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Queen Elizabeth’s School today celebrated Virtual Founder’s Day 2021 with an internet broadcast that featured a good measure of time-honoured tradition and a generous helping of innovation, all laced with a healthy dash of fun.

Highlights of the YouTube Premiere programme that went live at 12 o’clock included a Founder’s Day weekend Showstopper Bake challenge introduced by TV celebrity Mel Giedroyc, former BBC presenter of the Great British Bake Off.

Introduced by Headmaster Neil Enright, the half-hour programme included the annual Roll Call, the reading of the School Chronicle and elements of the traditional Founder’s Day church service. Mr Enright reminded viewers that fundraising remains a focus of the day, with more than £22,000 raised in last year’s lockdown Founder’s Day to support the education of boys at the School.

Donations can be made via the dedicated Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s Founder’s Day JustGiving page.

With QE’s Music School now nearing completion and funds required to equip it to the highest standards, there was a strong musical theme in the programme: this included the first-ever performances from the new building, with young musicians donning hard hats and ‘hi-vis’ vests over their uniforms.

When the outbreak of the pandemic forced last year’s Founder’s Day online, all hoped it would be a one-off. That was not to be, but although this year’s event was again virtual, there was now great cause for optimism, said Mr Enright.

“We are now in a very different position to 12 months ago: the School is open, classrooms are buzzing with activity, many clubs and societies are meeting, and our lives are moving, step by step, closer to normality,” he said.

“I take great comfort that during the unprecedented difficulties and uncertainties of the past 16 months, the School has not just coped, but thrived and even, in the words of our Chronicle, ‘flourished’.”

The School could look back with pride, but also forward to many “rapidly approaching” exciting developments, such as the Music School, which is due to open in the autumn of this year, Mr Enright added.

The video included a specially recorded segment from Mel Giedroyc, supplementing her first video announcement of the QE Founder’s Day Showstopper Bake challenge earlier in the month. In today’s film, in her own inimitable style, she announced to the “QE massif” that it was time for them to take up their sieves, whisks, graters and bowls: “It’s the big day; it’s Founder’s Day…We would love you, please, to create the most incredible, outrageous, flamboyant, delicious, beautiful Showstopper Bake – and remember, you have got to be sponsored to do it: that is how we raise the dough to raise the dough. See what I did there!”

Anyone making a ‘bake’ – which can be a cake, biscuits, bread or other dish – is invited to send Mel a photo of it via [email protected] for her to judge. Bakes with a musical and/or a QE theme will gain extra credit.

The YouTube Premiere also featured a special appearance by musician and improvisor extraordinaire ‘Harry the Piano’, recorded at the Coach House Piano Showroom on the King’s Road in Chelsea. The School’s new £75,000 grand piano, which will grace the Music School’s Recital Hall, is coming from Coach House.

After appealing for viewers to give generously to Founder’s Day and lauding yesterday’s Pianoathon at the School, Harry deftly played the Great British Bake Off TV theme in five very different musical styles – Mozart, Chopin, samba, rock band Queen and Debussy.

Other musical elements of the video included the National Anthem in the opening section performed by the Founder’s Day Chamber Choir. They were recorded in Chipping Barnet Parish Church, where the Founder’s Day Thanksgiving Service takes place in normal years. Also filmed in the church was a reading of the School Prayer by 2021 School Captain Siddhant Kansal and the singing of the Founder’s Day hymn, Now Thank We All Our God.

There were three performances from the Music School construction site:

•  Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, by the Foundation Day Saxophone Ensemble
• Oblivion, by the Year 8 Trio
• Prelude, Gavotte and Waltz from Shostakovich’s Five Pieces for Two Violins and Piano, by the Year 9 Trio.

The video’s closing credits were played over the Year 9 Trio’s performance. These included thanks to the sponsors and supporters of Founder’s Day – companies and organisations which are also listed in a specially produced brochure.

The reading of the Roll Call took place, as tradition dictates, in front of the Main Building, but because of the pandemic, only the School Captain, the House Captains and the Year 7 forms from each of the six Houses appeared, with the boys responding to the School Captain’s call with the words ‘Ad sumus’ (‘Here we are’).

The School Chronicle – a formally written summary of the School’s history – was recorded in various locations and featured a number of speakers, beginning with former Headmaster John Marincowitz (1999–2011) and including Governors, staff and pupils.

Year 9 pupil Zeyvuan Wu read the latest addition to the Chronicle – “And be it known that during the Covid-19 pandemic, which twice caused all the schools in the land to close their doors to most pupils, the challenges were faced with ingenuity and resolve” – before Mr Enright concluded the reading with the customary blessing upon the School: “May it always flourish!”

Other highlights of the Founder’s Day week have included a special event to celebrate QE Collections – a new online facility offering free access to a wide range of digitised archives relating to the School and local Barnet area – and the opening of advance pre-sale orders for Dr Marincowitz’s new definitive history of the School, which is due to go on sale during QE’s 450th anniversary year in 2023.

Brothers Jaydon and Kiaron Lad and their mum, Anjuna, are well past the half-way mark in their quest to run and cycle 300km to raise funds for the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s (FQE) charity.

Inspired by Kiaron’s success in raising money for the NHS during last year’s lockdown in a fundraising event created by QE’s Director of Sport, Jonathan Hart, the Lad family members set themselves the challenge of covering 100km each before this year’s FQE Founder’s Day on Saturday 19th June.

So far, they have successfully overcome near-freezing temperatures, illness and technical issues (a malfunctioning tracking app and bike speedometer) as they have clocked up the miles towards their ambitious target.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “Sadly, as in 2020, this year’s Founder’s Day will have to be a virtual event. The Founder’s Day Fete, organised by FQE, is usually our single biggest annual fundraiser, bringing in around £20,000 to help us provide state-of-the-art facilities and increased opportunities for all our pupils. Last year, thanks to the sterling efforts of many across the Elizabethan community, we successfully reached that target.

“I commend the Lad family on their efforts on FQE’s behalf and wish them well as they seek to complete their ambitious challenge. As we look forward to the day itself, I hope many will sponsor them and will also back the exciting fundraising activities we are planning.”

Jaydon, of Year 7, said: “During lockdown, both the School and my parents stressed the importance of staying active and exercising (outdoors if possible) in order to look after our mental and physical health. We were keen to do something that would provide a challenge – so nothing too easy and straightforward, but then on the other hand nothing too difficult.

“My brother has been going out running and has also inspired our mum to take it up. Not being a fan of long-distance running myself, I thought I could join them on my bicycle, and, from there, the idea of raising money for the School was born.”

It was, said Jaydon, a challenge which fulfilled the desired ‘SMART’ criteria, since it was Specific, Measurable (using the speedometer and apps), Achievable, Realistic and Timely (if steady progress was maintained, they should have sufficient time to complete it before the Founder’s Day deadline).

Venturing out mostly at weekends, the Lad trio got off to a strong start, covering 31.76km between them on their first excursion.

It has not always been easy.  Jaydon initially found it difficult to adjust his speed to that of the runners, and, on week 2, in addition to his “not really feeling it”, his speedometer started displaying in mph instead of kph, necessitating a little mental arithmetic to make the conversion on the fly. A few days later, Kiaron, of Year 9, and his mum headed out again, but Jaydon felt unwell and stayed in bed, making up the distance missed with his own solo effort a few days later.

The three’s longest distance came the day after Jaydon’s 12th birthday when, in honour of the occasion, his mum suggested they try to cover 12km each. They duly hit this target, with a combined total of 37.01km.

Two days later, they were out again. “I was expecting another slow bike ride today, but boy was I wrong!” reported Jaydon in his fundraising diary. “As we were only aiming for 5km, my mum and my brother were looking at trying to beat their previous run times and were running faster than normal.” Both of them achieved it.

That speedy effort took the total for their first seven runs and rides to 183.63km, which leaves them well set to meet their overall goal of covering the 300km on or before Saturday 12th June, the weekend before Founder’s Day.

• To sponsor the Lad family, simply visit the Virtual Founder’s Day JustGiving page which has just been set up, mentioning ‘The Lads 300km’ in any accompanying message.

Coronavirus restrictions may have forced major changes to QE’s normal Christmas arrangements, but there was festive spirit aplenty in the final week of the Autumn Term.

Boys and staff enjoyed tucking into a Christmas lunch with all the trimmings. Year 7 boys enjoyed an adapted version of the carol service, held this year at the School, instead of at the parish church.

And QE’s commitment to service and the community was not forgotten: the normal Christmas collections for charity went ahead, with parents, boys and staff giving generously to support local people in need.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “My congratulations and thanks go to everyone who has worked hard to ensure that, Covid-19 notwithstanding, the final week of term was as festive as ever. I wish everyone in our Elizabethan community a restful Christmas holiday at the end of this difficult year, and a healthy and happy 2021.”

In normal years, QE’s Service of Lessons and Carols takes place in St John the Baptist Church in Barnet, with a congregation including staff and all the Year 7 boys, as well as musicians and readers drawn from other year groups.

That was not possible this year, so QE brought the church to the School instead! Last week, a small group of senior musicians went to St John’s to pre-record two anthems.

These were then played between the carols, readings and antiphon performed live in this week’s Carol Service for the Year 7 year-group bubble.

“This gave our Year 13 boys a chance to sing at St John’s, and our Year 7s got to see what the church is like – on video at least,” the Headmaster said. “Hearing the carols ringing out from the Main School Hall lent a wonderfully festive atmosphere to the School, and our Year 7s savoured the opportunity to become part of this well-loved QE tradition.”

Readers included senior staff and 2020 School Captain Ivin Jose, with the Headmaster as usual giving the final Scripture reading, the famous prologue to John’s gospel.

The video segments featured the Year 13 Choir singing The First Nowell and Holst’s arrangement of the carol, Personent Hodie, from the Piae Cantiones collection of mediaeval songs.

The service also included performances of the popular traditional carols: Once in Royal David’s City; O Little Town of Bethlehem; O Come all ye Faithful, and Hark the Herald Angels Sing!

The Year 7 boys were mostly seated in the main floor area.

Social distancing was carefully observed: readings were given from the stage, while the musicians from other year groups – the choir, trumpeters and Year 12 Strings – were well spread.

Earlier in the week, pupils relished their Christmas lunch, with the catering team pulling out all the stops to serve up a festive feast of roast turkey or wild mushroom filo pastry crown, with pigs-in-blankets, stuffing, carrots, Brussel sprouts, parsnips, cranberry jelly and gravy, followed by Christmas pudding or yule log.

QE also continued with its annual collection for local charitable organisations, choosing this year to support Homeless Action in Barnet and Hornsey Parish Church, which is acting as a foodbank hub.

Parents, pupils and staff have been donating non-perishable food items, clothing and blankets over recent weeks, and yesterday a group of Year 9 volunteers helped to load a record number of bags into a QE minibus, ready for delivery.

Head of Extra-Curricular Enrichment Rebecca Grundy said: “We are very grateful to everyone who donated, and to our prefects and Year 9 helpers.

“This support will make a huge difference to vulnerable people this Christmas.”

Year 7 boys enjoyed the cut and thrust of competition as teams met in a charity quiz, held last term, to raise money for QE’s long-running Sai School Appeal.

The School’s youngest boys have been learning all about the appeal, which began in 2002 and supports the rural Sai School in Kerala, India, funding projects there such as a new computer room, and helping with a move from rented accommodation to a new two-acre campus.

Appeal president Tashane Akarawita, of Year 13, who organised the event jointly with his deputy, Sai Puppala, also of Year 13, said: “Our projects in the past have allowed remarkable developments on the Sai School site to be made possible, and it became my mission to continue this legacy. Unfortunately, the coronavirus has had an enormous impact on lives in India so our fundraising for the Sai School this year is more important than ever.”

The appeal is a year-round QE charity activity run by a team of sixth-formers who are currently supported by Languages teacher Katrin Hood. Tashane explained that COVID had restricted QE’s fund-raising in the 2019–2020 academic year, with a number of events cancelled because of lockdown – another reason to redouble efforts this year, he said.

He showed the younger boys an illustrated PowerPoint presentation to introduce them to the appeal and to the school, whose full title is the Sri Sathya Sai English Medium School. The school educates children from kindergarten through to Year 12.

In previous years, several recent QE leavers have visited the Sai School and undertaken work experience there.

The current fund-raising target is to secure sufficient sponsorship to support 30 pupils – the equivalent of a QE form – throughout their full-time education at the Sai School.

After eight teams competed in two lunchtime rounds in the Main School Hall, the two highest scorers – Stapylton House’s Pixellated Ice Cream (Daniel Zhu, Yang Song, Rahul Wimalendran and Akshaj Vyas) and The Master Minds from Broughton (Shreyas Iyengar, Oscar Kaltenbronn, Tunishq Mitra and Vyom Srivastava) – fought it out in a classroom final. Saransh Gupta and Chinmaya Dave had also been part of the Broughton team for the heats.

The quiz comprised mostly general knowledge questions, although there was also a Spot the hidden word round and a problem-solving round.

It was a lively final, with even the spectators taking part, supplying the answers when the two teams drew a blank and enjoying some ‘just for fun’ Mathematics riddles at the end while the scores were being added up.

In the end, The Master Minds lived up to their name and emerged as the winners. The event raised £139. The boys were charged £2 to take part in the quiz and £1 to spectate at the final.

Tashane added: “I was very proud to be elected as the President of the Sai School Appeal, allowing us to continue the amazing fund-raising QE students have achieved over the last eighteen years.

“The appeal is an immensely worthy cause and we strive to ensure our events are always meticulously planned to be able to support those who are less fortunate than us.”

• Here is a sample of the general knowledge questions asked in the quiz. Answers below.

1. Who played James Bond in the film Quantum of Solace?
2. How many capital cities does South Africa have?
3. What is the boy in the DreamWorks logo holding in his hand?

Answers:

1. Daniel Craig
2. Four
3. A fishing rod.

Boys from across QE staged an online talent show to raise funds for the nearby Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice – the School’s main chosen charity of the year.

Pupils of every age, from Year 7 to the Sixth Form, were given two weeks to prepare their acts and then submit recordings to the School. More than 20 boys took part, coming up with a huge variety of acts, from comedy and card tricks to a Shakespearean recitation and classical music performances.

Their video and audio clips were then edited together by Aryan Saraf, now of Year 12, and published – for a short period only – on YouTube after being launched as a YouTube Premiere.

Boys and their families were also invited to donate online to Noah’s Ark, whose funding has suffered badly during the coronavirus crisis as normal fundraising events have been cancelled. They quickly raised £120, and donations have continued to flow in since.

Noah’s Ark helps seriously unwell children and their families make the most of the time they have together. The majority of the babies and children it supports are unlikely to reach their 18th birthday.

Rebecca Grundy, QE’s Head of Extra-curricular Enrichment, paid tribute to Aryan, to all the contributors, and especially to Charity Vice-Captains (prefects), Rukshaan Selvendira and Janujan Satchi. “Rukshaan and Janujan did a great job of organising it, and their efforts were amply rewarded when boys from all years of the School contributed an amazingly varied set of acts, displaying some great skills and (in some cases) previously hidden talents.”

Extra-Curricular Enrichment Tutor Micah King added: “We were delighted to be able to play our part in helping Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice at this particularly difficult time.

“The hospice is, after all, not only a very worthy cause, but also a neighbour – you can see its new building, The Ark, from the rugby pitches on our back field.”

Rukshaan was himself among the contributors, submitting a colourful audio-visual display, featuring electronic music, entitled Prospect.

The musical elements of the programme also featured speed tabla-playing by Isher Jagdev, the performance of an original song by guitarist Aadarsh Khimasia (pictured top), and other performances on instruments including the piano, guitar and drums, while Arjun Patel sang Brahm’s Wiegenlied (Lullaby).

There was magic, including the card tricks, and mind-reading, too. The current Year 8 was particularly strongly represented, with, for example, Ryuki Watanabe giving an Easy origami tutorial, Vedh Shashi telling jokes, and William Joanes donning theatrical costume to recite passages from Macbeth, directly from his kitchen.

Afterwards, one anonymous donor wrote on the Noah’s Ark website: “I wish the children in your care well and thank you for supporting them and their families. Their bravery inspires the boys at QE incredibly.”

Further donations may be made here.

Sixth-former Mahdi Dhirani successfully undertook the longest bike ride of his life to raise money for an international charity.

Together with 35 other cyclists from his local community centre, Mahdi raised more than £31,000 by riding 56 miles from London to Brighton. He completed the distance in just over five hours.

Mahdi, of Year 13, said he was motivated by the desire both to give something back to society and to take on a personal challenge. “It was an opportunity to push myself, as well as being a chance to get to know more people within my community and spend some quality time with my dad, who also joined me on the ride.“

“It allowed me to break my limiting beliefs, as you need a strong mind to get over the steep hills.” The north-to-south route to the coast involves an elevation gain of 3,294ft. Overall, the ride and the preparation had proved an enjoyable and fulfilling experience, he said.

Mahdi trained for more than six weeks for the ride, cycling at least twice every week, whether on his own or with his group, Stanmore Jafferys.

“I cycled to Regents Park, Richmond Hill, Green Park and many other places in London, as well as a number of local routes around Hertfordshire. I took part in the Prudential London 2019 ride, which is an eight-mile ride around London’s most iconic landmarks; all the roads are closed, making it a fascinating adventure to see the landmarks on a bike.”

The money will go to WF-Aid’s Ali Asghar Water Appeal to provide clean water for disadvantaged families in developing countries. WF-Aid is part of the World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities.