Since Founder’s Day is our main annual fundraiser for the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s charity, I am delighted to be able to report that we have comprehensively beaten our £25,000 Founder’s Day target. The current grand total stands at £34,590.75 – and still rising! That includes takings on the day, sponsorship from Friday’s eve-of-Founder’s Day House Music competition, advertising revenue, online giving and Gift Aid. Thank you to everyone who has given so generously. There is still time to donate: our dedicated Founder’s Day JustGiving page remains open.

All the proceeds will go to purchasing the audio-visual equipment needed for The Robert Dudley Studio. As a School, we recognise the importance of nurturing oracy and presentation skills among the boys. The project has progressed rapidly since the contractors moved in last term and is now largely complete. Once fully equipped with the AV kit, the new 200-seat facility in the heart of our School will function very effectively as a state-of-the-art drama studio and venue for the spoken word, helping us prepare our pupils even better for their futures. 


There really was something for everyone at the FQE fete, which got off to a rousing start as the School Choir, massed winds and strings, took to the stage, followed by the electric guitar ensemble. Other performances included demonstrations of yoga, gymnastics, traditional Indian classical dance, and Bollywood dance. The friendly competition between the Indian and Sri Lankan food tents of previous years continued, and both the 2024 School Captain, Chanakya Seetharam, and members of staff took their turns in the ‘stocks’ (or, more accurately, the pillory). The wide array of stalls offered everything from a coconut shy to a lucky dip, with items on sale ranging from jewellery to plants, books and toys.

The morning’s Service of Thanksgiving, while necessarily more formal, was also most enjoyable. Our guest speaker, Old Elizabethan Sam Goodman (2002–2009), a fast-rising young barrister, delivered an address packed with advice for the Year 7 boys in the congregation. We then all made our way from the Parish Church to the School for the traditional Roll Call and Reading of the School Chronicle, prior to the opening of the fete. Fortunately, the weather smiled on us as we lined up in front of the Main Building, and it continued to stay dry almost to the very end of the fete. (Commiserations, though, to those who did get caught up in the 12 o’clock downpour, just as the volunteers were putting the finishing touches to the stalls…).



Our 44-page colour Founder’s Day programme was packed with special features. Those who could not make it on the day can read it here.

Once again, my thanks and warm wishes go to everyone who lent their support to Founder’s Day 2024. If you enjoyed this year’s fete, may I ask that you consider volunteering for Founder’s Day on Saturday 21st June, 2025. Planning will be starting soon!

Mr Neil Enright
Headmaster