A team of young scientists from The John Lyon School beat off 19 other schools to win a prestigious competition at a top University of London college.

The four Year 8 boys from the independent school in Harrow won first prize in the Salters’ Challenge held at Queen Mary College by using forensic science to work out who had stolen silverware in an imaginary theft from a mansion.

Headmaster Kevin Riley said: “This was an outstanding result in a competition which really makes chemistry fun. All four boys listened carefully to the instructions, worked extremely well as a team and reported their results accurately.”

In the two-hour challenge, the team, comprising Stephen Bennett, Robert Gardiner, Sevan Keoshgerian and Arjun Puri, pictured above, had to work out which of five mansion employees was guilty of the crime.

All the employees had a sample of salt found on them when questioned. The pupils had to perform flame tests and chemical identifications on each of the samples, repeat and check their results, and then cross-reference their results with the witness statements with which they were provided.

The first prize of £100 goes to the winning team’s school. The Salters’ Challenge is part of the Salters’ Festivals of Chemistry, an initiative of the Salters’ Institute, held annually at universities around the country. The Salters’ Institute works to support chemistry teaching in schools and encourage pupils to pursue careers in UK chemical industries.

The day at Queen Mary College included a Chemistry magic show and a second competition, called the University Challenge, in which participants had to produce different coloured dyes for a paint company. To read one team member's report of the day, click here.

Issued on behalf of The John Lyon School