Forty of the country’s best young spellers are steadying their nerves and loosening their tongues in preparation for The Times Spelling Bee grand final tomorrow.

It is the culmination of months of practice for the teams of 11 and 12-year-olds.

Ten schools will face each other tomorrow afternoon at the event in Leicester Square, London. The finalists will travel to the capital from places as distant as Wales, Northern Ireland and Tyne & Wear. For some of the children it will be their first visit to the capital.

More than 1,350 schools registered interest in the contest, which is in its inaugural year, and 789 schools competed in 89 heats.

Ten semi-finals took place around the country between March and May, and the successful teams now compete for the title The Times Spelling Bee Champions.

Each school has a team of three children, plus one reserve, all in their first year at secondary school. The Odeon West End will be packed with the contestants’ friends, families, classmates and teachers.

Judges from Collins English Dictionary will adjudicate at the final, and the event will be hosted by the television presenters Andrea Glazier and Opal Bonfante.

As well as the honour of being champions, the winning team will be presented with a Spelling Bee trophy, Collins dictionaries for the contestants and their school, and goody bags.

The ten schools in the final are: Bishop Rawstorne Language College, Lancashire; Bishop Wordsworth’s School, Wiltshire; Brighton College Prep School; Fairwater High School, Gwent; Hainault Forest High School, Ilford; Oundle School, Cambridgeshire; St Louis Grammar School, Co Antrim; St Martin’s School, northwest London; Valley Gardens Middle School, Tyne and Wear; and Welland Park Community College, Leicestershire.

Dylan Amin and Prahalad Prasad, from St Martin’s School, said the heats had been “adrenalin-packed and absolutely amazing fun — a once in a lifetime experience”.

Vicki Simpson, from Bishop Rawstorne Language College, said: “It’s surreal. It’s not really sunk in yet. It won’t really feel real until we get to London.”

James Harding, Editor of The Times, said: “I would like to congratulate the ten schools whose top spellers have made the grand final of The Times Spelling Bee.

“We hope the championship will encourage and inspire children, teachers and parents alike to take pride in their spelling and value the importance of spelling in communicating with others.”

Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, said: “I am delighted that The Times has taken the initiative to launch a national spelling bee competition to assist teachers and children with spelling.

“Good spelling will assist children in their ambitions and it forms an essential part of the school curriculum. The Times competition looks as if it will be a lot of fun for the teams and I wish all the children who take part the best of luck.”

www.timesspellingbee.co.uk

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