Hereford Cathedral School success in Schools’ Challenge

A four-boy team from Hereford Cathedral School reached the finals of the senior Schools’ Challenge 2017, the national general knowledge competition for schools in the UK. The Final at Westminster School on Sunday 23 April was the culmination of a hard fought competition which started at regional level. The 15 regional winners then played an inter-regional round, the winners of which contested the Schools’ Challenge Shield.

The HCS team was made up of two Year 13 boys and 2 from Year 9, including chorister Sam Mckay. They were beaten only by The Perse School Cambridge, who went on to claim the Shield. Along the way, the boys successfully eliminated schools like Magdalen College School in Oxford, Manchester Grammar School and Shrewsbury School.

The competition is played by similar rules to BBC’s University Challenge, with starter questions asked to all the contestants followed by three bonus questions. However, contestants don’t get penalised for incorrectly interrupting a starter question on the buzzer; the bonus questions are worth 10 points each and are passed across to the other team if answered incorrectly; and sadly, no picture or music rounds at present.

 

The team receiving The Schools’ Challenge Plate

 

 

 

Headmaster Paul Smith and Quiz Organiser Helen Wall were delighted with the boys’ achievement. HFC has fielded consistently successful teams in both Junior and Senior competitions since the competition was founded by Colin Galloway in 1978.