National Champions!

QE Students Fight off Fierce Competition to Win National Business Competition

QE have claimed victory in the national BASE finals, beating 500 schools and over 1000 teams, to claim the title of National Champions.

The annual BASE competition, which is organised by The Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAEW), is a prestigious national business and accounting competition for students aged 16-17. A unique and exciting experience, students are able to engage in business tests that enable them to develop key employability skills and understand what it’s like to be an ICAEW Chartered Accountant. 

The BASE National Final took place in Birmingham, where students from around the UK were challenged to create a sustainable business strategy for a charity and then present it in front of a panel of judges including business professionals from companies such as Rolls Royce, PwC and EY, and charities such as WaterAid, Amnesty International and Cancer Research UK.

QE created a business strategy which impressed the judges and resulted in them being crowned BASE 2019 National Champions.

Sharon Spice, ICAEW Director of Global Student Recruitment, said; “Our judges are not only looking for academic ability, but also the soft skills required in all workplaces. All the students in the final proved they had those skills, including the ability to communicate well, solve problems and demonstrate resilience under pressure. Queen Elizabeth’s School shone through for their impressive ideas and initiative, however. They stood out, even among a very talented group of students.”

Naima Siddiqi, Director of Finance and Resources at Friends of the Earth and guest speaker at the final said; “I really enjoyed the presentations given today and all the students showed themselves to be highly intelligent individuals. I was particularly impressed by Queen Elizabeth’s School, congratulations to them for winning. Qualifying as a chartered accountant gave me the chance to have a fulfilling career in business and I think that the students here today have shown they have all the abilities to do the same. 

The team comprising of Year 12 students; Megan Kelly, Isabella Watts, Henry Field and Georgia Mears, won a MacBook Pro each and a class set of ipads.  They will return to London for the awards ceremony in October.

The BASE competition at QE is currently sponsored by the Mid Devon Network, (MDN).  Richard Pym, Honorary Secretary for MDN said; “the members of the Mid Devon Network are delighted to have provided some financial support to the QE Team for this business related initiative. It is fantastic that they have won a national competition and is a testimony to the ability of the students and the support they have received from QE. Many congratulations to all of those involved! 

Carole Mcilroy, heads up the BASE initiative at QE and said; “This was an amazing achievement and recognition for all the hard work the students have put in throughout the whole competition. I am absolutely thrilled for them.”