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| Issue 12 | Spring 2015 |
An e-newsletter produced by Queen Elizabeth's School
for all our old boys. We trust you will enjoy reading
it and will also take the opportunity to visit the alumni
section of our website.
 Headmaster's update The visit of the US Ambassador, Matthew Barzun, to Queen Elizabeth's School on the first day of term ensured that we enjoyed a truly memorable start to 2015. His talk proved both informative and thought-provoking in equal part. Mr Barzun's visit (pictured) was followed by the publication of the Government's league tables of school performance, which placed QE in first position nationally among both state and independent schools for its GCSE results. The School also ranked among the very best performers across the country at A-level. Whilst individual journalists selected different measures to interpret the data, the overall picture was clear: QE was among the very highest performers nationally at both Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5. Find out more |
 Heartfelt thanks from leading surgeon Distinguished international surgeon Kamran Baig returned to QE to give a speech at the Sixth Form Luncheon - and explained that it was his way of saying 'thank you'. Kamran (OE 1984-1991) has performed more than 2,000 heart operations, published 30 papers and delivered numerous international presentations, as well as lecturing at some of the world's leading medical schools. Yet, as he explained when he wrote to the School after the event, it had long been an ambition of his to return to QE - an ambition that had previously been thwarted only by his busy work schedule. "As I alluded to in my talk, gratitude is an essential quality and this was my way of expressing gratitude to QE for providing me with a platform on which to go on to greater heights." Find out more |
 NEWSMAKERS Fast friends in first-ever marathon Five QE old boys have teamed up to run the Paris Marathon for charity next month - the first time any of them have competed at such a distance. Adeel Haque, Alister Heywood, Simon Nikolov, Jake Sittampalam and Jonathan Bradshaw, who were all at QE from 2005-2012, hope to raise £4,000 for The Children's Trust, the UK's leading charity for children with brain injury. "As keen sportsmen who continued to remain active and play sport after leaving QE, we decided in September last year that we might like to complete a marathon at some point, despite our collective shortage of long-distance running history," said Adeel. "We were inspired by The Children's Trust, a cause close to Simon's heart in particular." Find out more |
 NEWSMAKER Shaping the next generation Only four years after graduating from Oxford, Andrew Kramer has already put his desire to help young people develop their skills into practice in three different countries. He has developed an e-learning app, taught in China and, in his current role with global business consultancy McKinsey & Company, has worked with clients focusing on education and young people. Andrew (OE 2001-2008) got in touch with QE after being impressed at the calibre of current QE Year 13 pupil Bilal Hussain, whom he met at the McKinsey Leadership Academy. Find out more |
 NEWSMAKERS Medics shine at Barts and The London QE contemporaries Joseph Masters and Priyank Patel have amassed a remarkable collection of accolades during their medical studies. The pair, who were both at the School from 2004 until 2011, have won no fewer than eight awards and scholarships between them, with a record of success that began as early as their very first term. Joseph and Priyank are at 'Barts and The London' (The London School of Medicine and Dentistry), which is the medical school faculty at Queen Mary University of London. Find out more |
 NEWSMAKER Take some risks; follow your interests In a career that has taken in City trading floors, learning high-speed driving manoeuvres, postings in Africa and senior management with a FTSE250 insurance company, Paresh Thakrar has learned a few things! A keen advocate of 'portfolio careers' - "more interesting and more fun" - OE Paresh believes one of the key lessons is that it is important to continue to learn and renew yourself throughout your career. "There is no substitute for 'experiential learning', taking risks in your career choices and following your interests, so long as you can demonstrate some consistent thought around your decisions." Find out more |
 NEWSMAKER As seen on TV: OE's high-profile business launch Antony Pink has realised a long-standing ambition to become an entrepreneur with the launch of his own mobile start-up company, Laundrapp. Antony (OE 2000-2007) was a keen rugby-player at School and was then known as Kishan, having subsequently begun using his middle name, Antony, instead. Since leaving QE to study Business Management at Nottingham University, a fascination with business has been a constant theme of his life. While at Nottingham, he was involved in business start-up societies and says it was already in his mind that he would one day like to launch a business of his own. Find out more |
 NEWSMAKER Riding high: George the Poet 2015 is fast becoming an annus mirabilis for George Mpanga, or George the Poet, as he is now better known. Already a favourite on youtube, George has soared to new heights in his career in the past three months. His politically and socially motivated work earned him a runner-up spot in the 2015 Brits Critics' Choice Award. Soon after, George (OE 2002-2009) came fifth in the prestigious and influential BBC Sound of 2015 competition and tenth in MTV's Brand New for 2015 competition. In each competition, he was competing as a poet against a field that comprised largely musicians: previous winners of the Brits Critics and the BBC awards include Adele and Sam Smith. Find out more |
 EVENTS The School marked half a century of dinner debates... Find out more Founder's Day: service; OE Lunch; Stanley Busby Memorial Cricket Match (School XI vs old boys' team) with OE refreshment tent; FQE Fete OE Association Dinner For more information about alumni events, please contact the Headmaster's Office |
| Through this e-newsletter and the alumni section of The Queen Elizabeth's School website, the School is aiming to strengthen its links with former pupils. If you wish to find out more about having an active role in supporting the school as a past pupil, please contact: alumni@qebarnet.co.uk   |
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