Letter from the Headmaster

At a glance – our Founder’s Day programme

11am – Founder’s Day Service of Thanksgiving, at St John the Baptist Church (for Year 7 and invited guests). 

c.12.30pm – The Roll Call, in front of the Main Building – a long-held tradition, during which the Headmaster will read the School Chronicle (open to all). 

1pm – The FQE Fete begins on Stapylton Field – fabulous food, drinks, games, stalls, and stage performances for all the family (open to all). 

1pm – Memorial Service for Eamonn Harris, Headmaster 1985-1999, in The Friends’ Recital Hall – an opportunity to reflect upon his life and contribution to the School (open invitation, but please contact the Headmaster’s Office if you wish to attend). 

2pm – Stanley Busby Memorial Cricket Match, on Third Field – Old Elizabethans and current senior players compete in a friendly contest (spectators welcome; OEs keen to play should contact the School). 

4.30pm – Fete concludes, bringing Founder’s Day to an end.

The Robert Dudley Studio: the next act in the QE story

The Robert Dudley Studio is our next major FQE-supported project. For more details about why it’s important, where and how we will create it, and about the larger-than-life man behind the name, visit our dedicated project page. You can also watch a video in support from worldwide internet star and leading podcaster Jay Shetty (OE 1999–2006).

Music and The Voice: help your favourite House win the fundraising challenge!

Following the great success of last year’s Pianoathon, the Music Department have devised Music and The Voice – a new inter-House competition for 2022. Each House will have an hour to put on a concert on Friday 17th June, the eve of Founder’s Day, and they need your fundraising support. Every piece must feature both music and a vocal element – so, no instrumentals! Creativity is encouraged: as well as simply singing songs, boys could rap, read out a poem and then play music inspired by the words, or even act a movie scene, accompanied by the film score.

Proceeds from Music and The Voice will be shared between The Robert Dudley Studio project and the cost of commissioning a unique piece of music from world-renowned composer Howard Goodall, whose work includes the theme tunes for The Vicar of Dibley and Red Dwarf. The piece will have its world première at QE next year at a special event to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the School.

You can sponsor your favourite House at any point through each House’s JustGiving page, listed below.

Introducing the QE Instrument Donation Scheme

The School is launching our innovative Instrument Donation Scheme to widen participation in music and encourage the next generation of music-makers to develop their talent. TV celebrity Mel Giedroyc set us a good example when she donated her cello, Limon, last year as she called in for some pre-Founder’s Day filming. Now we are inviting you to follow her lead and donate instruments that you no longer want or need. All pre-loved instruments, including drum kits, are welcomed, with the exception of pianos.

Through the scheme, we will loan a donated instrument to a pupil while he is deciding whether to take it up. So, for example, a boy might receive a viola for his first block of lessons. If he chooses to continue, he will buy his own viola and return the loaned instrument to the scheme, ready for another boy to borrow. Those who would like to contribute, but have no instrument to give, are invited to make a monetary donation towards the scheme fund instead.

The fascinating history of our School, from Tudor roots to recent rescue and renaissance

The forthcoming definitive history of QE – Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet: 1573-2023 – promises to be an engaging read. The book will tell the story of how mighty external forces, ranging from civil war and pandemics to financial woes and national education reforms, caused huge swings in the School’s fortunes, at times putting its very existence at risk.

And not all these tales of jeopardy are as ancient as some in our current Elizabethan community might imagine! In fact, as Headmaster Neil Enright points out in the foreword, the book’s author (and his immediate predecessor), Dr John Marincowitz, himself played a key role in the School’s rescue from threatened closure in the mid-1980s and in its subsequent ascent towards our current position of national distinction. It is the inside story of how QE found succour in its roots, of how we returned to our Tudor charter’s vision of a school where academic attainment goes hand-in-hand with the development of character.

The book will be published to coincide with the School’s 450th anniversary in March 2023. The final script is now with the publishers. You can pre-order your copy at the time-limited offer price of £35.