Spelling Bee gets Chilton pupils buzzing with excitement

Chilton pupils test their spelling skills

There was a buzz of excitement when super spellers were put to the test for the final Spelling Bee competition of this school year at Chilton Primary in Ramsgate.

The summer knock-out tournament saw contestants from all age groups take to the stage in front of the whole school, staff and families.

Each incorrectly spelt word saw a contestant eliminated as tough words that are on the national curriculum for Years 5 and 6 challenged pupils’ powers of recall.

Awkward words that stumped some of the competitors included twelfth, rhyme, profession, nuisance and recommend.

The final two pupils left to battle it out for top spot were Jake and Jamie, with Jake triumphant. A tense spelling shoot-out saw them get to grips with words including sacrifice, dictionary, exaggerate, frequently, convenience and conscious.

Teachers Helen Rowland-Hill and Michael Pile co-ordinated the challenge. They said: “It is extremely difficult to be put on the spot in front of the whole school in this competition.

“All the pupils did very well and a number of children knew the right spellings but were thrown by the occasion.

“All the words we ask the children to spell are those that we expect our Year 6 pupils to understand before they leave Chilton for senior school, so there were younger pupils tackling very tough spellings.

The Spelling Bee is held three times each year and is part of the school’s ongoing literacy drive.