Loughborough Grammar School pupil becomes National Year 8 Spelling Bee Champion

Loughborough Grammar School is celebrating the outstanding achievements of Year 8 pupil, Omar Vaze, who has recently claimed the title of National Year 8 Spelling Bee Champion in the Royal Society of Biology's annual Spelling Bee, part of its 2026 Biology Week.

This year's competition saw 62,000 pupils from 260 different schools compete to spell as many biology-related words as possible in two minutes. Omar took first place in the Year 8 category, spelling 38 words correctly within the allotted timeframe, which resulted in an average of one word every 3.16 seconds for the entire challenge – an incredible feat of accuracy, speed and composure under pressure.

Examples of some of the words Omar had to spell include Heliotaxis, meaning movement of an entire organism in response to the stimulus of sunlight, and Amygdala, which means an almond-shaped lobe of the cerebellum.

Omar's achievement was made even more impressive by the fact that his score of 38 was higher than the winning national scores in Years 7, 10 and 11. In recognition of this, Omar received a framed certificate, a commemorative print of this year's Spelling Bee and a book.

Reflecting on the competition, Omar said: "I was very happy to receive my prize and know that all of the work I had put in had finally paid off."

Head of Biology at Loughborough Grammar School, Ms Midge Randall, said: "I am incredibly proud of Omar's achievements. To not only achieve the highest score in his category, but to score higher than Years 7, 10 and 11 nationally is an outstanding accomplishment. This reflects his remarkable ability to remain focused under pressure and display his cognitive speed."

Mr James Neville, Head of Loughborough Grammar School, said: " We are incredibly proud of Omar for becoming the National Year 8 Spelling Bee Champion. This is a fantastic achievement and a reflection of his hard work, dedication and talent.

"This prestigious competition is just one of the many opportunities for pupils at Loughborough Grammar. The breadth of experiences offered by our dedicated and specialist staff enables every individual to discover their strengths, challenge themselves and thrive in all aspects of their education."

Omar is also a member of the Grammar School's 'Survival of the Fittest' biology club, which meets regularly to enter national biology competitions, including the Cambridge Homerton Biology Challenge and Olympiads and Challenges run by the Royal Society of Biology. These competitive experiences complement their in-classroom learning, helping to develop and extend their subject knowledge beyond the curriculum.