READ ON FOR THE RESULTS OF THE 2023
Click here to read about the results of the
2023 What on Earth Individuals Quiz Challenge
Schools across the UK battled it out in the second annual What on Earth! Schools Quiz Challenge for a place in the final, held on Monday 27th November. The qualifying rounds included a brain-teasing series of online heats held on Zoom for each age group.
After weeks of furiously preparing for the championship, the final eight schools, four primary and four secondary, made their way to Stationer’s Hall in London for the thrilling live final.
Jane Broadis, Head of English from Edge Grove School was excited to give the children the chance to flex their knowledge.
“It is wonderful seeing children for whom general knowledge is a passion, having the opportunity to shine. A fabulous event in a fabulous venue celebrating children who know stuff.”
The schools invited to compete in the final for the primary school’s category (8-11 year olds) were:
Magdalen College Junior (Oxford).
Edge Grove School (Hertfordshire).
Thorn Grove Primary (Bishop’s Stortford).
Westbourne Prep School (Penarth, Wales).
The four finalist teams for the secondary schools’ category (11-14 year olds) were:
Weaverham High School (Cheshire).
Loreto College (St Alban’s).
Wymondham High Academy (Norfolk).
Soham Village College (Cambridgeshire)
The overall winners were the ‘Wymondham ‘Wizards’ from Norfolk
Hosted by Christopher Lloyd, author and founder of What on Earth Publishing, the day began with all of the teams competing in group rounds to see who would make it through to the nail-biting final head-to-head rounds.
All the quiz questions were inspired by topics covered in past editions of What on Earth! Magazine including mind boggling and amazing facts, extraordinary feats and awe-inspiring true-life stories.
Holly, age 9 and a half from Thorn Grove Primary, won’t ever forget the experience. “I think today is a day I’ll never forget, even if we win or lose, I will remember it. It was really fun.”
Magdalen College Junior and Edge Grove School fought until the very end in finals for the primary school category, with Edge Grove School taking first place. Broadis said since the win the quizzers from Edge Grove School are “walking round school like they've won the World Cup!”
Watch a video created by a parent showing their experience of the day below
Then it was Weaverham High School and Wymondham High Academy’s turn to compete for the top spot in the secondary category, with Wymondham High Academy coming out on top. A teacher from Wymondham High Academy was really proud of the children’s dedication. “We are so proud of all of the students in our Wymondham High team, they have been amazing and such a credit to the school, working really hard throughout the process and after such a tense final it’s just amazing to see them have that success.”
With the highest overall score in the quiz, we were thrilled to present the ‘Wymondham Wizards’ from Wymondham High Academy with the What on Earth! Schools Quiz Champions 2023 title and trophy. A member of the Wymondham Wizards, Wymondham High champion team said: “It’s been one of the fun-ist things I have done all year. It’s been very enjoyable for everyone here.”
Lloyd said he’s already looking forward to finding the new UK school quiz champions for 2024 after being “thoroughly impressed with the dedication and enthusiasm of our young quizzers during the last few weeks of preparation and competitions.
To find out more about participating in the 2024 quiz, you can register your interest online using the link at the top of this page. The quiz is free to enter for all primary, secondary and independent schools throughout the UK for levels KS2 and KS3 (aged 8 – 14) and travel bursaries are available.