimore and Waco has at last led you here to Mount Berry. We stand confident in your character and skills to lead us into the future, and we wish you every success as you help us.”

A record 65 guests signed up to support Year 11 boys at this year’s Careers Convention – more than 30 of them alumni.

New workshops were added to cover degree apprenticeship assessment centres and being ‘future-ready’ in a rapidly changing labour market – one of the six key priorities in QE’s new School plan, Boundless.

Assistant Head (Destinations and Progress) James Kane said: “Our Careers Convention grows stronger each year, and 2026 was our most inspiring yet. The generosity of our speakers – particularly our Old Elizabethan community – creates an environment where students can explore their ambitions with confidence and curiosity.

“The event encourages boys to explore both traditional and alternate pathways, providing them with first-hand insights about careers and career development from alumni, parents, other friends of the School and higher education advisors.”

The day opened with an inspirational keynote from Kam Taj (OE 2004–2011), who encouraged pupils to stay open-minded, embrace uncertainty, and understand that career paths are rarely linear.

There was a range of expert panel sessions on topics covering seven key career areas: accountancy, banking & finance; creative industries & the built environment; engineering; law; entrepreneurship; STEM opportunities; and medicine & dentistry.

Pupil Sriram Muthukumaran, who attended the engineering session, said: “I personally enjoyed the panel and their insights, which really helped guide my journey and allowed me to network with people in the field I want to explore.”

The afternoon featured workshops running in parallel with a Careers Fair in the Shearly Hall, where boys could have one-to-one conversations with the visiting experts, taking the opportunity to ask personalised questions and receive tailored insights.

This was especially popular with the 114 boys who gave feedback, such as Isa Sheikh, who said: “Being able to speak to people in different industries personally in the Careers Fair was the best part for me.” Vash Mamtani agreed: “Having conversations with some of the alumni and getting personalised advice was incredibly useful.”

Overall, a large majority of respondents gave the Careers Convention a four or five out of five rating.

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