Clever youngsters from County Durham will appear on a popular CBBC quiz show this month.

A team of Year 6 pupils from St Oswald’s Church of England Aided Primary and Nursery School in Durham was selected to compete in the latest series of Top Class earlier this year.

The show will be broadcast on CBBC at 9.30am on Sunday 10 November and television viewers are encouraged to tune in to see how the children get on.

Presented by Scottish comedian Susan Calman, Top Class sees teams from across the country battle it out in a series of knockout rounds to earn the title of the UK’s smartest school.

The St Oswald’s team was made up of pupils Elijah Cann, Hector Sequera, Emily Joyes, Cecilia Kapsali and Jacky Robertson plus their teacher Helen Ribchester. Jacky was team reserve so did not appear on the show but he enjoyed cheering his classmates on from the side lines in the Glasgow studio.

The children were quizzed on topics from the National Curriculum, as well as a special category of their choice in the Pet Subject round. Mrs Ribchester, meanwhile, answered questions on pop culture in the Test the Teacher section.

Elijah, team captain, said: “It was exhilarating. My heart was racing for the whole programme.”

Prior to appearing on the show, the pupils completed a general knowledge quiz and an online audition. They revised for months leading up to the competition, including on the train ride up to the Glasgow studio from Durham.

Mrs Ribchester said: “This has been such an exciting and rewarding experience for the children. Visiting the studio, competing in a quiz in front of a live audience and appearing on television is something they will never forget. I am incredibly proud of them all. They really are top class.”

Cllr Olwyn Gunn, Cabinet member for children and young people’s services at Durham County Council, said: “It’s good to see these children representing County Durham on a national television show. I know it celebrates the joy of learning and I will be cheering them on.”