Pupils discover power of words in Billingshurst school’s competition

The children of Billingshurst Primary School became master wordsmiths this week and demonstrated the power of words by raising over £400 in the ‘Word in a Word’ competition. The fundraiser, sponsored by the Village Tweet, set pupils the challenge of finding as many words as possible using the letters from the school’s name ‘Billingshurst Primary School’.

The competition results surprised everyone with the winner from Key Stage 2, Emily-Jane Harman, finding 1079 words. The winner from Key Stage 1 was Keira Oxley with 354 words.

Prizes were also awarded for the best anagram ‘my school is brilliant’, most money raised, longest and most unusual words. Edie Golding from Year 2 raised an outstanding £125 for 188 words and discovered the 12 letter show-stopping word scholarships. The most unusual words uncovered were imbroglio and glycosuria, both worthy prize-winning entries, causing some to reach for their dictionaries.

The competition is part of the school’s Year of Writing which has already produced some outstanding work from the children, inspired by a number of exciting projects; from story competitions and an author visit to a guest appearance from a knight in shining armour.

Mrs Claire Wilson, English Leader, comments: “We are incredibly proud of the time and effort the children put into the ‘Word in a Word’ competition and at the diverse range and sheer volume of words discovered. The challenge has been a fantastic way of encouraging the children to develop their vocabulary, whilst working alongside parents and grandparents to really stretch their linguistic knowledge and encourage some healthy competition.”

Report by Kate Clifford on behalf of the BPSCA. Picture contributed.