STUDENTS from Weaverham High School can now count themselves among the 10 best readers in the country after a fine performance at a national quiz.

The school's team, comprising Daisy Holmes, Tom Jenkins, Niamh Craig and James Rowland, competed against 21 other teams at the National Reading Champions Quiz.

Taking place at the Royal College of Nursing in London on May 25, the team went above and beyond to finish tenth out of 22.

The final saw the Weaverham team battle through eight rounds of live fiction quizzing.

Celebrated children’s authors joined the event in person and via video link including Sir Michael Morpurgo, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Patrice Lawrence, Sarah Crossan and Jasbinder Bilan.

This is the second consecutive year of the quiz put on by the National Literacy Trust, with funding support from the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS).

Schools from across the country were able to celebrate their star readers while also championing reading culture within schools and encouraging reading for pleasure, reading diversely and the development of reading stamina.

Patrice Lawrence, author of Orangeboy, said: “I feel very privileged to have met so many fantastic young readers – seeing so many of them in one room makes my heart sing. Congratulations to all the teams involved in the final.”

During March, 500 teams across the UK comprising of 2,000 students competed across more than 20 regional heats, meaning the team from Weaverham High School was one of only 22 teams to make it through to the final.

In recognition of their success, the team was sent home with a regional trophy and finalist certificates.

Every quiz finalist was also sent home with a selection of free books, thanks to donations from Pan Macmillan and Penguin Random House.

Henrietta Roberts, senior project manager at the National Literacy Trust, said: "It has been a very special occasion celebrating this year’s finalists, the librarians who support them on their reading journeys and the authors who inspire them - I am in awe of these young people and their reading knowledge!

"The quiz is a really positive experience from the first regional heat to the grand final and it is wonderful seeing the quiz go from strength to strength with the help and support of regional organisers, librarians and the students themselves who bring such energy and team spirit to the competition.

"We look forward to welcoming many more keen readers to the quiz in the future, whether they are defending a regional title or having a go for the first time.

"Reading is for everyone and we can all enjoy the amazing world of children’s literature available today and celebrate our young readers through the National Reading Champions Quiz."

Barbara Hayes, deputy chief executive at the ALCS, said: “We are delighted once again to have partnered with the National Literacy Trust to put on this fantastic reading quiz.

"It has been a brilliant opportunity for enthusiastic readers to be proud of their fiction book knowledge but also to learn about what it takes to be an author and how the publishing and copyright industry works.

"We congratulate the team from Weaverham High School on their outstanding performance."