SIXTH-form students at Thomas Adams School in Wem have proved they are the brainiest of the bunch by winning a regional chemistry contest.

Earlier this year, Cody Jones, David Green and James Page took part in the Royal Society of Chemistry Schools' Analyst Competition.

The annual contest is open to all A-level chemistry students, with the trio from Wem competing in the Midlands division.

Nicola McConnell, chemistry teacher at the school, praised their success.

She said: "Year 12 sixth formers Cody, David and James are all celebrating their success in the Royal Society of Chemistry Schools' Analyst Competition.

"Thomas Adams School is located in the RSC Analytical Division Midlands region, and our winning team had the overall highest marks in the region and so are also crowned winners of the regional competition.

"This annual competition is open to all Year 12 A-Level chemistry students, and as hundreds of students in the Midlands participate every year, this is an outstanding achievement."

For their entry, Cody, David and James were tasked with identifying and researching the contents of three waste barrels from a fictional river, submitting their analysis within a three-hour timeframe.

Their research was deemed to be the best out of the entries, and the trio received a prize, with Thomas Adams also receiving grant funding.

"Back in May, Thomas Adams was selected out of 200 schools to receive a competition box for students to compete in the experiment," explained Nicola.

"In teams of three, students worked together to identify the contents of waste barrels found abandoned by a river in a fictional town called Allvale.

"Teams carried out some background research followed by a lab session in which they carried out their analyses.

"Teams also had to be skilled in time management and teamwork to complete the series of experiments in the three hours allowed and all findings were then submitted online for judging.

"Each student has received a £50 Amazon gift card to spend on whatever they like.

"The school also received a £500 grant for educational activity which will be spent on analytical science."