Over twenty-two Year 9 pupils joined Mme Roe for this year’s GCHQ National Language Competition in which they were tasked with solving and decoding puzzles that combine language, logic and cultural knowledge.
The virtual competition sees school teams from across the UK compete against each other to complete over 80 tasks in a time frame, so they can accumulate score points. Mme Roe had the live leaderboard on her screen to track where John Taylor High School was being placed which was exciting to see!
In the classroom, there was a real buzz in the air as the pupils meticulously completed the tasks, all helped by Mme Roe’s delicious pastries that went down a treat. Working with classmates in small teams improved their speed and exposed them to different ways of solving the tasks. The languages they covered included French, German, Spanish, Italian, Welsh, Mandarin, Hindi, Portuguese, Swahili and more.
Mme Roe said ‘this competition is more than a languages competition. It helps build problem‑solving skills, attention to detail and an appreciation for how languages work. These are all incredibly useful skills whether our students pursue languages, computer science, critical thinking subjects or other fields. Well done to everyone involved, I am incredibly proud to have been part of this fantastic opportunity. The pupils’ resilience and perseverance throughout was commendable.’
Well done to: Ava F, Evie N, Hollie C, Lucy G, Rabia W, Scarlett T, Daisy H, Evie C, Maddie W, Jacob H, Hamish S, Noah W, Lauren H, Adele G, Casey M, Dylan C, Harry F, Erika N, Rebekah S, Fatimah W, Jess B, Daniella H.
The overall winners of the National Language Competition will be invited to GCHQ’s headquarters in Cheltenham to receive their trophy, watch this space!
