HSDC Havant and Alton A Level students have taken part in and done well at the Senior Mathematics Challenge for the past several years. This year was no exception with, of the 141 students taking part, 57 winning Bronze awards, 35 Silver and 13 winning Gold.
Organised by the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust, the Senior Mathematical Challenge is a 90-minute, multiple-choice competition aimed at students in schools and colleges across the UK, with approximately 100,000 students competing. It encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems. Challenge problems are designed to make students think, with most being accessible, yet still challenging those with more experience. For those who win Gold, there is the opportunity to compete in the follow on Kangaroo challenge, or for those whose score is in the top 1,000, the British Maths Olympiad Round 1 (BMO1). Three Alton students scored high enough this year to qualify for the BMO1.
Havant Gold Award winners Bradley Smith and Sam Morgan are excited to have won Gold. Bradley, who is studying A Level Maths, Further Maths, Computing and Psychology, decided to enter the competition for a number of reasons,
“I entered the competition for many reasons, such as my competitive spirit; I wanted to measure my abilities, and I do enjoy challenging myself. Winning Gold makes me feel proud of my efforts and my mathematical abilities feel recognised, which makes me unbelievably happy.”
Sam, who is studying A Level Maths, Further Maths and Computer Science, is also excited about his achievement:
“I’ve taken part in the competition for several years through school and have always enjoyed it. It feels great to win Gold and improve on my score from last year.”
Congratulations to all who took part in the Challenge and best wishes to the Gold winners for the Kangaroo and the BMO1.