Students make the grade in Olympiad

Frankie Rose, 17, from Shrewsbury and Connor Bennett, 18, from Much Wenlock, took part in the chemistry competition for students in schools and colleges.

It is split into stages and the final outcome is to select four learners who will represent the UK in the third and final round.

The first round was a written test that students took at Shrewsbury Colleges Group.

Over 6,500 pupils across the UK took part and the top 30 were invited back for round two. This was a residential weekend with theoretical and practical tests for the competitors to get stuck into. For 2018 it was held at the University of Cambridge and included lectures from renowned chemistry professionals.

From this 30, just four were selected to go to Slovakia and the Czech Republic to represent the UK on an international level. After all their hard-work, Frankie and Connor did not make the top four.

The A Level chemistry department enter students every year, but this is the first time the students continued on to the second round. Connor said: “I am going to the University of Cambridge in September, so having the chance to go there for three days was a great experience for me. Taking part in the Chemistry Olympiad was exciting and a challenging but rewarding experience. All the extra circular activities I do with college helped towards my application for Cambridge earlier on in the year.”

Steve Lewis, chemistry teacher, said: “Frankie and Connor did brilliantly on both rounds.

"They worked hard and put a lot of effort in. Although they were not selected for the team of four to represent the UK, they should be congratulated for the impressive achievement of reaching the final round. For two students from Shrewsbury Colleges Group to reach this level in a competition, against all the schools and colleges in the country, is commendable.”