Sixth Form tackle national Maths Challenge

North Bromsgrove High School Sixth Form students smash more records with excellent Maths Challenge results

In October 2022, twenty-nine A Level Maths students from North Bromsgrove High School and Sixth Form participated in the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge.

The aim of this national Maths competition is to encourage mathematical reasoning, the precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems.

The challenge consists of 25 multiple-choice questions that have been designed to make students think and be challenged. Most are accessible, with knowledge based on both GCSE and A Level subject knowledge, yet it also challenges those with more experience. Students were only given plain/lined paper and no calculators were allowed throughout the 90-minute paper-based challenge.

As the Maths Challenge is a national Maths competition, North students faced tough competition as they compete against schools across the UK and around the world. Two-thirds of the participants receive certificates. Gold certificates are awarded to the top 11% of all participants, silver goes to the next top 22% and bronze goes to the next top 33% and that is from not only participants based in the UK but also those from overseas.

The Maths department is delighted to announce that we have seven winners – with our first-ever gold winner and qualifier for the Andrew Jobbings Senior Kangaroo competition, two silvers and four bronzes!

Our congratulations go to all participants, with special recognition to Luke Galt (Top scorer in Year 13) who achieved gold and was amongst the top 7000 from the Maths Challenge and qualified for the follow-up Andrew Jobbings Senior Kangaroo competition which took place in November. Luke came very close to being amongst the top 25% of getting a Merit but has gained more experience in tackling more unfamiliar problem-solving questions.

The certificates will go well with their CVs and their plans for the next steps ahead and is a further testament to our increasing aspiration of A Level Maths students achieving the highest grades and for some, completing the second qualification in A Level Further Maths.

Mr Man, teacher of Maths at North Bromsgrove High School and organiser of the UKMT Maths Challenge competitions for the school, said, “I am delighted that once again NBHS students have achieved great results from the Senior Maths Challenge, including our first ever gold winner! This is due to several factors, such as our students working hard to work or exceed their aspirational targets and to the A Level Maths team for their hard work in continuing to provide good to outstanding Maths teaching to our students. Not only this, but we are also seeing many of our students are now considering studying STEM-related subjects at university, including one student who is applying to study Maths at the University of Oxford and is through to the interview stage. I am looking forward to how our sixth form students perform in the A Level exams next summer.”