This term, our brilliant computer scientists have been placing their computational and logical thinking skills in a range of national and international competitions!
UK Bebras 2023
The Bebras Computing Challenge is an international competition and is organised in over 50 countries by Oxford University, aimed at getting our students excited about computing.
This year, 408,339 students from across the UK participated with a total of 287 students from all year groups competing from FHS. An incredible 26 students received a Gold Award certificate, ranking them amongst the top 10% nationally. These students progress in the competition as they prepare for the Oxford University Computing Challenge (OUCC) in January 2024. As well as the 26 Gold Award winners, we also saw 73 Distinction Award winners (top 25% nationally) and 64 students achieving a Merit award (top 50% nationally) with the remaining students receiving a Participation Award for their effort. The Gold Award winners are Cara S, Wendy B, Isa C, Vivi G, Eloise L, Sapphire M, Tennyson M, Penel B, Sophia M, Fiona J, Millie D, Florence R, Lisa H, Isla D, Sophia L, Xanthe D, Maggie H, Natasha P, Alex S, Bella J, Carlota M, Josephine F, Amelie S, Esther C, Emily B, and Maria S.
There were also Best In School certificates awarded to the following students:
Elite (16-18) category – Cara S
Seniors (14-16) category – Wendy B
Intermediate (12-14) category – Isa C
Juniors (10-12) category – Vivi G
CyberFirst Girls competition
The CyberFirst Girls competition aims to inspire girls in Year 8 who are interested in technology to pursue careers in cyber security. The competition is a team event and, this year, we had 11 students from our LIV year group who put on an incredible effort to engage in a range of challenges taught in the new computing curriculum and some advanced cyber topics which really stretched the lateral thinking and additional cyber knowledge of our teams. Their efforts placed Francis Holland School 32nd in the top 100 schools in the country – Top 100.pdf (ncsc.gov.uk)
Congratulations to Luciana V, Alexia P, Izzy K, Adiel A, Sophie M, Sureya J, Xanthe D, Natasha P, Anniyah K, Liberty K, and Helen T.
“The introduction to competitions in the Computing curriculum is a great way for our students to demonstrate their computational thinking skills. It’s wonderful to see 287 students take part in the Oxford University UK Bebras competition and our brilliant CyberFirst teams engage in the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) competition with lots of energy and enthusiasm. Our girls have truly embraced the competitions with true FHS fashion, showcasing their perseverance, spirit, compassion, and knowledge. We are proud of the many achievements in Computing competitions so far this year and look forward to seeing how our students get on in the 2024 Oxford University Computing Challenge (OUCC) in January!”
Mr M El Moudden, Head of Computer Science
