Term 6 Newsletter 2025

Dear Parents, Carers and Students 

I cannot quite believe that we have already reached the end of the academic year - and what a year it has been! In this term alone we have seen students take part in a vast range of activities and opportunities across the faculties, achieve great sporting success and celebrate impressive creativity in a range of subjects. As always, this newsletter captures all that has been happening around the school and you will, I hope, get a sense of another productive and exciting term. Our Year 11 and Year 13 students completed their GCSE and A Level exams and our Year 8 students completed KS3 - it was wonderful to celebrate with them all at their respective proms. They all looked fabulous! We were delighted to welcome our new Year 7 students for their transition day and look forward to them becoming part of our school community in September. 

This year we sadly have to say goodbye to four highly valued members of staff, who will all be greatly missed. Mr Woods joined us in September 2022 and has been a great member of the Maths Faculty - bringing with him a huge amount of expertise in his subject and great enthusiasm in the classroom. Mrs Wanstall joined us in January 2012, initially as a food technician and latterly as a TA. We know that many students have really benefited from her excellent support over the years. Miss Slane joined the Sixth Form team in May 2009 and has been a tremendous support to generations of Sixth Form students. She has led our careers programme for many years and in this part of her role ensured that students have been fully prepared for their next steps in life. Her wisdom, humour, patience and kindness have always been highly valued by our Sixth Form students. Finally, Mr Chandler is retiring after 32 years at QE! A fantastic geography teacher, Head of Geography, Humanities Faculty Leader, Assistant Head of Sixth Form, Head of Careers and expert in flags, he has been central to the life of our school for many years. Students and staff will remember his brilliant teaching, excellent sense of humour and his massive commitment to our school. QE really will not be the same without him. We wish Mrs Wanstall, Mrs Slane and Mr Chandler a long and happy retirement and Mr Woods great success in his future school. 

I would like to end by thanking you all for your support in my first year as Headteacher of Queen Elizabeth’s. As ever, I feel immensely privileged to work with such a fantastic staff team and such wonderful students. We are all so proud of everything that has been achieved this academic year and are looking forward to September with great anticipation. Have a great summer! 

Kind regards 

Mrs A J McIlroy

Headteacher

Innovation Design Competition

Five students from the Year 12 Product Design class had their entries shortlisted for the Rotary Club’s Innovation Competition, which meant they were invited to present their design ideas to a panel of judges at Canterbury Christ Church University. The students took to the stage to present their original ideas to an engaged audience of Rotarians, supporters, fellow students and teachers. Stefan Colley – Chair of the Judges and Head of Outreach at Canterbury Christ Church University – praised it as a “brilliant year” for the competition.

First up was Hannah, who, inspired by her own grandfather, posed the question: “How does a visually impaired person know when their dinner is cooked?” Her solution: the “Therma Gauge Probe” – a smart handheld device designed to support visually impaired individuals in preparing their meals.

Lucy introduced her “UV-C disinfection” concept – a compact unit that could sit by a door handle to sanitise high-touch surfaces. Since the pandemic, we are all more aware of frequently touched surfaces and Lucy’s idea showed real potential for use beyond healthcare settings.

Medi followed with “The Memory Book” – an interactive audio photo album aimed at comforting those experiencing dementia-related memory loss. As Medi explained while showing a prototype, the book would allow users to hear familiar voices alongside images of friends and family – a touching and thoughtful concept.

Shasa brought an entirely different idea to the table: protective covers for spectacles using material similar to that found in phone screen protectors. It was a concept that struck a chord with the many audience members who struggle with scratched lenses!

Lastly, Leo presented his “Desk Drive” – a driving simulator designed to help learners grasp the basics of driving before getting behind the wheel. His idea could offer a safer and more environmentally friendly way of learning to drive.

In third place was Leo, with his “Desk Drive” simulator. “I hope to see your name in the papers one day,” Stefan quipped. Leo, smiling, responded, “I’ll make that happen!”

The top prize proved too close to call, with “barely a hair’s breadth between them” – so two joint winners were declared: one of which was Medi’s “Memory Book”.

“You should all go away knowing you’ve achieved something really special,” Stefan told all of the finalists who were present; each will receive a certificate of participation when back at their school.

National Youth Monologue Competition

Congratulations to our exceptional finalists and regional standouts at the National Youth Monologue competition. Two students, Lauren M and Elva H, performed their Shakespeare monologues at The Ambassador Theatre in the West End.

Lauren brought "Rosalind" to life with nuance and control—she created a full-fledged character with sustained presence and clarity. Elva delivered a hauntingly intense portrayal embracing the characters mad state with a commitment rarely seen even in professional performances.

We're also incredibly proud of our students from Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School who excelled at the regional level:

Emile B-H – Regional Shortlist, Classical
Lauren M – Regional Shortlist, Screen
Lauren M - Regional Shortlist, Contemporary

Emma W – Highly Commended, Classical
Eloise J – Highly Commended, Classical
Poppy S – Highly Commended, Classical
Roxy M – Highly Commended, Contemporary

These students earned distinctions for their outstanding dramatic talent and dedication—being named as regional shortlist finalists or receiving a Highly Commended ranking is a significant honour for the thousands of entries to this national competition.

RSC Shakespeare Ambassador Celebration Day

The Year 12 Shakespeare Ambassadors were part of a celebration day with other ambassadors across Kent on Friday 11th July.

Students were given a backstage tour of The Marlowe Theatre, a unique opportunity to understand and get up close (and high) to a working professional theatre. They then networked with other schools including primary, special educational and secondary schools who shared the work they did over the year to promote the work of Shakespeare.

Great QE Menu title (animation theme)

On Monday 30th June, a group of Year 9 and Year 10 finalists students competed against one another for the Great QE Menu title (animation theme), judged by Stephen Harris of The Sportsman.

The standard was extremely high and there was a clear link to the brief in each dish. The scores were all very high but unfortunately, there could only be one winner. Congratulations to Virtue A-D in Year 10, with her spicy beef taco dish, inspired by the taco stand in the animation film, 'Turbo'.

Year 9 Creative Arts and Technology Trip to Paris

Year 9 enjoyed a fantastic trip to Paris last week!

In a fully packed trip, we visited a chocolate factory and Rodin's garden, where students sketched some of Rodin's famous artwork. We also visited the Champs-Élysées for lunch, followed by a river trip down the Seine, passing famous landmarks such as the Notre-Dame and the Louvre.

We then took a stroll around the gardens surrounding the Eiffel Tower before ascending the Montparnasse Tower observation deck.

The following day was spent in Disneyland Paris. A perfect way to end the trip!

GCHQ newsletter - Top Secret Missions in MFL

Around 60 Year 9 linguists took part in a virtual languages event hosted by GCHQ. 

GCHQ, the Government Communications Headquarters, is the UK's intelligence, cyber and security agency. It's one of the three main UK intelligence agencies, along with MI5 and MI6. GCHQ focuses on gathering intelligence from communications, including those on mobile phones and the internet, to protect the UK from threats like cyberattacks, terrorism and serious crime.

In the presentation section of the event, we learned about the type of work that language analysts in particular undertake and that languages are an essential skill. The hosts told us that we all have a unique path to learning languages and that once you have learned one, picking up others is easier. Linguists can not only speak and translate from one language to another, but also have cultural insights and knowledge about current affairs, making them extremely employable. We learned that key intelligence questions (who, how, when) all help put pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together.

In breakout rooms, pupils attended interactive sessions in French, German and Spanish, putting into practice what they had been learning about. In German and Spanish, the groups were helping to stop a terrorist attack by deciphering codes and translating text messages, working out when and where an attack was due to take place. In French, pupils were preventing the import of drugs. It was a fantastic opportunity to use our languages in a real context. 

Here is the link to careers in GCHQ: https://www.gchq-careers.co.uk/ 

chinese club

We would like to congratulate all beginners who have attended the Monday after-school Chinese Club. Mrs Magill is really proud of your achievements and especially this term with the additional Chinese writing class. She would also like to say a massive well done to the Thursday intermediate class pupils who are making excellent progress in learning this difficult language.
Mrs Magill is looking forward to continuing with both a new beginners' class next academic year and also with the intermediates who would like to continue with their learning.

Host a teacher from Germany

This term, we hosted a teacher from Regensburg in Germany for two weeks. She was involved in observing lessons and meeting staff and pupils from various departments, sharing ideas and experiences. This was an authentic insight into the German culture and language brought to our school by a qualified teacher from Germany, with both sides benefiting from discussing educational, curricular and cross-curricular themes together from a UK and German perspective, broadening horizons and increasing pupils’ intercultural awareness and understanding, as well as practising our German speaking, gaining confidence in conversing in the language.

Visiting students from France

This term we welcomed two pupils from France, who joined for two and three weeks in Year 12. They were part of Concorde International's High School Integreation programme and were assigned buddies, following A level classes and making friends whilst they were here. It is always a pleasure to welcome internatinonal pupils to our school community and we look forward to hosting more next year.

Duolingo streak

On the 26th June, I passed my 1000th consecutive day studying German on Duolingo. Frau Chandler persuaded me to write a little article for the newsletter to mark the occasion. Three years ago I was invited to go on the German exchange so I decided that I really needed to learn a little bit of German. A few exchanges and holidays in Germany and Austria later and I would still say my German is holiday level at best. I would love to commit more time to learning the language and maybe I will in the future but for now I am really enjoying the learning I can do and that I now have the confidence to have a go a communicating in German. I know there will be students with a longer streak than me in school and well done on that.

For all of you learning a language my message is simple. If I can do it, so can you! Go on exchange trips if you can and practice, practice, practice!

Schönen Sommer!

Mr Larter 

Maths Careers Workshop - the trading game

The Maths Faculty, with the Careers Department, was selected by the Kent & Medway Careers Hub to receive funding of £2000 to run the Trading Games Workshops for Year 8, 9 and 10.

The purpose of the workshops was to increase participation in collaborative maths and to demonstrate that it's not a passive subject, but one that is about working in groups to trial ideas with problem-solving and developing 'soft skills' ready for successful transition to university, apprenticeships or the workplace.

We worked with KS4 to target all abilities of maths to build confidence and engagement.

The Trading Game is a fast paced team challenge, loosely based on the stock exchange. The workshop introduced what it is like to work within the financial markets and understand the roles and decision-making of companies and their employees.

Student feedback was really positive. The plenary session helped them see which career skills they use in every maths lesson - a new way of looking at their personal development and evaluating their transferable skills.

Here is what Year 10s had to say:

"I think it's fun, it’s associated with strategy."

"My team is working well together and we have a good leader, good leadership is important."

"It's good, but a bit stressful."

"I love this activity, it's very enjoyable, it's like roulette, but better."

"Very interesting, I’ve learnt a lot and I definitely would consider going into stock markets now."

"i did like this activity, I’m not a maths person, but I still enjoyed it and it was really fun."

(In response to who won?) "We all won, we all learnt very valuable things."

Year 10 trip to the imperial war museum

This term has seen Year 10 historians travelling to the Imperial War Museum. Whilst they took the opportunity to explore the WW1 galleries the key reason for their visit was to take in the Holocaust Exhibition. It was an incredibly moving and thought-provoking day and I would like to thank Mr Sladden for organising and leading it but also Mr Piotrowski and Ms Jackson for their company and astute management of an emotional day.

Additionally, we witnessed the 'sharp end' of the Great History Debate. In the remaining Quarter finals Joni and Jude interrogated Richard III's reputation and Emmeline, Mary and Sebastian picked apart the impact of the Industrial Revolution. In the Semi finals that followed Stanley and Rafi came up against Emmeline and Mary as well as a third pairing of Eva and Thomas when they pleaded their case regarding Robert Peel being the Victorian PM that we should remember most fondly - as opposed to Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone. The Grand Final (next term) will see the last of those pairs mentioned (the Gladstonians!) taking on Jude who managed to overcome Sophie in a wrestle over whether Washington or Lincoln was the greater President of the United States.
I wish to put on record my sincere gratitude to all of the staff who have helped this club to run this year (we have now completed thirty debates!) but also to all of the competitors who have had the courage to take the hot seat as well as other pupils who have come along to learn something new and cheer on the contestants.

And yes, Season III of the competition will launch early next academic year - of course!

Mr Buckland

Well, we have had an amazingly busy summer term here in Queen Elizabeth’s PE department, with participation and successes galore. So many of our students have been able to access school sport, both inside and outside of lesson times; they have all contributed towards the Sports Day competition and had loads of fun at lunchtime & after school clubs too. This term we have opened the Sportshall every lunchtime to the ever-growing in popularity, Pickleball. Students from Year 7 to 10 have all enjoyed playing informally every single day, under the watchful eye of Mr French.  

Both Rounders and Softball clubs have been thriving too, with record numbers of students in attendance.

These clubs really cannot happen without the commitment shown by the PE staff here and I am extremely grateful for their hard work and dedication - thank you Mr French, Mr Charlton, Miss Waldron and Miss Washington.  

Rounders

Year 7

A big well done to our Year 7 Rounders team who competed in the District competition this term. The girls have persevered over the term, concluding in some great rounders being played at the final. The students have progressed well over the term and have been led brilliantly by Skyla H. Well done girls.

Year 8

Phenomenal work from the Year 8 team who, once again, maintain their winning streak and keep possession of the district trophy. This year has seen some almighty teamwork and tactful play from all of the Year 8s. QE won all of their games this year, not only at the district tournament, but all fixtures throughout terms 5 and 6. We want to thank all students who have contributed their time to training and fixtures, and bring on another successful season next year.

Year 9

A big WELL DONE to our Year 9 Rounders team who continued their undefeated season, and three years, in our district rounders competitions. Year 9 had an impressive tournament scoring 52 rounders overall and only conceding 24. Winning all games against Simon Langton, Herne Bay, Barton Manor, Canterbury Academy and St Anselm's. A special mention goes to our super organised captain, Darcie, who has managed the team extremely well. All of the students played so well and we are looking forward to seeing if they can continue their undefeated run in Year 10. 

Year 10

Year 10 fought extremely hard to maintain their three year winning streak, however they faced an unfortunate loss to Canterbury Academy’s team this year. Due to the dedication and ability within QE’s year group, we were able to take two teams to the district tournament. The Year 10 cohort have been training every week, led by Rosie F. This year’s district tournament saw QE A team finish 2nd and the B team finish 4th.  We will be sad to see this Rounders team not represented next year as they head into Year 11, and want to thank them for their dedication to school Sport.

Athletics

Wow, what an Athletics season we have had this year.  With the very good weather we’ve had, it has meant we managed to squeeze in lots of Athletics meetings - I don’t remember a summer season quite like it.

District Rosebowl

This is the biggest district event of the year, which sees all 10 schools from across the Canterbury district fielding two teams of Athletes. We had an exceptional year, with some outstanding individual performances.  The following students all won their event: 

Juniors

Isabelle B (Javelin)
Will K (200m)
Ethan B (800m)

Intermediates

Oceane A (300m)
Zhana W (800m)
Virtue A-D (Long Jump)
Ella R (Triple Jump)
Zac M (400m)
Lucas B (High Jump)
Malachi O (Long Jump)

Together with individual performances, we also won 3 out of the 4 relay finals with some awesome speed. This was really wonderful to see - the changeovers were slick and all students really did try their very best.  All 3 teams - Inter Girls, Junior Boys & Inter Boys all achieved new school records - this is a great achievement.  The Inter Girls record had stood since 1989. The new record holders are Chiedza K, Virtue A-D, Oceane A, Adrianna Z, Ethan B, Oliver W, Josh P, Will K, Zac M, Logan H, Jack T and Mark H and they should all be extremely proud of themselves.

We also saw a further 2 records broken this season.  Oceane A re-wrote the girls’ 300m record by over 2 seconds, whilst Will K wowed the crowds on Sports Day to run a new 200m record for Year 8 boys.  

Many of our athletes achieved 2nd and 3rd placings also in their events, contributing to the team totals.  All teams (Junior Girls, Junior Boys & Inter Boys) all finished in 2nd place in the team competition, but my proudest moment was seeing the Inter Girls (Yrs 9 & 10) bring home the team title.  I have taught at QE for over 20 years and never have I known this title to be won by us.  The teacher from Simon Langton Girls’ School also came to congratulate the team, saying that in her 30 years of working at Langton, she cannot remember a year that they haven’t won this award.  So a massive well done goes to all of our teams, but especially to the title winning Years 9 & 10 girls’ team who are district champions for the first time in QE history.

Combining all team scores together, our whole team finished the day victorious and winning the overall Rosebowl District Title by over 80 points.  Each and every athlete played their part on that day and should be VERY proud of what they, and the team, achieved. 

Year 7 Championships

A couple of weeks later, we travelled back to Canterbury Academy for the Year 7 Championships and wow, did we do ourselves proud once again.  Arriving as current champions always places a bit more pressure on us, but this year’s Year 7 certainly delivered the results.  Once more, we achieved more than we had thought we would, with consistent performances from every individual. 

The following students won their individual events:

Ocean P (200m)
Florence H (800m)
Evie C (High Jump)
Freya B (Shot)
Ashtyn W (200m)
Dylan J (Triple Jump)
George D (Discus)
Edward L (Javelin)

No surprises therefore that when combining all of our scores together we managed to retain the district title and emerged once again as district champions, by over 50 points on 2nd place.  Additionally, the boys’ team also won their team competition (by 10 points clear), with the girls’ team finishing in a very close second.

Athletics continues to look very strong indeed at Queen Elizabeth’s and we pride ourselves on our strength in depth, across both the track and field. I would like to say a very big CONGRATULATIONS to all athletes who have competed for the school this season and we already look forward to the hard work of keeping the titles next year! 

Swimming Gala

The Swimming Gala was a sight to behold this year with flashy banners and creative costumes, particularly the umbrella turned jellyfish! Josh P pumped up the crowd in the diving competition before proceeding to faceplant the water and Thomas R executed a wonderful somersault to claim first place in the event. Once again, there was no shortage of drama and excitement with some very competitive swimming throughout the event and some participants were milliseconds short of breaking records. However, Ollie BB in Year 10 was inspirational in breaking not one, but two, records in the boys' backstroke and freestyle, the latter of which had been held for 13 years. The 8S girls demonstrated exceptional teamwork by blowing the Year 8 Girls Medley Relay record out of the water by 9 seconds in a very impressive 1.47.39sb- a time that would beat all but one of the boys and girls Year 7-10 relay records. Congratulations to Grace G, Ilona K, Dottie H and Amelia J.

Overall, some of the final standings were very close indeed. F and Q finished on 174 and 176 pts respectively. E and H tied 3rd place with 187 pts and were just pipped by K who came 2nd with 189 pts, leaving S house as deserved winners with 214 pts. All swimmers and form members should be very proud of their engagement and support of all the competitors throughout the gala. You are the reason why this remains one of the highlights of the QE sporting calendar!

A Level PE - University of Kent visit

The Year 12 A Level class thoroughly enjoyed an engaging ‘workshop’ morning at the University of Kent’s Sports and Exercise Science Faculty. Students were given the opportunity to witness first hand how an internationally recognised facility helps support a wide range of athletes, including British Olympians and the England men’s football team.

Students completed problem-solving skills in tasks designed to delve deeper into the psychology of sport leaders. They also got ‘hands on’ with the sports therapists, learning how to tape specific areas of the body to help prevent and rehabilitate sports injuries. Their analytical skills were put to the test when observing elite level sport. Joe D braved the dreaded VO2 max test (a more scientific version of the beep test) where he ran until exhaustion on a treadmill ergometer whilst the group engaged with the professor discussing the live readings of heart rate and oxygen consumption.

Finally, they were given a quick tour of their state of the art environmental chamber and movement analysis room. The students thoroughly enjoyed interacting with the staff and equipment, especially as many of them are fascinated in the subject and looking to further their studies in sports science.

David Smiley Tennis

A record 86 students across the school signed up to the David Smiley Tennis Open. The Key Stage 3 competition included a huge number of very keen Year 7 students and this was wonderful to see. Thomas R & Lewis D progressed the furthest in Year 8 and both made it into the semi-finals, where they were narrowly beaten by two Year 7 boys. Jacob J and Rupert S were engaged in a back and forth contest to be crowned KS3 champions. Both players played fantastically well, executing accurate passing shots and cheeky lobs. Students and teachers alike enjoyed the tense rallies in the closing stages and Jacob J eventually triumphed 11-9 in the set tie breaker! What a game, and really well played to both competitors - we are looking forward to this rivalry throughout the rest of their time at QE.

Mr Wakefield has made his stamp on the competition and is one of the favourites to win the competition. He shows great composure and a swaggering style. If he doesn’t win it this year, we have no doubt that he is a QE champion in the making. He is currently playing for a place in the final against Mr Charlton with the scores tied at 6-6. 

Patrick M (Year 9) and James L (Year 10) have produced the game of the tournament so far with some epic rallies. It was very obvious that James L has practised regularly over the last year, his game has really improved and he put Patrick under great pressure in the early stages. This battle of attrition ended after a short set of more than 40 minutes with Patrick M coming out on top. Patrick now trails Jake S (a hot favourite in Year 12) 3-2 in the other semi-final. It is all to play for with the final being held this Thursday on centre court. The final news will follow in the Newsletter for term 1, next academic year.

Sports day

The highlight of the annual PE calendar!  This year we decided to use our Strike & Field (Rounders & Softball) inter house competitions to form the base of our Sports Day celebrations. This was a competition between all forms in the year group - a new concept for Years 7 & 8 whose Games lessons are only with two other form groups each time. The afternoon on the track followed this where we saw the very best of our sprinters showcasing their skills. It was wonderful to see the whole community out in one place for the afternoon and cheering each other on. Q and G houses were tied on points on the track, but it was Q who took the overall Sports Day title this year. Their dominance in both striking & fielding and on the track was clear to see. Well done to the whole of Q house!

Year 10 Team Building

This summer, with big thanks to Miss Waldron we saw the revival of our Teambuilding programme during National Sports Week.  We chose to work with Year 10 on this activity and were really impressed with the way in which they tackled this event.  All students were organised into groups by staff, hopefully not friendship groups, and were set a number of different challenges. Some  were physical, some more arithmetic or communication based and others involved a certain amount of water!  Groups worked hard to solve the challenges and accumulate points throughout the session.  There was some fantastic team work on display and I think all students managed to enjoy themselves too.  Lots of transferable skills to be seen and it was great to see students enjoying some outdoor education. 

Sixth Form Volunteering

A big well done and thank you to the many students who have completed work experience with some of the Faversham and surrounding areas primary schools. Students visited a selection of schools to support their sports day- helping with student organisation, event running, medal presenting; to name just a few. Some students supported a colour run - photo below!!! 

Profit vs Purpose: Comparing Behaviour in Private, Charitable, and State-Owned Enterprises

Our Year 12 economics students are encouraged to take part in external essay competitions to deepen their subject knowledge and sharpen their ability to construct persuasive arguments.

A common judging criterion is whether the writer has managed to change the reader’s mind. Recently, Lucy C entered the prestigious John Locke Essay Competition. Her chosen question explored the impact of profit incentives on behaviour: What kinds of behaviour are engendered by the hope of profit? Is such behaviour better or worse, on balance, than the behaviour we should expect if all enterprises were owned by charities or governments?

Year 12 Trip to Shepherd Neame brewery

Our Year 12 trip to Shepherd Neame allowed us a fantastic opportunity to apply our knowledge from across A Level economics to a real world example that is so present in our local community. We initially began by exploring the wide variety of products under the company, which illustrated to us how brands are able to shift depending on their target audience, encompassing all age brackets. This was particularly interesting to apply to our studies.

Then, we were given a tour of the brewing facilities and explained the various raw ingredients in the process of brewing, as well as the importance of their 'secret' yeast, which is stored in a yeast bank hundreds of miles away. However, perhaps the most exciting part was witnessing 1 million pints worth of lager in storage at once! Apparently, you would have to drink 3 and a half pints a day from the ages of 18 to 80 to empty one container out of the many! Overall, I found the experience extremely helpful in terms of allowing me to utilise my learning across the year through a business which is so important to Faversham, whether it be through their support towards local hop farmers through local sourcing, or through the specialisation in terms of the brewing process.

Evie C, Year 12

Midsummer Madness and Fun!

Year 7 students went to see the play 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' at The Bridge Theatre in London on June 26th. Here are some short reviews!

"I really enjoyed watching the play yesterday about Midsummer Nights Dream and I liked how they swapped round some of the characters. I thought that standing up gave you more of an opportunity to feel what was going on." Elijah, 7G

"It was a very fun and entertaining show involving us as an audience who were standing up." Izzy W, 7G 

"Some good parts of the play were when Oberon and Nick Bottom were in the bath and throwing bubbles everywhere". Hugo, 7G

"I really liked that. It makes you view the play from a different perspective and I feel that it was better that way!" Sophie A, 7G

"It was very immersive and enjoyable, it had its own twists on the play but overall was great." Maurice, 7G

"I thought the performance was very good and the actors portrayed the characters very well, especially the one that played Puck". Elliott, 7G

"I really enjoyed moving around with everybody and watching the fairies do their fun tricks. I also enjoyed the end of the play when we were able to dance with all of the actors as well as playing with the bouncy balls". Naledi, 7G

"It was also quite cool to be up close to the actors and interact with them." Rowan, 7G

"It felt different to reading it as there was something about actual being there and seeing it that made it special". Thomas, 7G

"I absolutely loved it and I’m extremely grateful that we went." Rupert, 7G

Another group of Year 7 students attended the second trip on Thursday 17th July! 

Macbeth Live! Year 10

To complete Year 10 studies of Macbeth, the students took part in an active workshop session revising the plot, the characters and the themes of the play through group activities. It provided a dynamic end to the year in English which they all seemed to enjoy!

'midsummer' afternoon! 

On Friday 13th June, the actor Luke Thompson came to do a Questions and Answers session with Year 7 based on 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Our Year 7 Drama club gave quality performances of three scenes from the play which delighted their audience.

Here are some reviews of the afternoon:

"I loved the Q and A part as I found it very insightful as I already wanted to go to the Globe and Luke’s experiences have made me want to go even more." Matteo M, 7S

"The whole afternoon was a great experience." Mollie G, 7S

"I especially enjoyed the way Luke would so energetically answer our questions, it was really nice."Aaren A-B, 7S

"...even actors get nervous performing a play in front of an audience ."Preston P, 7S

"It was an amazing experience to meet a real actor, his enthusiasm about the subject was incredible! I specifically loved the Q and A part of the afternoon as it was very interesting to hear what it was actually like being an actor. Overall it was amazing." Jacob J, 7S

"I found it interesting that Luke said pursuing what you like takes time." Elliot S, 7S

"I thought it was interesting when he said that nerves make you a better actor because I always thought being nervous was a bad thing." Alba B, 7F

"I also enjoyed listening to his thoughts about the Globe and what it is like on that stage." George D, 7F

"I enjoyed it and since I want to be an actor when I grow up, I found it most useful and interesting." Harvey S, 7F

"I found the Midsummer Nights Dream acts by the drama club interesting because I think they did very well projecting their voices and staying in character." Ivy H, 7F

"I loved meeting Luke! I loved how he explained his story to us and how he said that even though he got rejected twice from drama school, he still didn't give up and he went on to be a famous actor. I liked how he said how the Globe Theatre felt so magical because you can see everyone's faces and you can see if they are enjoying it or not. I really enjoyed his visit." Lily F, 7F

"I enjoyed the fact that he told us about what it feels like to be up there doing a show and give us a brief perspective of what it is like when you are performing. I also enjoyed the acts by the year 7's because after they has finished their acts, Luke gave them some feedback of how to improve and what they did well." Daniel G, 7F

"I specifically found the talk the most interesting and overall I had a wonderful afternoon." Lucy H, 7F

"I enjoyed being able to learn from a successful actor as it gave me inspiration and I also enjoyed the atmosphere and the activities that we did/watched. I thought that overall it was a very fun and exciting experience!" Freya W, 7S

library news

This week we took a group of 14 students from the Library and Book clubs to the University of Kent for a tour of the Templeman Library. Our students were also given a private showing of the archives before viewing the School of Arts and Architecture’s end of year show in the Marlowe building. The students were incredibly shocked with the sheer scale of the Templeman and the fact that “it’s bigger than our school and it’s just the library!” There were many positive comments made from the students about the ability to find books in areas of special interest when they were able to roam the library in order to find a text that interested them. Having been on the trip, the entirety of the group came to the conclusion that they would all like to attend university, during their visit in which they learned what day to day campus life is like.

A particularly unique moment for our older students was a private tour with Christine Davies of the Special Collections and Archives, where the university’s unique and distinctive collections are stored in a specialist environment and preserved to maintain their readable condition. Our group were fascinated by the original documents, seals and books dating back to the 1400s. 

Students between the ages of 16-18 can apply for two years free membership to the Templeman, which will offer them free access to the library, study space, extensive research collection and they will be allowed to borrow up to 5 books at any given time.  Please click to apply: https://www.kent.ac.uk/library/opening-hours-and-support/forms/schools-colleges-membership

Going into ORBYT!

Orbyts is an opportunity for Year 10 students to undertake science research with a professional scientist; in our case Jonathan Cousins from the Unviersity of Kent who is reseaching building materials for space exploration.

Throughout Orbyts, we tested materials to see if they would be suitable for lunar habitats. We tested PETG, PLA, concrea and indian brick by temperature cycling. Temperature cycling is when you heat the sample on a hot plate for a set amount of time and then put it in cold ice for the same amount of time. We did this eight times on each of our samples and compared it to the control variable.

Once we had done temperature cycling, we used both the SEM (scanning electron microscope) and tensile testing on both samples to further interpret the effects it had on the material and to give us an idea if it would be fit for construction on the Moon.
After we had completed this, we made a poster and presentation on our findings and presented both of these to over 100 children at a science conference in one of the leading universities in the country (the University of London).

Throughout Orbyts, we learned how to use a scanning electron microscope (SEM), effectively worked as a team, used communication skills with each other - and with the other schools who had participated - and were taken out of our comfort zone whilst we were presenting our research.

Overall it was a really good experience and helped me personally gain confidence in having a potential future career in science.

Olivia, Year 10

What’s been happening in QuEST?

This term, QE was excited to host a scanning electron microscope from the natural history museum. All the students across the schools really enjoyed getting involved and being curious. The younger students were able to try it during junior STEM club and QuEST used it both for fun and for conducting research, BioQuEST in particular had some fascinating results which you can read all about in the BioQuEST section. 

Additionally, this term QuEST attended the IRIS (institute for research in schools) conference in London. All the SubQUESTs created posters and talked to people at the conference all about what they’d done. We were also able to speak to like minded students about their research and what they’d achieved. We were very impressed by some of the students (some as young as year 7!) and also proud of what we were able to put forward ourselves. It’s always rewarding to be able to show something for a year of hard work so we really appreciated this opportunity and can’t wait to improve even more for next year! 

Alexis E. QuEST President

This academic term has been a transformative journey for Aero-QuEST, marked by significant challenges, hard-won breakthroughs, and exciting future prospects. Our team faced a demanding schedule in the lead-up to the IRIS conference, compounded by a series of experimental setbacks that tested our resolve. These obstacles made our eventual success all the more rewarding when, just two weeks before the conference, we finally achieved measurable thrust of 1.4 m/s - a pivotal milestone after nearly twelve months of dedicated research and development.

The subsequent validation process was equally gratifying, as we methodically tested different voltage configurations to establish reliable performance data. One particularly memorable aspect was documenting the visually striking purple corona discharge, which not only confirmed our theoretical models but also provided compelling visual evidence of our system's operation.

Our experience at the IRIS conference was bittersweet. While we were disappointed by the missed opportunity to formally present our findings, the event proved valuable for networking and gaining insights from other research teams. The transportation challenges we faced that day - with the complete failure of Southeastern rail services - although seemingly disastrous were resolved by our brilliant science-faculty and we made it on time with very little delay.

Looking forward, we have developed an ambitious roadmap for the coming terms. Our preliminary investigations into magnetic field augmentation of ionic thrust represent a potentially groundbreaking direction, while planned ANSYS simulations promise to significantly enhance our design capabilities. We're particularly excited about exploring novel configurations that could improve both efficiency and scalability.

The team is also focused on strengthening our internal processes, with plans to implement more structured knowledge transfer systems and collaborative working methods. As we prepare to welcome new Year 12 members next term, we're committed to fostering an inclusive and dynamic research environment where fresh ideas can flourish alongside our established expertise. This term has demonstrated both the challenges and tremendous potential of student-led research. With renewed momentum and clearer objectives, Aero-QuEST is well positioned to make meaningful contributions to aerospace innovation in the year ahead.

James E. Head of AeroQuEST

This term at EcoQuest I have been monitoring the terrariums which used the water and sediment from the cooksditch stream where I used a control, and one terrarium with hornwort and one with willow moss. I have been measuring the phosphate and nitrate levels as well as the pH. The results are shown below: 

The results show that hornwort did best at reducing the nitrate levels, from 50 ppm to less than 10 ppm, and the phosphate levels, from 3 mg/L to less than 3 mg/L instead of increasing it. Neither of the plants or the control were successful with turning the pH closer to neutral as they all decreased from 7.6 and increased back up after so neither of the plants or the control made a significant difference. 

When coming back to school after summer, this information could be used to put multiple hornwort plants up and down the stream to reduce the phosphate and nitrate levels. This would lower the chance of eutrophication occurring and would also create an environment that more organisms can live in.

In SpaceQuEST, we have been busy finishing up from the Asgard launch in May. I, with the support of the rest of the team, have been writing project reports for our sponsors about what we did on the trip and its impact. We have also continued to go through our data from the CO₂ sensor in order to write it up as a full science report. Furthermore, we have been collating the experiences of our team and many previous groups who have been on the project into a ‘book of Asgard’, with advice and ideas for future groups. With this, we have been collecting all of our resources and information from our previous presentations and conferences for the new year 12s next year who may join SpaceQuEST.

Additionally, SpaceQuEST has just joined the Moon Pi mission. This is a project run by Matt Parker to calculate pi on the moon. By supporting this mission we are helping the mission go ahead, and if it does we will get quest’s own personal value of pi! We are looking forward to doing some events around this in the new year. 

Cleo R. Head of SpaceQuEST

This term BioQuest has been very grateful to have the opportunity to use the Scanning Electron Microscope to contribute to our previous research about cigarette vs vape smoke effect on lungs. This was really helpful and interesting as we could develop our understanding on the effects of vape and cigarette smoke on the lungs further than our original experiment where we only analysed its effect visually (e.g. tar looks yellow) rather than chemically. 

With the SEM we were able to analyse the cotton wool (representing lung alveoli) which we exposed to vape and cigarette smoke and see what elements were heaviest. Our results showed the presence of aluminium, chromium, silica in vape smoke which showed a higher amount of dangerous elements than cigarette smoke.

Grace R. Head of BioQuEST

This term we continued designing boxes for the monitor  and printed our first prototype. We are trying to keep the box as compact as possible whilst still maximising the airflow and the strength of the box in order to ensure our results are as reliable as possible. This will also help with transporting the monitor and avoid wires getting loose and damage occurring.

We have also been connecting the PM2.5 sensor to our monitor so that it is completed. This will help to give a full picture view of pollution in Faversham as we will primarily look at CO2 levels indoors and PM2.5 levels outdoors and this will allow us to see which areas in Faversham are the most dangerous in terms of air pollution and which areas should be focused on in order to protect people and the environment. We hope to compare our results with results from a PM2.5 sensor in Sittingbourne set up by the council as this will confirm that our results are reliable.

This term we also presented at the IRIS conference which we learnt a lot from as we were able to speak with a variety of people  and discuss what we have done with our project so far and also ways to expand the project/ other things we could look into to improve the project. It gave us a good insight into what presenting at a science conference is like.

Finally, we are continuing to work with the primary schools we spoke at earlier in the year and we will be building each school their own monitor to use in lessons to speak about climate change and show the dangers of air pollution. We also hope they will use it to design their own experiments to investigate causes of high CO2 levels. We will keep the original design with a simple traffic light system to show levels of CO2 but we will also try to make it stronger to avoid them breaking it. - Ellie K-J Head of Pollution

This term in Junior STEM, the year sevens took part in a wide range of activities. In the first week, we completed a variety of maths challenges that encouraged them to work in a team but also individually. Building on their teamwork, in the second week we made and launched rockets, and which helped prepare them for the Egg Drop challenge on the fourth week where they were judged on teamwork, research, design as well as not breaking the egg. Throughout all these activities we were very impressed by the design creativity and teamwork, and many designs were very successful and kept the eggs safe. We also had a workshop on the electron microscope, where we collected different items to view through the microscope, which was a great opportunity. Finally, we had a year 13 student come in and talk about the use of 3D printing and used CAD to design our own keychains. In the final week, people that attended a set amount of sessions will take part in the Pizza Box challenge, to draw on all the skills they’ve gained and work in teams in an engineering challenge against each other.

Kim R. Head of Junior STEM

year 11 prom

Year 11 celebrated the end of their GCSEs by having a great time at their Prom this term.

We wish them every success for their next steps and a wonderful summer.

This term’s focus is a celebration of all things SEND and how Special Educational Needs and Disabilities shapes our world.

Following on from his last appearance at Glastonbury in 2023, Lewis Capaldi made a surprise return to the festival this year.

Capldi has a diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome and it was due to the amazing support of the crowd that he managed to complete his set. He lost his voice and experienced pronounced tics and the audience stepped in to help him -  this year on stage it was a different story.

Capaldi told the crowd: “ I couldn't sing this song two years ago. I might struggle to finish it today for a different reason”

The support from the fans was a heart warming spectacle and the audience showed their support by chanting his name. Many fans were in tears with emotion due to what they were witnessing.

One fan stated: “He is so inspiring. He’s someone to look up to because he is just so strong.”

Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award 2025

Over 100 Year 10 students have been taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh's Bronze Award programme this year, culminating in the assessed expedition weekend at the end of June.

Following an introductory assembly at the start of the year, students were tasked with planning and completing three activities - Physical, Skills and Volunteering. Two of the activities were to last 3 months and one activity was to last 6 months which meant that a real commitment was needed. It was fantastic to see a variety of activities across the board, from team sports to motocross, crochet to woodwork, cooking to geocaching, helping in charity shops to writing letters to the elderly, walking dogs to looking after livestock, and many, many more! With students required to provide evidence and reports of their activities it has been lovely to hear about their achievements. I have also been lucky enough to sample some very tasty baked goods made by our students for their cooking activities!

Alongside all of the above achievements, they have also been very busy throughout the year  at training events, organised and delivered by school staff, to prepare for the expedition element of the award. They have learnt the skills of navigation using maps and compasses, how to look after each other with first aid and the art of campcraft. Mr Anderson used all of the knowledge he has gained over 30-odd years of delivering Duke of Edinburgh expeditions to ensure that everyone was ready and raring to go for the expeditions.

Following a practice walk through Painters Forstal, the woods and Brogdale, the practice expedition came at the start of June. After lots of deliberation and the exceptionally bad timing of a weather warning, the students had to settle for a 12.5km walk with full bags. As is tradition, some groups went at lightning speed to their destination whilst some took their time and savoured the journey. Either way, there was plenty of navigating to be had as groups tried to find their way along their chosen route, with as few wrong turns as possible!

And finally, the real thing! The assessed expedition! With temperatures close to 30 degrees it was going to be a very challenging experience for all of the participants. Day 1, Saturday, started well and all groups went zooming off into the Kentish countryside! Hats, sunscreen and plenty of fluids were the order of the day and they certainly helped as each group made their way to the campsite in Sheldwich. An evening of campcraft awaited…..and it was pasta galore for most groups to boost their energy supplies for day 2.

Sunday brought very little respite with the weather barring a few clouds and some light breeze. Despite this, the groups did brilliantly to power through to the end and complete their Bronze Award. A huge well done to all and we hope you use all of the amazing skills again in the future!

Mr C Cowlam

KS5 Learning Supervisor and Student Administration, Online Safety
Coordinator, Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award Coordinator

Dan E in Year 13 has secured an exciting and competitive work experience with Silverstone Arm & Aston Martin F1's Team
Agenda. The day will involve students rotating around 6 x 30 minute and 1 x 90 minute sessions with Aston Martin’s partners, doing hands-on activities, mentoring and career coaching focused on STEM and technology.

Chase K-S in Year 12 has been selected for the King's College London Chemistry Summer School. 

Very well done to our students who have secured these exciting opportunities! 

QEGS PTFA Fundraising Success

An Amazing Year!

What an incredible year it's been for fundraising thanks to our dedicated PTFA and your generous support! We're thrilled to announce the grand total raised this school year, which will go directly towards enriching our school community.

Despite the British weather not being onboard, our recent Summer Fête was a phenomenal success, bringing in a fantastic £4,036! This year we trialled a new token system which proved incredibly popular and contributed a significant £804 to our total. Complementing the fête's success, the Summer Fête Prize Draw and Non-Uniform Day together added an impressive £4,007 to our funds.

Earlier in the year, the ever-popular PTFA Quiz Night got our fundraising off to a strong start, raising a brilliant £2,291. And let's not forget the Pre-Loved Uniform shop, which has consistently provided a valuable service while raising a fantastic £1,800 over the year. This initiative continues to grow, and we are so grateful for all your donations that make it possible.

The grand total of £12,170 raised this academic year is a testament to the hard work of our PTFA volunteers and the incredible generosity of our school families. Every penny raised makes a real difference to our pupils, supporting a wide range of school projects and activities.

Thank you once again for your amazing support!

If you are interested in joining the PTFA please contact QEGSPTFA@gmail.com or visit our PTFA page on the school website.

Reminders - A Level and GCSE Results Day 2025

A Level exam results day 2025 is on 14 August - school will be open from 8am.

GCSE exam results day 2025 is on 21 August - school will be open from 9am.

QE Students skate to glory in roller hockey competition

Alex S from 10G and Maxim M from 10Q represented RHC Invicta in the under 20s National Championships for Roller Hockey, where their team secured a commendable second place, earning the silver medal. This accomplishment is a testament to their hard work and dedication throughout a long season - congratulations! 

A new chapter: student pens first novel

We're thrilled to share an inspiring story from within our own community! Emma M (Year 9), has achieved a remarkable feat: becoming a published author. Emma's debut work, ‘Controlled By The Crown’, has marked an incredible milestone for this young writer.

Emma's journey to publication is a testament to their dedication, creativity and perseverance. Curious about her novel and what comes next, we asked Emma about her literary journey.

Tell us about the journey of writing your first novel. What sparked your inspiration, and how long did it take from the first word to seeing it published?

My inspiration came from simply reading books and imagining different endings in my head and when I was unsatisfied or upset with the endings provided, I thought that if I wrote my own book then I wouldn't have to be disappointed with the outcome. It took around 7 months to write and edit, but only a day to get through all the publishing information. It then took around 72 hours for it to be officially approved.

Talk us through the process of how you went about publishing your book?   

I had a lot of help from another author (A J Wills), who talked me through the formatting and setting up publishing accounts - it was completely self published so it was all done by me. Amazon takes around 72 hours to authorise your book before it comes online which is the most time consuming part of the publishing.

Could you give us a brief overview of your novel?

My novel is about a fantasy book about a world where a woman is forced to live a life that doesn’t belong to her, her identity having been falsified. She meets someone who holds the capabilities of returning her memories and her identity, allowing her to finally return to the person she used to be. It ends with her being forced to sacrifice what she’s always wanted, for the good of her people.

Do you have any plans to write a second book? 

I am currently writing both a prequel and sequel to this novel, while also writing the first book in another series. 

‘Controlled by the Crown’ is available to purchase through Amazon - buy a copy now and perhaps discover your next favorite read!

Amazon - Controlled By The Crown

Lions Roar to Victory in Water Polo Competition! 

A huge congratulations to our U13 English Schools South Cadet winners – the QE Lions! What an incredible achievement! And a massive well done to the Sharks too. While they might have finished last, their dedication and growth throughout the competition were truly impressive. They learned so much and improved with every game and it was their fierce play that pushed the Lions to victory!

A Poetic Triumph

We have some incredibly exciting news to share! Esme M (Year 8) has been named the winner of a poetry competition. As a result her poem, (called Monsters) will be published this summer in a forthcoming book. Not only will we receive a copy of 'Poetry Escape: UK Poets', here at school, but a copy will also be held in the British Library – a testament to the significance of her work. Esme's inspiration for the poem was influenced by her interest in dystopian stories. Fantastic work, Esme! We're all incredibly excited to read your winning poem.

A Tremendous Effort: Arthur Raises Nearly £3,000

Huge congratulations to Arthur P in Year 8! He tackled The Race For Life with his brother and sister, raising an incredible nearly £3,000 for Cancer Research. What an incredible accomplishment for such a vital cause - well done!! 

William's Royal Performances with the Sea Scouts!

Our very own William. A (Year 8), a local Sea Scout, has been busy with some high-profile engagements! He recently performanced, with members of his branch, to Queen Camilla in Canterbury and on another incredible occasion, to Bear Grylls and the King at Windsor Castle. It sounds like William is quite the star – well done!

2025 Kent Mental Wellbeing awards trophy design selected 

After receiving a vast number of impressive entries from schools across the region, the winning design of the trophy that will be presented to the winners of the Kent Mental Wellbeing Awards has been selected.

Congratulations to David D, in Year 12, who pipped a host of great illustrations to the top spot in the annual design competition. He will see his design roll off the production line at Cactus Graphics, in Dover, this month. Cactus Graphics will use sustainable bamboo to create the trophies, giving winners of the annual event both a unique and sustainable reminder of their achievement.

Well done to Oscar. T and Leo. H who entered the competition and were awarded Highly Commended for their designs.

Student hits the mark to claim medals

Congratulations to Charlie R, who participated in a competition organised by the Council for Cadet Rifle Shooting. The event invited Army Cadets, Royal Air Force Air Cadets and Sea Cadets from across England to participate. The race itself consisted of a 400m sprint then a five target air rifle shoot, then another 400m sprint and five target shoot followed by a final 400m sprint. Charlie achieved the third fastest time and his team (of four) were placed first out of the Army Cadets and second overall - well done!

Fond Farewells

Mr Chandler is retiring after 32 years at Queen Elizabeth's. 

Miss Slane is also retiring from her role as KS5 Learning Support and Careers Coordinator.

Mr Woods is moving on to pastures new - we wish you all the very best in your new role. 

We also wave a fond farewell to Mrs Wanstall who will be moving to Australia.

We wish you all the very best for your future ventures and thank you for your wonderful support over the years. 

little arrivals

Eira, born early on 6th July! Both Mum and baby are happy and healthy. 

Mr Caborn

Rio Robin Dowding was born on Wednesday 9th July at home. All doing well. Getting used to juggling life with a toddler and a newborn! 

Mrs Dowding 

Congratulations to both Mr Caborn and Mrs Dowding and their families on their new arrivals!