A SIDCUP schoolgirl has just returned from an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii after becoming a British IT champion.

Phillipa Dunlop, 15, a pupil at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School, in Hurst Road, Sidcup, took part in tests in computer programs Word, Excel and Powerpoint as part of her GCSE IT course and finished in the school’s top five.

She then went on, with seven other pupils from the Sidcup school, to compete against students nationwide and become British Microsoft Excel champion.

This won her and a companion a free trip to Hawaii to compete for Britain against national champions worldwide.

Phillipa, of Warwick Close, Bexley said: “I was shocked. I did not expect to come first.”

She added: “The hotel was amazing. It even had a lagoon where you could swim with dolphins.”

She also won an Xbox and games.

This year’s competition is under way and runs until May next year. The final will be held in Toronto, Canada.

It is open to any student aged over 13 who can take the Microsoft Office certification exam at a Certiport centre.