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The Class of 2024 returned in numbers this week for the University Convention, giving the current Year 12 up-to-the minute information from their universities and courses.

Assistant Head (Pupil Destinations) James Kane said: “The main point was that they share their experiences and pass on advice to current students who will be making choices as to where to apply. But it was also a wonderful opportunity to catch up with them and hear how they are getting on in ‘the real world’. They seemed to enjoy the opportunity to see each other and to catch up with their ‘old’ teachers over lunch. We’re keen that they stay connected with us and each other.”

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Thanks to the richly varied careers being pursued by our alumni, the School was able to serve up an inspiring new series of talks as part of our QE Futures programme.

The speakers were drawn from people who attended QE during each of the previous four decades who have distinguished themselves in fields including sports entertainment, design & architecture, music and finance. The line-up even included an illustrious former QE mum, who serves on the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee.

Among those welcome by the Futures team – Assistant Head (Pupil Destinations) James Kane and QE Futures Co-ordinator Nathan Lawson – were:

Nathan Kosky (OE 1984–1990). Nathan works in sports and entertainment and is creator & producer of cricket podcast Middle Please, Umpire hosted by England’s World Cup-winning bowler Mark Wood and comedian Miles Jupp. After his visit, Nathan reflected on his reception from the boys: “The brilliant questions they fired at me showed just how incredibly switched on they are, and going back to a place which set me up for my own journey was a real pleasure.”

Liz Oakes, mother of OE James Oakes (2010–2017). An External Member of the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee, she was previously Executive Vice President for Mastercard and is a sought-after financial expert, holding several company directorships.

Alex Gilbert (OE 1990–1995). A committed environmentalist, Alex is Head of Energy and Electrification for Transport for London and is also Chair of the Advisory Group at the University of Sussex Centre on Innovation and Energy Demand (CIED). Alex also took part in the Year 11 Careers Convention and is pictured with some of the boys in QE Connect.

Gabriel Gendler (OE 2007–2014). Gabriel is a mathematician and rabbi, who has studied and taught at the Fuchsberg Center in Jerusalem and Yeshivat Hadar in New York. Gabriel represented the UK in the International Mathematical Olympiad while at School and was an accomplished musician.

Hemang Hirani (OE 2008–2015). He works for Barclays Investment Bank, entering the finance sector after gaining his first-class degree in Geography and Economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Ramesh Pari (Paripooranananthan) (OE 1997–2004) is an architect who is now Head of Design & BIM Engineering at Ocado. After speaking to Year 12s in a special assembly, Ramesh wrote: “What was my message? That life is full of weird and wonderful opportunities we can’t always plan for—but we can prepare. That careers are ‘squiggly’, and we should embrace the pivot, prioritising interest over rigid plans.”

The School paid warm tribute last month to QE teacher and Old Elizabethan James Clarke, who died suddenly in January.

A memorial service in Barnet parish church drew many dozens of OEs and former staff, while there was a very good attendance for a School concert given in his honour on the same day, where the audience included James’ mother and other family members. In the congregation for the service at St John the Baptist were senior current QE leaders; former staff; James’ former PE & Games department colleagues; and the 2025 School Captain, Simardeep Sahota, and current First XV, representing the student body.

After 12 years in the PE department, James (OE 1999–2004) had left his position as Head of Rugby last summer to take up a role in Bermudan rugby.

In his tribute, the Headmaster said: “James meant much to so many Elizabethans.

“Talk to anyone who taught him from 1999 and they will refer to an enthusiastic, committed spirit. He saw the world as a QE boy, from Normandy to ski trips, and when the ‘end of week awards’ took place on those trips, he was a persistent winner.  Why? Because he was involved and he was fun, embracing every opportunity, and working fantastically with others.

“James was an inspiring and supportive teacher, whose work in the classroom and on the sports field left an indelible mark on generations of pupils. A brilliant and respected Head of Rugby, he shared his plain enthusiasm for the game and the opportunities it presents to young people and their development.

“James wasn’t just a member of staff, of course, but an Old Elizabethan – a much loved and admired member of our alumni community.

“He was at home at Queen Elizabeth’s and his intuitive understanding and deep sense of connection helped make the School a more welcoming place to those following in his footsteps. Today, we are united in thankfulness for his life, and in sorrow at his loss.”

The scheduled Choral and Chamber Charity Concert, which was dedicated to James upon news of his death and was also held at the church, raised money for the RFU’s Rugby United initiative. It featured a performance of World in Union, the Rugby Union World Cup anthem, by the Chamber Choir and Chamber Orchestra. Click below to watch an impromptu recording of the performance. The concert alone raised £696, with others donating several hundred pounds through a dedicated JustGiving page. The Barbershop group also sang The Road Home by Stephen Paulus (as they had done earlier at the memorial service) and the Chamber Choir and musicians combined again for Fauré’s Requiem.

At the memorial service, the Junior String Quartet played as the opening music Beethoven’s String Quartet Op.18 No.4 in C minor, movement I, Allegro ma no tanto. This was the piece that won them the Junior category of the National Pro Corda Chamber Music competition this term.

In another great example of OEs working together, Ross McKenzie (1995–2002) and Jerome Singh (OE 2004–2011) have jointly founded a digital A-level platform called Politics Online.

“Since June 2024, we have effectively written a full course textbook from scratch, with integrated and regularly updated current affairs examples, but we didn’t actually make the QE connection until we were having lunch during the winter!” says Jerome. They are now looking forward to putting MS Teams to the test at their Easter revision session, which has some 2,000 students booked in.

Ross is formerly Head of Politics and currently Digital Lead at St Columba’s College, St Albans, while Jerome is currently working at Forest School, and will be heading to Japan as a founding Assistant Principal at North London Collegiate School (Kobe).

Jerome takes up the story: “The idea was originally Ross’s – a common problem for Politics teachers is the manner in which physical textbooks very quickly go out of date. An online textbook with weekly updates would definitely plug that gap.

“I came on board with particular responsibility for global politics, with Ross running the US politics section, and two other non-OE teachers covering the UK material.”

With everything initially built online, it was only when they had their first in-person meeting in December that they discovered their QE connection.

“When discussing where we had grown up, Ross mentioned that he lived in Barnet – I asked which school he went to… and we made the connection! Although we did not overlap at QE, we shared a lot of common experiences of teachers, memories of quirks and traditions, and an appreciation of how the School has shaped us as students and teachers.”

The Politics Online ecosystem has evolved over the months and now includes:

• Weekly newsletters pitched at Key Stage 5, KS4 and KS3 going out to schools nationally;
• A national current affairs quiz league;
• Revision sessions at schools;
• Online sessions, such as that at Easter.

Ross has done the bulk of the work with website, legal and financial infrastructure, while Jerome’s focus has been website design, branding and logos, as well as outreach to schools.

The platform is currently self-funded and is already turning a profit.

The plan is to launch the online textbook in April after the Easter revision session on a yearly subscription model. “That should significantly boost revenue,” says Jerome. “From there, we hope to add a lot more video content to the website, and to build a platform which teachers and students can use for tests, revision, and everyday lessons. We have a few hundred schools and a few thousand students engaging with our products in some form, and the feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive!”

Mev Armon left QE’s CCF fighting fit as he started a new role with Hertfordshire constabulary.

The Headmaster says: “For more than a generation, Mev has been an inspiring, supportive and charismatic teacher and colleague. His service to our cadets has been immense, and he has been something of a legend as a form tutor. We wish him all the best as he continues his public service in a new role.”

Captain Armon (formerly Major Armon) leaves after 30 years in the Biology department and 23 years with the Combined Cadet Force. The CCF contingent held a special parade in the Main Hall, where they honoured his service.

The parade was also a celebration of those cadets gaining a promotion. With more than 50 cadets attending, it was an indication of the CCF’s current strength. “That strength is due in no small part to Mev’s dedication over the years,” Mr Enright said.

QE is one of very few state schools to have a CCF. After the celebrations, Mr Armon spoke of how the CCF develops key skills such as leadership, teamwork and resilience, transforming boys into young men who are – in the words of the School’s vision – confident, able and responsible. He will continue to be an occasional volunteer with the QE CCF.

Among those wishing him well were a large number of Old Elizabethans. Here is a selection of these comments:

• Abhinav Vepa (2003–2010): “I always looked forward to your classes and CCF because you made us all laugh a lot with your great sense of humour! Good luck in the new role. Thanks for everything you offered to me, CCF, and the School.”
• Kiran Patel (2000–2007): “I had the privilege of being taught Science or Biology in almost every year during my time at QE by Mr A: Mev Armon, your contributions to your students’ development have been immense, and have inspired and encouraged so many of us particularly in the study of the sciences and medicine, not to mention CCF. “
• Anirudh Bandaru (2009–2016): “Mev Armon is the best! His teachings stuck with me when I deployed on operations, and I wouldn’t have joined the Army if it wasn’t for Sir’s encouragement and mentorship.”
• Ben Swart (1994–2001): ” I have core memories of that smile, of many conversations with him as our form tutor, and of the funkiest car alarm I could ever remember.”
• Kartik Gohil (2004–2011): “You were the heart and soul of the CCF.”

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Venture capital investor Jonathan Kruger has led a Series B* funding round that raised around £12m for pet insurance firm Napo.

Jonathan (OE 2000–2007) is an Investment Associate with Mercia Ventures, a £2bn fund that is one of the one of the UK’s most active VC capital investors.

Before joining Mercia two years ago, he spent three years at Google, supporting high-growth seed-stage businesses with go-to-market strategy and execution. And before that, he co-founded and scaled his own VC-backed direct-to-consumer business, The Drop, which uses machine-learning to produce on-demand made-to-measure men’s fashion.

Napo was founded in 2021 by Ludovic Lacay, a Product Lead at global internet giant Meta, and Jean-Philippe Doumeng, an executive at former health service provider Babylon Health.

The funding will enable it to scale further, including making further investment in its AI-driven claims process and other technology.

Jonathan said he was very excited to have led the funding round and was “looking forward to working with Jean-Philippe Doumeng, Ludovic Lacay and their incredible team for the next stage of the journey”.

*Series B funding is the third round of equity financing for start-ups. At this stage, the company has found product-market fit and needs capital to scale. The goal is to expand into new markets, develop new product lines, and prepare for potential exits. Investors provide capital in exchange for preferred shares.
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