Schools' Challenge

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Schools Challenge is the national general knowledge competition for schools. It uses the same basic rules as University Challenge, although it is affiliated with neither the game nor the television show.

Schools' Challenge has two sections. The Senior Schools Challenge competition is for students aged 13 and above (that is to say, Year 9 upwards). Each team comprises four members, two of which must be members of Years 9 or 10. The other two can be of any age. Junior Schools' Challenge is for students up to and including Year 8, or preparatory school pupils. Again, there are four members in each teacm but there are no restrictions on the numbers of any students from a particular age group in this competition, unlike its Senior counterpart.

The competition is divided this way because of the incongruencies between the public school system and grammar or comprehensive schools. In the public school system students attend a preparatory school until the age of 13, after which time they transfer to a public pchool. Schools Challenge has had to work around this so that neither group has an unfair advantage in terms of age.

The competition is divided up into regions, much like Secondary School public speaking or debating competitions. Each region has a co-ordinator, who answer in turn to the national organisers.

[edit] Rules

The game is played to more or less the same rules as University Challenge. Starters, for which a buzzer system is used, must be answered individually, and are worth 10 points, with each subsequent bonus also being worth 10 points (and a bonus 10 points for a starter and all 3 bonuses answered correctly). Incorrectly answered starters are offered to the opposing team, unlike the convention in University Challenge. There are no musical or picture rounds.

Interested schools may email the National Organisers at schoolschallenge@sims.abel.co.uk