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Letter from the Headmaster
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Dear Parents and Boys
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Over the past few months, all of us – staff and boys alike – have worked hard in extraordinary circumstances, and I pay tribute to the fortitude shown by so many during this period. We have managed to maintain a high degree of continuity and productivity, not merely marking time in our remote teaching & learning, but pressing ahead with the curriculum and covering a great deal of content. As a result, a large majority of our boys can look forward to the holidays without any sense of disquiet, knowing that, the coronavirus crisis notwithstanding, they are in a very good place academically. Some, though, will need to act on the advice of their teachers and use part of the summer break to plug a few gaps. The Heads of the Academic departments, along with their colleagues, put a great deal of careful thought into the design of the curriculum this term; now they are planning equally carefully for the consolidation work that will be needed to complement this in the coming academic year.
Working at home has necessarily involved a tremendous amount of screen time, with work accessed via eQE. Today, however, is the last day of remote learning lessons for Years 7, 8 and 9: it is now time for our younger boys to switch off their computers and get stuck in to the practical activities created for their Virtual Enrichment Week. There is plenty in the programme to enable them to tackle the required four activities a day, with lots of variety to add spice to their final week of term and, I hope, also to serve as inspiration for worthwhile things to do in the summer break.
We have been keen to give boys across the year groups opportunities to spend some time back on site before the end of term. In this QE Update, you can read about the activity days for Years 7–9, the special masterclasses we have arranged for Year 10, and the pastoral workshops for Year 12. There is also an invitation to our first live Music concert in lockdown, a link to our report on the exciting double award success of our Year 12 engineers and information about our induction programme for boys joining Year 7 this year and about our Virtual Open Day for families hoping their sons will be able to do the same in the years to come.
The School will be closed as normal over the holidays, as staff take a very well-earned break. We have chosen to run our summer results days as celebratory events: we want to congratulate our students in person and be on hand to provide them with any advice and guidance they need, particularly relating to university entrance. These take place, with strict social distancing for those able to attend, on the originally scheduled days, namely Thursday 13th August for A-levels and Thursday 20th August for GCSEs. Details of the arrangements will be provided to those year groups. Preparations will continue on site throughout the holidays, however, so that we are ready to welcome all year groups back, full-time, in line with national policy, from 3rd September. Detailed planning with respect to health and safety is being kept under constant review and we will be writing to you towards the end of the holidays with more information on this; the wellbeing of everyone in the Elizabethan community continues to be front and centre in our thinking.
My best wishes
Mr Neil Enright
Headmaster
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Great to have you back!
The first three years are enjoying the opportunity to come back to the School site and meet up with their friends and tutors for the first time in nearly four months.
During the socially-distanced activity days, the boys spend time with their tutor and Head of Year. They complete an enrichment activity, working with their peers to design an app – not actually programming, but thinking about its elements and features. They also have their own mini-sports days, the results of which will contribute to the House Competition. Year 8 (pictured) and Year 9 days have already taken place; Year 7 come in on Monday.
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Screen-off, Hands-on: Virtual Enrichment Week 2020
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.
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Strong finishers: masterclasses help Year 10 tie up any loose ends
With their examinations now behind them, Year 10 boys are taking a series of masterclasses this week and next that have been arranged to ensure their best possible academic finish to the School year.
Recapping on any particularly challenging material taught in remote learning during lockdown, subject teachers are focusing on topics about which boys raised the most questions. The masterclasses provide an opportunity for anything that was difficult to do through eQE, such as discussion and debate, group work and practicals. And teachers are also setting the scene for the next stages in GCSE studies. All boys are in for two days.
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Pastoral focus for Year 12
In Year 12’s visits next Wednesday and Thursday, the emphasis is on pastoral matters.
The sixth-formers’ programme features: an assembly by Head of Year Helen Davies; bespoke 15-minute meetings with form tutors and a workshop to provide support with writing the UCAS personal statement. To complete the day, there are special workshops with two Old Elizabethans acknowledged as experts in their fields: Bilal Harry Khan (2003–2010, pictured) on Tackling discrimination and prejudice and Kam Taj (2004–2011) on Intrinsic motivation.
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Join QE’s first live Zoom concert
School musicians stage their first live concert since lockdown next week, with all parents and supporters of QE invited to listen.
Director of Music Ruth Partington said: “Having successfully broadcast recorded music as YouTube Premieres, we have decided to experiment with a live Zoom event. Compared to our normal concerts, we have a relatively small number of performers and it would be great if people could sign in and join us, even if their son is not directly involved this time.”
Solo performers will include:
Year 7: Richard Cheung (flute), Colin Copcea (piano) and Leo Sellis (saxophone)
Year 8: Jason Tao (violin) and Hayden Roskosch (double bass)
Year 9: Isher Jagdev (tabla)
Year 12: George Raynor (saxophone) and Tashane Akarawita (clarinet).
There is also a vocal duet from Arjun and Shivas Patel (of Year 9 and Year 11 respectively), and a saxophone and piano duet from Keir and Conor Parker-Delves (also of Year 9 and Year 11).
The concert begins at 4pm on Wednesday 15th July, with audience members requested to sign in from 3.50pm onwards. (The 3pm Zoom start time is for performers only.) All audience members are requested to keep themselves muted, unless requested otherwise.
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Doing the double! Sixth-Form engineers take two major construction industry awards
A Year 12 team won both the prestigious Innovation Award and the new People’s Choice Award at the SECBE Constructing Excellence Awards.
Competing against entries from leading professional construction firms, QE’s four-strong Engineering Education Scheme team were rewarded by the judges for the strength of their design project aimed at reducing the risk of injury from band saws.
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A special welcome for our newest Elizabethans
The boys joining Year 7 this September are being welcomed in a special series of meetings in their new tutor groups. During the induction meetings, the boys not only have an opportunity to meet the Headmaster, Head of Year 7 Tom Harrison, their tutors and their soon-to-be classmates via Zoom, but also to introduce themselves and ask questions.
The meetings are part of a full virtual induction programme, introduced by a special email to the new families. Elements include a video welcome from the Headmaster, as well as an introduction to pastoral care from Deputy Head (Pastoral) David Ryan, an online assembly from Mr Harrison, talks from School Captain Ivin Jose and Senior Vice-Captain Guy Flint, and a link to the pre-admissions area of eQE.
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Virtual Open Day
With the School unable to hold its normal July open day this year, a dedicated website section has been created as the 2020 Virtual Open Day.
The section includes resources both for those hoping their sons will join Year 7 in September 2021 (the deadline for requests to sit this year’s entrance test is at noon today) and for families with younger boys. Included are a series of videos introduced by the Headmaster and focusing on topics including free-thinking scholarship, extra-curricular activities and pastoral provision.
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Queen Elizabeth's School, Queen's Road, Barnet, Hertfordshire, EN5
4DQ
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