Cranbrook pupils take part in world’s largest computing challenge

Pupils at Cranbrook Education Campus have been putting their problem-solving skills to the test by taking part in an international computing challenge involving millions of students worldwide.

Children from Years 5 to 10 at the Cranbrook school joined the Bebras Challenge, a global competition designed to introduce young people to computational thinking through a series of logic-based puzzles.

The Bebras Challenge is recognised as the world’s largest computer science competition. 

In 2025, more than 2.5 million students from 85 countries took part, tackling tasks that focus on reasoning, creativity and structured problem-solving rather than coding itself.

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Teachers at Cranbrook Education Campus said the challenge gave pupils the opportunity to apply skills they develop in maths and computing lessons to unfamiliar problems, encouraging them to think logically and work through complex ideas.

Stephen Farmer, Head of Campus at Cranbrook Education Campus, said pupils had approached the challenge with enthusiasm.

“Our pupils really threw themselves into it,” he said. 

“It was great to see how focused they were when tackling some quite complex problems, and how willing they were to have a go and think things through.”

Cranbrook Education Campus, which is part of the Ted Wragg Trust, teaches pupils from primary through to secondary age. 

Staff say activities such as the Bebras Challenge help pupils develop skills that are increasingly important both in further education and the workplace.

Moira Marder, Chief Executive of the Ted Wragg Trust, said taking part in a global competition helped pupils understand the wider relevance of their learning.

“It’s encouraging to see pupils in Cranbrook engaging with a challenge that connects them with students around the world,” she said. 

“Experiences like this can build confidence and show young people how far their skills can take them.”

The Bebras Challenge is run annually and is designed to be accessible to students of different ages and abilities. 

It aims to develop computational thinking, which organisers describe as a core skill in understanding and solving modern-day problems.

School leaders said they are now looking forward to receiving pupils’ results and continuing to build on the interest generated by the challenge.