Quiz Finalists

South Hampstead has become the second school in nearly 50 years to field an all-girls’ team in the finals of Schools Challenge.

The national schools quiz competition, modelled on the popular television programme University Challenge, has been running since the 1970s, with teams of four competing to be the fastest on the buzzer and demonstrate their trivia prowess. To date, the only all-female teams to qualify for the senior national finals have been from Bournemouth School for Girls.

Sixth Formers Erin, Leila, Talia and Talia advanced through three qualifying rounds to make the finals held at Winchester College, where they answered some devilishly difficult questions on the works of P G Wodehouse, Brownian motion, papal elections, and career Grand Slam golfers… Although the hosts ultimately came out on top, the girls put in a strong performance and were only narrowly beaten in their two games. Reaching the finals means they ranked in the top eight out of over 100 schools across the UK – a fantastic achievement.