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In his end-of-year message, part of the virtual House Assembly, Headmaster Neil Enright announced the winners of the Eric Shearly House Cup and commended both staff and boys for their achievements during this period of “great stress”.

(Text continues below the video.)

Addressing the boys through a video, he said: “Despite the difficulties of living, learning, and socialising from the isolation of our homes, you have stuck together and remained engaged with your House, your School and your wider community. Your ambition, wit, diligence, and principles have not been suppressed.

“Although I am sad that we could not gather together in the Shearly Hall for the presentation, I take great comfort from the fact that the adventurous spirit and scholarship that fired those who received the charter for our foundation from Queen Elizabeth I 447 years ago find full expression in the School in the summer of 2020. I would like to take this opportunity, on your behalf, to thank the staff. They have worked tirelessly for your benefit to keep things as normal as possible. But most of all, I want to thank you for being brilliant Elizabethans.

He announced the results of the annual House Cup competition in reverse order:

6th – with 258 points – Harrisons’

5th – with 262 points – Leicester

4th – with 269 points –  Underne

3rd – with 273 points –  Broughton

2nd  – with 282 points – Pearce

1st – with 294 points – Stapylton

Points for the House Cup are amassed during the year from a wide variety of competitions, sports successes and special events, as well as from good notes and merits awarded to the boys by the teachers.

Mr Enright observed that Stapylton has now been the winning house in four of the last six years – 2020, 2018, 2016 and 2015. “Stapylton House is, of course, currently blessed with strong leadership and I offer my heartiest congratulations, and virtual handshake, to Jack Runchman, the House Captain, and Hari Gajendran, the Deputy House Captain, for their great work over the last couple of terms.

The House is named after Henry Edward Stapylton, the School’s Chairman of Governors from 1873 to 1885. “Mr Stapylton was a bold leader who, having purchased Stapylton field for the benefit of the School in 1886, ultimately paved the way for the School to relocate to our spacious Queen’s Road campus in 1932. This move was incredibly significant in our history. The expansion in pupil numbers, so that we are now more than three times the size we were in the 1930s, and much of what we take for granted as the everyday QE experience, simply wouldn’t be possible without the great accommodation we enjoy today.”

Reflecting on the year in the context of the long history of the School, Mr Enright said: “We are really fortunate to be the current stewards of this brilliant, historic organisation during its period of greatest strength. This school has survived plague, Civil War, and much more besides, during many years in High Barnet, and so it doesn’t surprise me that you, your parents, your teachers and support staff have risen so wonderfully to the challenges of 2020. I have been here for 18 years now, 50 per cent of that time as Headmaster, and never before have I been prouder of our School than I am in this period of lockdown.”

He concluded his message to the boys by looking forward: “Now is the time for a rest so that we are all prepared for a full return to life in Queen’s Road from September. The staff at the School are working very hard to plan for this, and work will continue during the holidays to ensure everyone’s safety first and foremost, but please be assured our goal is to return to as normal a routine as is possible.

“I will be writing to you at the end of the summer holidays with the details of our plans. Inevitably, some things will feel a little bit different in our new normal, but I know that everyone’s grit, determination and resilience will ensure that we will all take the next steps in our stride.

“In the meantime, have a great summer holidays everyone and I look forward to seeing you very soon.”

In his video address at this year’s Junior Awards, Headmaster Neil Enright acknowledged that, with the disruption, uncertainties, anxiety and “very real pain” caused by the global pandemic, people might feel there is little cause for celebration.

“Yet, despite all of this, indeed perhaps because of all of this, it is hugely important that we take the time to recognise and celebrate your exceptional contribution and performance over the course of the academic year,” said Mr Enright to the Year 7, 8 and 9 award-winners.

With the normal ceremony not possible because of Covid-19 restrictions, this year’s event was switched to an online format. This combined video messages with other innovations such as a message board where teachers have been able to leave messages of congratulations to the prize-winners on the School’s eQE digital platform.

Mr Enright spoke of “the high aspirations and common purpose that drive you, your parents, your teachers and other members of staff [and] the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s who continue to support our endeavours so generously, and our alumni who have been so engaged”.

He said that he hoped that the School would be able to return from what has become the ‘new normal’ to just ‘normal’. He added, however: “Our ‘normal’ at QE is anything but normal or ordinary; we are quite extraordinary. We were before Covid-19, we have been during it, and we will be after it.”

The Headmaster introduced a video address by Guest of Honour Jay Shetty (OE 1999–2006): “He is himself an extraordinary man – an author, a story-teller, a podcaster and former monk with a mission to make wisdom go viral. Having made the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and with 35 million social media followers, he is successful. I thank him for his support at this event.”

In his inspirational address, Jay echoed Mr Enright’s comments about the importance of celebration and said: “Even if today isn’t the celebration that you imagined, take time to celebrate today, make it special, make it important.”

Addressing the boys directly he said: “You’ve had the odds stacked against you; it’s been a difficult year – a tough time. But you’ve shown your courage, your resilience and focus even in tough times and this is an incredible ability that will stay with you forever.”

He recalled his own years at QE, and while acknowledging that he himself had never won one of the accolades or awards, he nevertheless believed the School to be an amazing institution. “I am grateful every single day that I attended QE. I know you may not feel like it now sometimes, it may feel like a long journey ahead, but I promise you, in the future, you will be so grateful to your parents; you will be so grateful to the teachers; you will be grateful to everyone that you went to such an incredible school. And I can’t wait to visit again, and I want to thank each and every single one of the teachers and the staff for making my experience there so open to evolution.”

Jay talked about his podcast, On Purpose, and about the inspirational individuals he has sat down and talked with, including the late Kobe Bryant, Alicia Keys, Yuval Noah Harari and billionaire Ray Dalio. “He [Ray Dalio] shared an equation with me that I wanted to share with you – I know it’s QE, hence the equation! – he said to me: ‘Pain + Reflection = Progress.’

“Now, the reason I love this equation is, if you remove the word reflection, all you are left with is pain, and it’s been a painful year for so many of us, but when we reflect, we find meaning, growth and evolution.”

Jay talked about the importance of reflection and of learning from success as well as failure: “If you reflect when you win, you will know how to do it again. And if you reflect when you lose, or fail, you will know what not to do again.”

He exhorted the boys: “Reflect on why you succeeded this year. Reflect on what you did differently. Deeply reverse-engineer and analyse the growth that you have made. Because when you do that, you’re going to be set up for success.”

He talked about his love of football and recalled the words of his coach when he was growing up in London. “He would always say to me: ‘When you lose, cry for a night and, when you win, celebrate for a night, and then move on.’

“And this is the best message that I can give you today: celebrate today, make it really important and special, but remember, tomorrow has more opportunities, tomorrow has more possibilities, and you’re creating an incredible future for yourselves.”

Pranav Challah, of Year 7, gave the traditional vote of thanks to Jay, saying: “We are sorry we did not get to meet you in person, but your willingness to assist us and the thoughts you have shared give us an insight into what it is really like to be part of the Elizabethan community and how the values of our community can help us thrive in the outside world. We wish you every success in your future endeavours and hope that one day we will be able to emulate your achievements.”

Announcing the Year 7 winners by video, the Head of Year, Tom Harrison, said it was important to understand the magnitude of the honours being bestowed: “In a year of 192 boys, to be the sole recipient of an award is no mean feat; it is a fantastic achievement.” The recipient of the Charles Fitch Memorial Award for Outstanding Commitment – and thus the overall award-winner for Year 7 – was Giuseppe Mangiavacchi.

Saim Khan, of Year 8, won the Rivlin Award for Outstanding Commitment. Head of Year Sean Kelly said: “He has gained an incredible number of merits this year and last year. He has worked conscientiously and is an inspiration for his peers. He embodies that great Elizabethan spirit that we want to see in all our boys.”

Head of Year 9 Rosemary Hall told the boys: “Winning an award is testament to your hard work and dedication to your studies and extra-curricular interests. I am very proud of all of you and all you have achieved.” Darren Lee received the Bob Govett Memorial Award for Outstanding Commitment.

The traditional musical interludes during Junior Awards were performed by:

• Leo Sellis (Year 7), saxophone – The First Movement of Sonata in G Minor by J. S. Bach
• Harrison Lee (Year 8) violin – A Trip Down Memory Lane, a selection of Sinfonietta pieces
• Nathan Woodcock (Year 9) – Scaramouche Movement 3 – Brazileria by Darius Milhaud

The Headmaster concluded by saying that he missed the usual opportunity provided by the Junior Awards Ceremony to shake the boys by the hand. Nevertheless he offered them congratulations and best wishes for the summer holidays.

For the final week of term, in celebration of the energy and self-discipline QE’s boys have shown in persevering with virtual education, Years 7–9 are being invited to take a break and enjoy some strictly offline activities.

Dubbed Screen-off, Hands-on, the 2020 Junior School Enrichment Week offers boys an array of ‘real-world’ tasks to complete at home.

Assistant Head (Pupil Involvement) Crispin Bonham-Carter says: “The boys have done really well to apply themselves to remote learning throughout a long term, so our staff have come up with any number of creative and challenging tasks to make their last week of the year memorable and fun.

“Each department has created exciting subject-related tasks, and boys will have total freedom to create their own Enrichment Week curriculum by choosing which four challenges they want to take on each day.

“They might spend the week making films, creating musical instruments, baking cakes, designing gardens, creating food-art, constructing bird boxes, exploring photography, learning origami, working with ‘tangrams’, writing songs, designing fashion shows, cooking German and French food, camping in their gardens, orienteering… the list goes on!

“The only stipulation is that they record images of their achievements and submit neatly labelled scrapbook-style records to their form blog. In years to come, these will serve as yet another record of the creativity, energy and sense of fun with which our boys met the challenges of the 2020 lockdown,” Mr Bonham-Carter added.

The programme has been designed to ensure all tastes are catered for and includes activities from subjects not taught in Years 7–9 – such as Economics and Sociology – as well as the usual Junior School curriculum subjects.

The challenges are accessed through a dedicated eQE page, with full guidance for the boys on how to complete them. The Art department, for example, is challenging boys to “get creative with the food you have at home and present it in an imaginative, unique and artistic way”. Copiously illustrated with photos and videos, the department’s page includes tips on photography and the preparation of the food. It suggests ways to complete the activity at different levels – easy, intermediate, challenging and ‘the ultimate challenge’ – although boys are also told “you have the option of directing yourself and experimenting in your own creative way”.

Alongside remote learning on eQE, boys from Years 7-10 and Year 12 will be invited into School for selected days during the last four weeks of the academic year.

In a programme carefully planned to address the differing educational and social needs of these year groups, boys will be able to spend time with their teachers and their friends in a safe, socially distanced way.

All parents and boys should be aware that there are no lessons on Friday 3rd July, as it is a training day.

Years 7, 8 and 9

Headmaster Neil Enright says: “We think it very important to keep in touch with these, our youngest students, whom we might not otherwise see for the entire six-month period between March and September.”

Pupils will therefore be invited into School on the following dates for enrichment days:

Year 9: Monday 6th July
Year 8: Tuesday 7th July
Year 7: Monday 13th July

Boys will be able to undertake a pastoral, enrichment and sporting activity, and to see their friends. They will also be able to return any textbooks they have.

They will be joined by their Head of Year, their Form Tutor and members of the PE department, with other pastoral staff also on hand to help out with the enrichment activities.

“We can do this safely because there will be very few boys from other years on the site on these three days and because the activities will be staggered, so there will never be more than three form groups in School at any one time, and often fewer,” said the Headmaster.

In addition to those on-site enrichment days, a remote Enrichment Week is being planned for the last week of the academic year, with formal remote learning lessons for Years 7 – 9 therefore ending on Friday 10th July. The week will feature a flexible menu of options that will allow boys to design their own programme.

Year 10 will be invited in for masterclasses on 8th, 9th, 10th and 14th July. Boys will be able to review with their teachers any particularly challenging lesson content covered since the lockdown began in March.

The masterclasses will provide an opportunity for the sort of learning activities that are more difficult when done through eQE, such as discussion and debate, group work, practicals and listening or speaking exercises. Teachers will also be setting the scene for the curriculum content on the horizon as boys move into Year 11.

Year 12 workshops will take place on 15th & 16th July, with 12A–E invited to attend on the 15th and 12F–J on the 16th. The workshops will have a pastoral emphasis and students will rotate between four different sessions:

• A one-on-one bespoke meeting with their form tutor to discuss their future ambitions and progress with their UCAS application. During this session, when not attending the bespoke meeting, pupils will be given guided support with their ‘personal statements’;
• An assembly with the Head of Year 12, Helen Davies;
• A session with Bilal Harry Khan (OE 2003–2010), exploring issues of prejudice and discrimination in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement;
• A session on Intrinsic Motivation with Kam Taj (OE 2004–2011).

Representatives of The Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s have joined their voices to urge fellow parents to dig deep to support the School on Founder’s Day.

FQE Executive Committee member Mrs Anna Westcott says: “This year, the need to raise funds is even more acute due to the severe impact of Covid-19 on the income of the School – like many organisations QE has been hit hard. Your donation will really make a difference, as every penny will count towards helping the School.”

Fellow committee member Mrs Rekha Essex adds: “Our boys are incredibly lucky to be part of this School and to be able to benefit from the facilities offered, so if you are able to support this fundraising initiative with a donation, however small, please do visit the JustGiving page to donate.”

Mr Willie Rodrigues, Chairman of the FQE Fete Committee, underlines the fact that if it were not for FQE’s fundraising endeavours, it would simply not be possible for QE to provide ‘a state school experience like no other’. “As parents,” he says, ”we see a brick building estate that is the ‘School’, but these buildings come alive to inspire, encourage and fulfil both the academic and non-academic aspirations of our boys. Imagine what the future holds for our boys with your continued generosity – even more so in these tough Covid-19 times – in aiding the School with its vision.”

As a parent ambassador, Mrs Westcott helps in the build-up to Founder’s Day by communicating FQE requirements to form representatives and other ambassadors – a process which helps bond the whole School community together, she says.

“The fete is our annual opportunity to raise funds for the enrichment and development of the School and pupils. Each year since my son has been at school, we have run the football stand. It has been a real pleasure and joy to see the faces of kids as they desperately try to win a football and how they use their intellect to work out the probability of pulling a winning ticket (only at QE!).”

While lamenting the loss of “the fun and the excitement of Founder’s Day in the open”, she stresses the need for parents to support its virtual replacement.

Mrs Essex added: “As a parent at QE since 2014, a keen supporter of FQE and parent ambassador, I have always been struck by the amazing fundraising efforts of the School and its community. The facilities offered to the boys are unparalleled and the School is constantly looking at additional ways to provide more to benefit its pupils.

“This ability to continue to improve the School comes from the steadfast support of the parents and FQE community through their generous monthly donations and fundraising for the School.” Although the fete – the biggest fundraiser in the School calendar, bringing in around £20,000 – cannot take place in its usual format this year, the School is still looking to raise an equivalent amount through the JustGiving page,” she says.

Chef Nik Gulhane is offering QE families a unique chance to learn how to cook a special Founder’s Day lunch live on YouTube.

Although anyone can watch, Nik, Founder of North London’s Spice Monkey cookery school, is especially encouraging QE pupils to try their hand at cooking – and urging them to get sponsorship to raise funds for the School for doing so. They can then serve up the feast to their families, thus making up for the missing culinary delights that are normally so popular a feature of the fete.

Nik spent many years working in bistros and French restaurants, as well as feeding some of the biggest names in rock and pop, from BB King to The Pogues. He has worked on food policy issues for DEFRA, made documentaries and reported on food for the BBC.

• The cook-along will be broadcast on Saturday 20th June, straight after the main YouTube Premier Founder’s Day video at noon. Click here for your printable ingredients list and preparation instructions.