The only school with two podiums: how Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate is going back to Malta

James Luxford did not plan any of this. He teaches psychology, or science, depending on the day. When someone at Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate asked whether any staff wanted to help with a psychology project, he said yes without really knowing what he was agreeing to.

“I didn’t know anything about esports. And I said, sure, I’ll help out. And the next thing I know, I’m running the whole thing.”

That is how one of the most successful school esports programmes in the world began: not with a strategy, a board approval or a facilities investment, but with a teacher saying yes. Two years later, Queen Ethelburga's was the only school at the inaugural School Esports World Championships to put both of its teams on the podium. In November 2026 they are going back, and this time they want to come first.

At a glance

• 2 teams, 2 podiums — both reached the Minecraft Capture the Flag finals at SEWC 2025 and both finished second.
• Clubs and an academic course — launched at the same time, covering business, event management and sports science through esports.
• A brand-new senior team — not one player from last year’s older group returns, so the squad was rebuilt from scratch.
• The goal for 2026 — first place in both competitions.

A programme built on character, not skill

Queen Ethelburga's did not build esports slowly. When Luxford took over, the school launched the extracurricular clubs and the academic subject together. “We are not a school that does things lightly,” he says. “We don’t do things by halves.”

The academic course is not a gaming course. Students who have never wanted to compete sit next to players with years of high-level experience. “This is applied business,” Luxford says. “We look at everything through the lens of esports.” Former students have gone on to found their university’s first esports team because of what they built at QE.

On the competitive side, the programme reaches from the youngest players to students in their final year. At SEWC 2025, some of the 13+ finalists were in their last weeks at the school. “If you wanna compete, you have an opportunity to do so at Queen Ethelburga's, and that’s what I’m really proud of.”

And when Luxford builds a team, results are not what he selects for.

“I don’t care how good you are at the game. I care how good of a person you are. That’s how half of my team got picked. That’s why we have the success that we do.”

— James Luxford, esports lead

Two teams, two podiums

In Malta in 2025, both QE teams reached the Minecraft Capture the Flag final. Both came second. Luxford talks through the tactics like someone who has studied every match: a tight, structured formation in the key moments. The junior semifinal stands out.

“We had a very defined, structured first minute of the match, where we attacked as one, captured a quick flag.” Then came sustained pressure. “As soon as that pressure relented slightly, I was able to allow one or two of our players a little bit of freedom, explore where they needed to, and try and find some of the weaknesses within the opponents.” They won 2–1. “It was the tightest game of the tournament.”

Both finals came down to tactics against tactics, and on the day it did not go QE’s way. Then Luxford says something unexpected.

“I don’t care about results. I have situations where we lose a game, and my team walk out with their arms around each other, slapping each other on the back, laughing. That means more to me than any win ever.”

New teams, same standard

For 2026 the junior team returns with familiar faces, but the senior team is entirely new. What Luxford has found is that the standard is still there. The new senior captain is fifteen and already plays for QE’s under-18 rugby team, almost unheard of at that age. Another player runs the school’s esports social media while competing at the highest level.

Training for Malta is not about practising Minecraft. It might be aim training, team-building with no gaming at all, or another game entirely. “I don’t need to do anything to improve their Minecraft skill,” Luxford says. “What I need to do is make sure that they can all work as a team effectively.”

The hardest part, he says, was asking students to put themselves forward. “The tough bit for them was standing up to me and saying, I want you to pick me. They’ve already done that. So for me now, I’m already incredibly proud of them.”

“It will be the first School Esports World Championships I have gone to in my life and, as team captain, no less! I really want to be good enough to stay as their leader after Malta, but I mostly just want to do it for my team.”

— 13+ captain, Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate

Returning as finalists

At QE everyone knows who the team is: more than a thousand students, and every one of them knows the players who went to Malta. Luxford manages that carefully. “I want them to be confident, but I don’t want them to be arrogant. They’re aware there are going to be plenty of teams they have not faced before, so they’re ready for the challenge.”

“Since returning from Malta last year, it feels like the whole school has come up and talked to me about it at some point! However the team does, I’ll be really proud of them, but of course we would love to go one better and take home gold!”

— Under-12 captain, Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate

Asked plainly about the ambition for 2026, Luxford drops the philosophy for a moment. “We came second in both competitions last year. We wanna come first in both competitions this year.” Beyond the scoreboard, he wants something that lasts: “I want them to be able to spend the rest of their lives saying, I competed in the world championships. I was a world finalist.”

What Queen Ethelburga's is building

The school motto is the line Luxford keeps returning to: be the best you can with the gifts that you have. It fits esports well: the student who excels at Minecraft and on the rugby pitch, the student who takes the course to manage a team rather than play in one, the student who came back from Malta with friendships she would not have made anywhere else.

“I may not walk up to somebody and speak to them face to face, but I’ll speak to anybody that’s sat next to me on an esports team. That is how friendships get forged. That person next to me is a teammate. There’s nothing stronger than that bond.”

— James Luxford

“Esports provides another powerful environment in which to develop confidence, teamwork, resilience and ambition, combining strategic thinking with leadership, communication and the ability to perform under pressure. Returning to the World Championships is about much more than competing. It is another opportunity for our students to grow, represent their school and country with pride, and take experiences with them that will last well beyond their time at QE.”

— Daniel Machin, Principal, Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate

Luxford’s last word is an invitation. “Queen Ethelburga's is a place that works incredibly hard to be for everybody. If you are interested in esports, Queen Ethelburga's is for you. We will turn you into the best version of yourself with the gifts that you have.”

Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate competes in Minecraft Capture the Flag at the School Esports World Championships 2026, Malta, 18–23 November. It qualified through the DAIGON Esports Competition.