Tonbridge On Top

Sixth-form students from Tonbridge School, Kent, emerged as the ‘Best in the UK’ after taking part in the prestigious physics competition,  The International Physics Brawl.

The International Physics Brawl – a three-hour online contest which tests knowledge and problem-solving skills – took place on 27 November. More than 400 teams from across the world competed online for the top honours, answering a series of questions which became increasingly challenging as the contest progressed. Teams consisted of up to five students and were awarded points for successfully solving problems. 

In the upper-sixth contest, a team made up of Kevin Lee, Justin Lau, Godwyn Lai, Peter Zeng and Ricci Chung were awarded first place in the UK, and 21st in the world. 

The other upper-sixth teams finished 5th in the UK (28th in the world) and 11th in the UK (70th in the world) respectively. 

In the lower-sixth competition, a Tonbridge team featuring Thomas Masding, Sherman Yip, Ben Gardner, Michael Yiu and Kiefer Chow achieved 9th place in the world, an achievement which made them the highest placed UK team at that level. 

The school’s other lower-sixth teams also put in exceptional performances, achieving UK positions of 2nd, 5th, and 6th (20th, 42nd and 58th in the world) respectively.

‘Our sixth-formers can be proud of their excellent showing on the international stage, and for two of our teams to finish in top spot for the UK is a hugely impressive achievement,’ says Phil Deakin, head of science at Tonbridge. ‘It was a fun and exhilarating contest, demonstrating our students’ ability to work in teams and apply their classroom knowledge to a problem-solving situation.’ 

Find Tonbridge’s School House listing here