STUDENTS at a Darlington academy have beaten 70 other schools and academies after being tested on their business knowledge.

The team from St Aidan's Church of England Academy won the level two section of Challenge the Chancellor 2011.

In the competition, run by the Chartered Institute of Taxation, students must answer a series of questions about the UK's tax system.

The team from St Aidan's, which is a business and enterprise academy, comprised Andrew Robinson, Jack Usher and Josh Robinson.

They were mentored by Elaine Coulthard, of HM Revenue and Customs.

Lorna Reed, the academy's assistant business and enterprise co-ordinator, said: "This competition really took our students out of their comfort zone to achieve in an area with which they are not familiar, as taxation is not on our curriculum.

"It encouraged them to consider real-life situations and use their problem solving skills to come up with a solution.

"It is excellent experience for the world of work."

Principal Alison Appleyard said: "This is a terrific achievement by our young people.

"Central to education is taking often difficult and complex situations and explaining them to young people, so the fact that our team won by understanding taxation is very commendable.

"It also illustrates how many subjects cross over. This success was not just about understanding business, the students also needed to display a level of mathematical expertise."