Students from Haberdashers Monmouth School participated in the British Biology Olympiad, which saw them presented with unfamiliar topics and ideas to challenge theur problem- solving skills and understanding of core principles.

The British biology Olympiad challenges students with an interest in biology to expand and extend their talent as well as enabling them to demonstrate their abilities and to be rewarded with certificates.

This year over 15,000 students from 1,000 schools entered the competition with Haberdashers Monmouth School rewarded with three commended, three highly commended, a bronze award for Sophie, silver awards for Sienna, Breanna and James and a gold award for Fay.

Only five percent of people who entered were awarded a gold and 10 percent silver.

Haberdashers Monmouth School said: “This is a rigorous challenge, so we are very proud of all our biologists.”

“As Fay has excelled in this competition she was invited to participate in the next round of the selection process for the international biology Olympiad.”

“Fay had to read a paper on “Extensive Proliferation of a Subset of differentiated, yet plastic, medial vascular smooth muscle cells contribute to neointimal formation in mouse injury and atherosclerosis models” and then answer questions based on this.

Head of Biology, Emma Barson said: "I am incredibly proud of our talented biology students for their exceptional performance in the Biology Olympiad.

“Their dedication, hard work, and passion for science has shone through, and this achievement is testament to their commitment to excellence. “

“This accomplishment not only reflects their individual brilliance but also the strength of our school’s academic community. We look forward to seeing even greater successes from them in the future.”

Fay and her fellow students are anxiously waiting to see how she fared in the selection process.