colour, represented by coloured stripes for the corresponding house on ties. The colours used to be on the boys' caps, but these are no longer worn. Red denotes Broughton, brown for Harrisons', yellow for Leicester, purple for Pearce, blue for Stapylton and green for Underne. In the Lower School, subjects which aren't divided into ability based sets are set either in tutor groups (see above), or in two halves of the year – Broughton, Harrisons' and Leicester (BHL), and Pearce, Stapylton and Underne (PSU). Different 'colours' ties are used to denote achievement or position, e.g. school prefects can be identified with their ties which are patterned with thick light-blue stripes, with the addition of a School logo for senior prefects. House system The foundation and naming of the six houses is listed below: Broughton — Named in memory of William Grant Broughton, an Old Elizabethan, who was appointed Archdeacon of New South Wales in 1828 and subsequently became the first Bishop of Australia. Harrisons' — The only House to honour two people, Harrisons' was established in 1954. It was named after a senior master, G. W. N. Harrison, who had taught at the school for 41 years until 1929, and E. W. Harrison (no relation), another long-serving and dedicated schoolmaster who retired in 1950. Leicester — A continuing reminder of the School's beginnings: Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester made the request to Queen Elizabeth for a charter for the School in 1573. Pearce — John Pearce began his teaching career at the School in 1932, aged 23. In 1950 he became Senior Master, a post he held until he retired in 1971. The sixth House was named after him on its creation in 1971 when the School became comprehensive and expanded. Stapylton — Named after former Chairman of Governors H. E. Chetwynd-Stapylton, who in 1885 bought the Stapylton field for the school, which is still very much in use today. Underne — Once Queen Elizabeth had granted the Charter for the school, funds were needed to finance it. Edward Underne, Rector of Chipping Barnet Church, was responsible for raising the money for the original building of the School in the 1570s. Academic excellence In 2007, QE came first in the A-Level league table for state schools, and twelfth in the GCSE league table for state schools. In 2008 QE again topped the league table in A-level results and a record