The Better Homes Project is a joint UK- Romanian project to replace terrible housing for very deprived people in the Brasov area of Transylvania. The mission of the Project is to improve the lives of the poorest members of local communities by providing them with safe shelter in which their families can live in dignity and where their children can grow in good health. The Project is providing new homes for families living in critical poverty in the rural villages of Tarlungeni, Zizin, Budila, and Sacele. The role of the students will be to provide free labour to ensure the completion of one of these homes whilst also providing sporting and English lessons for local children.

Whilst in Romania the students will live amongst the local community and learn about the Romanian way of life. It is hoped that the expedition will be rounded off with a trek into the Carpathian Mountains, where the students may see wolves and bears, hopefully not too closely!

Nancy Wall, one of the teachers accompanying the students to Romania says:

“This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to see another part of the world and realise how privileged they are to live in the United Kingdom. From the fundraising to the building project, the students will develop skills, and undertake tasks that I’m sure they will remember long into the future. Each student has had to raise ukp950, the majority of which will go towards the materials for the Project.’’

Photo L-R, Callum Gibb-Lenahan, Anelca McGrath, Anna Morgan, Rachel Currie, Keiron Malcolm, Hannah Ross, Jonny Hutton, Lizzy Heward, Hannah Reynolds, Charlotte Walton, Marran Turner, Yasmin Haq, Andrew Turn Bull, Arun Keens

Three students are off to Oxford and six have offers for Cambridge. At Oxford Allie Jennings will read Philosophy, Politics & Economics, Tyler Lowe will study Engineering and Allison Swinbank’s degree will be in Biochemistry. The six going to Cambridge are: Tom Gray, Emma Clark, Elizabeth Roe, Daniel Jones, Jack Barron and Gareth Handley. Tom will read Natural Sciences, Emma will study Maths, Elizabeth’s subject is Law, Daniel’s course is engineering whilst Jack’s place is for English and Gareth’s is for Computer Science.
Provided they attain high A Level grades in this summer's exams, they will begin their degrees at Oxford and Cambridge in the Autumn.

Principal, Tim Fisher comments:
“I am delighted that nine of our students have been made offers by Oxford or Cambridge. Competition for such places is fierce and this is a tremendous achievement which builds on our tradition of sending a substantial number of students, each year, to these prestigious universities. The range of subjects they have won places for is wide and reflects the breadth of QE’s curriculum and the quality of teaching and support which is given to all students at QE.”

Simon Nicholson, Oxbridge Co-ordinator adds:
“This is a superb achievement for nine very able students which mirrors their high levels of motivation and talent. It has been a pleasure to guide them through the application process.’

Giles Bayliss, Head of Law at QE says:

‘The other teams that participated in the competition were from St John's 6th Form Centre, Bishop Auckland, English Martyrs, Hartlepool and Bede 6th Form College. The format of the debate included questions from a panel of judges, one of whom was Richard Moss, the BBC's Political Editor in the North East. Questions were also put from the floor and from the opposing team. All the students found the experience hugely enjoyable and learned a great deal about how to put forward an argument and respond under pressure. We are very much looking forward to the regional heat and hope to do well.’

This is the eighth year that the Institute of Ideas has organised this national sixth form debating competition which takes place in eight regions across the UK .The winners of the regional heats attend a three-day residential event in London in the summer where they participate in a knock-out competition to determine the national champions.

The Stanhope Building is being constructed by Mansell Construction Services Limited whose reputation is built on delivering high quality projects and who provide more than just ‘bricks and mortar’. At QE students are using the site and knowledge of Mansell’s employees to gain practical experience, adding an additional dimension to their academic studies.

Mansell’s College Liaison Officer Adam Tillotson, explains:
‘ I am currently working with students and staff from the Leisure, ICT, Archaeology and Geology departments to optimise the unique learning opportunities the project presents. This has been achieved through site visits, linking Mansell’s sustainability documentation to students’ ICT assignments, looking at health and safety issues and providing lectures which link Construction to Archaeology and Geology. This work is of personal significance as I studied at QE from 2002 to20O4, remember witnessing the Sports Hall being built and wishing I could be involved and find out more. Geology students are on site today and I hope the visit will inspire them and bring learning to life.’

Mansell’s Site Manager, Andrew Henderson, adds:
‘Mansell construct communities. Adam and I, along with the project team, are working to ensure we deliver a fantastic new building and much more!’

About 150 students were involved and the questions posed were of a very high standard covering issues such as the EU and the recent use of the UK veto by David Cameron, criminal sentencing, public sector strikes and Ed Miliband’s leadership of the Labour Party.

The event was a huge success.

Gary Hogg, Head of Politics at QE, said:
‘We very much appreciate the time Jenny gives to our students and the support she gives to the College in organising a wide range of events.’

Teams of four battled it out to be crowned 2011 champions, participating in general history, picture and music rounds. The winning team ’Gypsy Kings,’ was made up of Andrew Sturgeon, Luke Liddle, Bethany Simpson and Jamie Harland.
Jamie Harland said:
‘Last year we came third and this year, as second year students with more knowledge, we were hoping to win …. and we did!’
Andrew Sturgeon added:
‘It was great fun and a great achievement.’

On the second day there was a 3 hour walking tour of Berlin which included sites such as the Gendarmenmarkt, the Berliner Dom as well as the Holocaust Memorial and Hitler’s Bunker. In the afternoon the group enjoyed the DDR museum where they learnt about life in the former GDR. This was followed by a tour of the German Bundestag in the Reichstag building and the glass dome on the roof where students could see the sights of Berlin; the evening was spent at the Christmas Market and Alexa Shopping Centre on the Alexanderplatz. The next day the group visited the East Side Gallery, a long piece of the Berlin Wall which has been painted by various artists. The students then went to the Berlin Wall Documentation Centre on the famous Bernauer Strasse and the Checkpoint Charlie Museum where they were fascinated by the incredible escape stories surrounding the Berlin Wall. In the evening the group enjoyed the Winterwelt Christmas Market at Potsdamer Platz and, after having a go on the toboggan run, went on to a performance of Udo Lindenberg’s ‘Hinterm Horizont,’ Germany’s newest musical about a couple separated by the Berlin Wall. On the final day the group visited the Story of Berlin which charts the history of Berlin from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Student, Emily Redican-Bradford commented:
‘It was an amazing experience! I loved visiting the Christmas markets – they really were magical. Learning about Berlin’s history was great and so was going to a German musical!’

Matthias Reichel, President of QE’s German Society, added:
‘It was hugely enjoyable and very interesting. As you walk through the streets you can feel the history – an amazing trip!’

Penny Porter, Head of German concluded:
‘The trip was a great success. I was delighted to be able to take such a wonderful group of students to my favourite city. The students were excellent ambassadors for the College and clearly enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere in Berlin. We had a really busy programme and sometimes quite a tight schedule to fit everything in. There were many highlights but I think the key things for the students were having fun with their friends and learning a lot in a really inspiring city. I look forward to organising the next trip in December 2012.”