Pupils in East Cambridgeshire battled through more than 40 questions amongst 60 other schools to qualify for a national quiz final. 

Soham Village College entered the Britannica Magazine Schools Quiz Challenge for a place in the final in London. 

The East Cambridgeshire school competed in qualifying heats of three rounds of 14 questions in the 11-14 years category earlier this month. 

A team of four pupils were then tasked with answering questions from previous issues of Britannica Magazine. 

A school librarian at Soham Village College said: “I am so proud of my team.  

“They revised hard using the Britannica magazines and even when they couldn’t recall a fact immediately, they knew which magazine it would be found in and looked up the answer straight away.” 

The list of finalists for the Britannica Magazine Schools Quiz Challenge are as follows: 

11 to 14 years age group: Soham Village College, Cambridgeshire; Killicomaine Junior High School – Portadown; Chipping Campden School – Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire; The Hayesbrook Academy, Tonbridge, Kent 

8 to 11 years age group: Stenness Community School – Orkney; Cramlington Village Primary School – Cramlington, Northumberland; Alleyn's Junior School - Dulwich, London; Goodwyn School - Mill Hill, London. 

Christopher Lloyd, quizmaster and Britannica Magazine CEO and founder, said: “The schools who participated were brilliant.  

“We could not have wished for a more enthusiastic and motivated cohort of young people, inspired by information about the real world.” 

Chris Routh, co-ordinator for National Non-Fiction November, believes the quiz will help children develop their knowledge about what is happening around them.  

“We can’t think of anything more inspiring than to see children being challenged to develop their knowledge about the incredible world around them,” he said.  

“This event is such a great way of communicating in an accessible way”. 

All questions were taken from Britannica Magazine, a monthly non-fiction publication aimed at children aged between seven and 14-years-old, launched earlier this year. 

The quiz is open to all primary, secondary and independent schools throughout the UK. 

Soham Village College will aim to become secondary school champions of the Britannica Magazine Schools Quiz Challenge at the finals at Bridewell Hall on November 30. 

A total prize of £1,000 of non-fiction books is also on offer for the winning school’s library.