They came out on top against teams from seven other schools in the Bristol and Bath area.

The Ridings team comprised Marko Dogramadzi, Kapil Agarwal and George Pullen, all 13, and reserve Beth Martin, 12.

Their teacher Casey Beth Halliday said: "We were pleased to see that the students' hard work from January paid off and that they were able to perform at their best."

Acting head Rob Evans said: "I am delighted at the achievement of our Times Spelling Bee Team in winning the local heat of the competition in Bath. The students are a great credit to the school, especially the work of the student coaches who helped prepare the team. I am looking forward to Mrs Halliday leading the team to further success in the regional event later in the month."

Other Bristol teams taking part in the local heat were Queen Elizabeth's Hospital school, who came third, Mangotsfield School and Brislington Enterprise College.

The winning teams from the ten semi-finals will travel to London to compete in the grand final at the Odeon in Leicester Square in June.

The Times Spelling Bee aims to discover the country's best young spellers and make spelling fun for children of all abilities. More than 750 schools from around the UK, from Scotland to the Channel Islands, entered a team.