This year’s second coding challenge was open only to students who earned gold awards in the first round, held during the Autumn Term. Unlike the previous challenge, which focused on problem-solving through computational thinking, this advanced round required participants to apply critical and logical thinking through practical coding tasks — perfectly aligning with this term’s High Performance Learning (HPL) focus on Critical and Logical Thinking. 

Our students rose to the challenge with enthusiasm and of particular note was: 

Seren U achieved a perfect score in the Novices group, earning a gold award, the title of Best in School, and ranking in the top 10% nationally. 

Elin Z, from the more advanced Trailblazers group, also received a gold award and the title of Best in School in her category. 

Elin Z shared: “The questions were really fun and felt natural to work through — a few were a bit trickier, but that made finishing them even more fun.  

“What I like most about coding is how versatile it is. You can build anything you want from scratch that actually works and helps people. It’s not always easy, but that’s part of what makes it so incredibly rewarding.” 

Our students’ performance compared exceptionally well both regionally and nationally: 

St Swithun’s scores: ranged from 24 to 48 (with 48 being 100%), and an average score of 36. 

Hampshire average: approximately 22.25. 

National average: approximately 23.44 out of 48. 

Total participants nationally: 49,774 students. 

These results underscore both the skill of our students and the strength of the support they receive from our dedicated staff and curriculum. 

Mrs Pam Hearsum, Head of Computer Science, commented, "We are proud of our students' exceptional performance in the Bebras coding challenge. Their success highlights their achievements in computer science and serves as an inspiration for more girls to pursue this field. Congratulations to all for their dedication and commitment." 

And Mrs Gina Baker, KS3 Computing Co-ordinator added, “Our students' performance in the coding challenge is fantastic and a true testament to their hard work, dedication and the values of perseverance and growth we promote in our department. Very well done to everyone and we look forward to lots more coding challenges in the future!” 

About the Challenge 

Bebras challenges are grouped by skill level rather than age, which allows students at various stages of their coding journey to participate meaningfully. The Trailblazer group, in particular, pushes the most advanced coders to reach their full potential. 

Encouraging Girls in Computer Science and STEM 

Challenges like Bebras provide valuable opportunities for our girls to engage with coding in a way that is both intellectually stimulating and highly relevant to the modern world. 

This encouragement is particularly important, given national trends: 

According to the UK’s Department for Education, only 21% of A-level computer science students are female. https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/25-01-2022/sb262-higher-education-student-statistics/subjects  

In girls’ schools, however, participation rates are often doubled. This can be due to targeted encouragement and inclusive learning environments,  

Girls in single-sex schools are more than twice as likely to take computer science at A-level compared to those in co-ed schools. https://ffteducationdatalab.org.uk/2024/05/do-pupils-in-single-sex-schools-get-better-grades/  

At St Swithun’s, we offer enrichment opportunities across STEM subjects, and showcase female role models in tech and engineering careers. Our goal is to ensure that every girl can see herself as a scientist, an engineer — and, increasingly, a coder. 

Congratulations to all our students who took part.