Management Information Sheet
Top Class in Science Competitions - Years 6 and 9
Years 6 and 9
Although the two-day Norwich Science Olympiad will not be taking place this year, there will be two Top Class in Science competitions one for Year 6 and one for Year 9. With the generous financial support of the Norwich Town Close Estate Charity, the Alderman Norman Educational Foundation and the Garfield Weston Foundation, these competitions will be organised by the Centre for the Advancement of Science and Technology (CAST Education).
Each competition takes the form of quiz matches that are played head-to-head in real time between whole classes or other groups of pupils in different schools. The matches take place in schools at dates and times of your convenience, and last about half an hour.
The pupils are allocated to ten teams with up to three students in any one team. Each team works at a computer that downloads multiple-choice questions from the Internet. The quicker the correct answer is given, the more points the team scores. Each team in one class or school is paired with a particular team in the other class or school to play a game. All ten games take place at the same time. In each game, the two teams simultaneously receive the same questions. After twenty questions, the team with the greater number of points has won their game. The class winning the greater number of games has won the match. You can see sample questions, and run a trial match on the Top Class in Science website (www.top-class.org.uk).
The competitions will be structured in a series of knock-out or group rounds as in football competitions. The details will be determined later depending on the number of entries. The matches will start soon after the beginning of the Summer Term. The grand finals will take place as stage shows before audiences of pupils, teachers and parents at the University of East Anglia on the evening of Tuesday, 1 July (Year 6), and Thursday, 3 July (Year 9). You can see video-clips of previous grand finals on the Top Class in Science website.
Entries
To enter your school, please, complete and return the form on the Norwich Science Olympiad website (www.norwichscienceolympiad.org.uk) by 31 March. At this stage, we can offer places for only one class or group from each school. However, depending on the number of initial entries, we may be able to offer places for more than one class or group per school at a later date. The details of any such adjustment will be sent out before the end of this term.
If you require further information, please, contact Dr Malcolm Seddon (Director of CAST Education) at g.m.seddon@uea.ac.uk.