Coding challenge champions

Pupils strike the winning formula in Perse Coding Challenge 

Against strong competition from across the country, we’re extremely proud to announce that two Year 10 pupils, Artin and Shaan, have won the Perse Coding Team Challenge. Out of around 3,000 competing teams in round one, down to around 730 in round two, the boys worked together to claim the top title in the Selective Schools and Clubs category with a winning score of 120 points. 

The Perse Coding Team Challenge focuses heavily on algorithmic thinking, problem-solving and programming logic. Pupils are required to apply computational thinking to a series of increasingly complex Python coding problems, often involving optimisation, efficiency and careful interpretation of requirements.  

Both rounds of the competition are completed online, with teams working collaboratively to solve a set of programming problems within a fixed time. In round two, questions become more demanding and the format is designed to encourage teamwork. 

Our students achieved a full score of 120 points in round two and were awarded first place in the selective schools category on a tie-break. Having taken the fewest number of submissions needed to achieve their points, Artin and Shaan took the victory – a fantastic and very rare achievement. 

Reflecting on their success, Artin said: “We were really pleased to win the competition. We were hoping to place highly, so it felt rewarding to come out on top.” 

GCSE Computer Science pupil, Shaan, added: “The computing department was very supportive, Mrs Alexander especially – helping designate practice areas and providing any help needed, but a lot of the progress comes from practising independently and pushing beyond that.” 

Preparation for the competition aligns closely with our Computer Science curriculum, particularly in areas such as algorithms, decomposition, and structured programming. The pupils’ success reflects both their classroom learning and their ability to apply these skills in unfamiliar and challenging contexts. v

This is a brilliant achievement in a very competitive national competition. Full marks alone is impressive, but to go on and win on a tie-break against some of the top schools in the country really shows their problem-solving ability, resilience and attention to detail. They are a great example to their year group and beyond, and it’s brilliant to see them inspiring younger students to get involved in coding competitions. We’re incredibly proud of them.

Mrs Karen Alexander, Teacher of Computer Science and Head of Year 10

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