Bartholomew School in Eynsham took second place in the National Reading Champions Quiz run by the National Literacy Trust.

The team, comprising of Lucy Eckersley, Esme Sage, Aoife Kirkaldy and Silas Clennell, beat 20 other teams from across the UK to the top three in the only national reading quiz which is entirely dedicated to knowledge of fiction books.

This is the second consecutive year of the quiz.

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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.

Held at a prestigious central London location earlier this week, the final saw Bartholomew School battle through eight rounds of fiction quizzing to finish second.

A representative from Bartholomew School team said: “We are still in shock at coming 2nd – it has been an amazing, fun experience for the whole team and we are so proud of the their incredible work.”

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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.

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“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.”

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This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF