Royal Society of Chemistry Top of the Bench Competition: National Finals

On Saturday 25 March, the St Paul’s Top of the Bench team finished third in the National Finals of this Royal Society of Chemistry competition.

This was the school’s first appearance among the 31 schools from all over the UK taking part in the event.  To qualify for the National Finals, which were held at the University of East London, the team of James (Sixth Form), Misha (Fifth Form), Andres and James (both Fourth Form) had beaten a stacked field in their heat in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Downland region, which covers a large part of the south east of England.

James (Fourth Form) was unable to make the finals, but Ishaan (Fourth Form) stepped in to complete the team. The team first sat a theory paper in pairs before coming together to complete a practical challenge analysing the energy content of different green fuels, which fitted with the sustainable chemistry theme of the day. Tiny margins separated the top few places in the competition, and St Paul’s tied with Harrow, finishing just behind Colchester County High School for Girls and the overall winners, Winchester College.