A series of special events have been helping boys due to join Year 7 in September start to get to know each other and learn their way around the campus.
The half-day induction sessions for the boys and their parents offered opportunities for the soon-to-be Elizabethans to meet those who will be in their form groups, as well as their form tutors and their Head of Year.
Headmaster Neil Enright explained to them what ‘the QE experience’ entails, while current boys, including School Captain Aashish Khimasia, of Year 12, and three boys at the end of their first year, added their perspectives.
“These events are about welcoming the boys and their families and helping support the transition to secondary school, ensuring that there are some familiar faces come September,” explained Mr Enright afterwards. “The induction sessions also make clear that it is, in fact, the whole family that is joining the Elizabethan community and that parents (through our home-school partnership) will play a very significant role in the success of their sons.”
After hearing from the Headmaster and these current pupils, the boys headed off into their new form groups for activities designed both to enable them to become acquainted with each other and to learn more about the School itself.
The activities included a tour of the School, led by prefects, with an accompanying quiz for the boys to complete on their way round. “One of the big challenges of going to secondary school can be the sheer scale of the site, so anything to help new boys get their bearings is useful,” said Mr Enright.
Parents were given further briefings by QE’s leadership, including an introduction to the School’s support systems and the role of the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s. They then had the opportunity to talk to the Headmaster over coffee.