Schools' Challenge

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Schools Challenge is the national general knowledge competition for schools in the United Kingdom. It uses the same basic rules as University Challenge, although it is affiliated with neither the game nor the television show.

Schools Challenge has been running since 1979, and is divided into two sections. The Senior Schools Challenge is for students up to 18+: there is no lower age restriction, but in practice the teams tend to draw on years 9 to 13. Each team comprises four members, two of whom must be no older than the normal age for a Year 10 student (in 2007/8, born on or after 1st September 1992, or 1st August 1992 in Northern Ireland). The other two can be of any age. Junior Schools Challenge is for students up to and including the normal age for a Year 8 student, or preparatory school pupils: in 2007/8, born on or after 1st September 1994, or 1st August 1994 in Northern Ireland. Again, there are four members in each team but there are no restrictions on the numbers of any students from a particular age group in this competition, unlike its Senior counterpart.

The competition is divided this way because of the incongruence between the public school system and grammar or comprehensive schools. In some public school systems students attend a preparatory school until the age of 13, after which time they transfer to a public school. Schools Challenge has had to work around this so that no school has an unfair advantage in terms of age.

The competition is divided up into regions, much like Secondary School public speaking or debating competitions. Each region has a coordinator, the 'Regional Organiser, who in turn answers to the national organizers.

The national winners in 2007 were:

On 27th April 2008, Westminster again carried off the championship (for the fourth time in a row); the Junior Finals will be played in June 2008. The Prebendal School will not be attending this years Junior Final

[edit] Rules

The game is played to more or less the same rules as University Challenge, except as follows:

  • No points are deducted for incorrectly interrupting a starter question on the buzzer.
  • Bonus questions are worth 10 points each and are passed across to the other team if answered incorrectly.
  • A team answering the starter and all three subsequent bonuses correctly gains an extra bonus of 10 points: thus 50 points are available per round.
  • There are no picture or music rounds.

[edit] Organisers

The national competition is organised by Paul and Sue Sims, assisted by regional co-ordinators. Schools that wish to enter should email the National Organizers at schoolschallenge@sims.abel.co.uk