SIXTH Form students at a Wirral school cleaned up at a North West science event by qualifying as national finalists for the “Big Bang” competition.

A team of pupils from Birkenhead School impressed judges with their project which tackled the subject of “to bleach or not to bleach.”

They will now take their places in the finals of the competition which will be held in March next year at Birmingham’s NEC.

Inspired by the claims in advertisements for cleaning agents, students Nathan Bramwell, Connor McCormick, Paul Gogerty and Otto Dawes were initially interested in comparing the effectiveness of a variety of cleaning agents.

Laboratory investigations looked at the issues of lime-scale, its removal and solubility, and fatty deposits leading to blockages.

Alongside their lab work the students designed a questionnaire to look at consumer choices - and were surprised at the responses when it emerged bleach was the agent of choice in many scenarios.

This led them to change their plan and to consider if consumers understood what to use for different problems.

Judges said their project showed: “Exceptional delivery and presentation, the team showed outstanding comprehension of the subject matter and wider implications.

“Overall, an inspiring group.”

The Big Bang North West - held at the Exhibition Centre in Liverpool - is run by MerseySTEM – Science Technology Engineering & Maths- team.