Last week, on Wednesday 9th October, our Sixth Form mathematicians took part in the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge, a national competition designed to stretch and inspire problem-solvers across the country.
All Year 12 Mathematics students and Year 13 Further Mathematicians sat the 90-minute paper, tackling 25 challenging, non-calculator questions that required logic, creativity and resilience. The challenge was held during lunchtime in maths classrooms, with students working independently under exam conditions.
Mrs Green, who helped to organise the event, explained: “The problems on the Senior Maths Challenge are designed to make students think - they are stimulating for both beginners and more experienced problem-solvers.”
The competition awards are based on a national performance ratio, with the top 11% of entrants receiving Gold, the next 22% Silver, and the following 33% Bronze. High achievers may also be invited to the follow-on Andrew-Jobbings Senior Kangaroo or British Mathematical Olympiad rounds.
In addition to the individual challenge, AKS has also entered a team into the Senior Team Maths Challenge, which will take place at Lancaster University School of Mathematics (LUSoM) on Wednesday 26th November - the first time the event has returned since before COVID-19. Mrs Green added that she is excited to see pupils take on this team competition.
We look forward to sharing the results in due course and celebrating our students' achievements in this demanding national challenge.