Eight ambitious Sixth Form students from WHSB have challenged themselves by volunteering for the Advanced Level of the United Kingdom Linguistics Olympiad (UKLO), a national language-analysis competition for school students across the UK. It challenges participants to solve linguistics puzzles using logic and pattern recognition rather than prior knowledge of specific languages, and it is worth noting that not all entrants are A Level linguists. This demanding and rigorous two-and-a-half-hour competition tested the participants' analytical skills as they decoded complex patterns, symbols and phonetic structures. The assessment featured diverse and obscure linguistic systems, ranging from Cantonese Braille to Seri, an endangered language spoken by only 800 people in coastal Mexico.

Over 1,500 Upper and Lower Sixth students competed across the UK, with result thresholds established to recognize Gold (top 5%), Silver (next 10%), and Bronze (subsequent 20%) achievements. Upper Sixth students Sebastian and Joe were awarded Silver and Bronze certificates respectively. Lower Sixth students Niamh and Frank are also to be commended for their efforts, narrowly missing the Bronze award thresholds. This is a fantastic achievement, all our entrants should be congratulated for being prepared to give up so much of their time to push themselves out of their comfort zones.

With thanks to Mrs Williams for facilitating the School's entry to this prestigious, national competition.