The Great QE Sponsored Showstopper Bake: announcing the winner

The results are in, and Mel Giedroyc, TV celebrity and judge of the Showstopper Bake has made her decision – but not before marvelling at the skill of the brilliant bakers in the QE community. “I’m truly overwhelmed by the amazing standard of these cakes. They really are showstoppers, each and every one of them – huge congratulations to everyone who did a sponsored bake. Drum roll please…the winner is the one, the only, star baker…”

Musicians smash fundraising target in Pianoathon 

From the opening bars of TV’s Peppa Pig theme tune played by a Broughton team through to the closing moments, which were performed by Underne’s musicians to a chorus of cheers and applause, the House Pianoathon Challenge brought six hours of non-stop music to the Main School Hall. Each of the six Houses comfortably beat its £1,000 target, led by Broughton, which raised £1,496.25.

“Our overall Pianoathon total, including Gift Aid, stands at £8,230.25, which has been added to the overall total on the main Founder’s Day JustGiving page. That is a magnificent total, and my thanks go both to the dozens of musicians who took part and to the friends and family who have supported them so generously,” said Director of Music Ruth Partington. The money will be used to help pay for the upright pianos needed for each of the seven practice rooms in the new Music School. Miss Partington also thanked visiting adjudicator, Mr Huw Jones, Director of Music at The John Lyon School in Harrow, who listened to all six hours and will be picking the winners in the various categories in due course.

“We will have lovely, lovely cakes!”
Bingo, a Night of Variety…and tea with Mel

The lucky winner of a top FQE live auction prize will enjoy tea with TV celebrity Mel Giedroyc at a central London venue. She is promising that “anecdotes and tales” from her colourful career will be served up alongside “lovely, lovely cakes”. The live auction is part of a Night of Variety on Saturday 10th July at 6.30pm, organised by the FQE Parent Ambassadors.

If you would like to donate an item or an experience as a prize, there is still time – just go to the FQE page on the Givergy website. The Night of Variety will also include performances, interactive quizzes, a lucky dip and a game of Catch Phrase. Tickets for the night cost a minimum donation of £15 per family. Before that, at 7pm this Saturday, 26th June, is another event organised by the ambassadors – an FQE Bingo Night. A donation of £10 secures four tickets, or it is £20 for ten.

Online now! QE’s first-ever TEDx conference

Fourteen boys and three members of staff took part in a specially licensed TEDx conference at QE designed to promulgate “ideas worth spreading”. TED created the TEDx programme of local, self-organised events to bring people together and promote deep discussion. Filmed and produced entirely in-house, the conference saw QE speakers demonstrate their skills in oratory, delivering thoughtful talks on a broad range of topics, from AI to racism in football.

The pupils involved included: Senior Vice-Captain Sultan Khokhar, of Year 12, looking at why people have always fought wars; Mathematics teacher Navjeet Swatch asking Are we living in the Matrix?; Advay Bhat, of Year 7, taking a look at human behaviour and how it impacts the world, and Ben Rock, of Year 11, considering the question of How sport can improve academic achievement.