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Computer Science Students Excel Nationally |
We are delighted to report another highly successful set of results in the 2025 Bebras Computing Challenge, with students delivering the school’s strongest performance to date. Run by the Raspberry Pi Foundation in partnership with the University of Oxford, the challenge attracts over three million participants worldwide and focuses on logical, structured problem solving under timed conditions.
Across the L4–L6 categories, 35 students were awarded Gold, placing them in the top 10% nationally - an exceptional accomplishment that highlights their impressive computational thinking .
Bethan and Lucy were jointly awarded Best in School for the Juniors category with Abbie and Sophia jointly achieving Best in School for the Intermediates category. Isobel took M5 Best in Year for the Seniors category, Emily secured Best in Year for U5 for the Seniors category and Michelle took sixth form Best in School for the Elites group.
Our prep school also took part in the challenge and across Y2–3, pupils earned eight Merits and 13 Distinctions, with Ada M named Best in School. In Y4–5, students achieved 15 Merits and 13 Distinctions, and Millie R received Best in School. Y6–L4 produced 21 Merits and 22 Distinctions, and several pupils across Y2–L4 also earned national Gold certificates for placing in the top 10%.
Many others earned distinctions showcasing their strong logical reasoning and strategic skills. Strong performances were seen across the school with students demonstrating excellent engagement, effort and logical thinking. This reflects the positive learning culture that underpins computing at St Swithun’s.
These achievements place our pupils in an excellent position as they progress to the next stage, the Coding Challenge, where they will tackle programming-based tasks that build on the thinking skills developed in Bebras.
“Our students’ achievements in the Bebras Challenge demonstrate their strong analytical skills. It has been inspiring to see them engage so thoughtfully with each challenge and these results highlight the depth of computing talent across the school,” said Mrs Baker and Mrs Hearsum from the computer science department.
Here at St Swithun’s we believe that an all-girls educational environment can improve performance and confidence and encourage girls to study STEM subjects.
