Yarm School Students Find Formula for Success

Three of our students took part in a prestigious, invite-only UKMT national maths competition, with two placing in the top 25%.

The UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) aims to advance the education of young people in mathematics by organising competitions that promote problem solving and teamwork, as well as other mathematical enrichment activities. Their biggest competitions are the Junior, Intermediate and Senior Mathematical Challenges which have over 700,000 entries each year.

This year, we entered 28 Lower Sixth students into the Senior Mathematical Challenge – a 90-minute, multiple choice paper. The competition encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems.

Three of our pupils, Abhinav Ramisetty, Rebecca Keetley and Gautam Sathyamurthy were amongst the highest-scoring students in the competition and were therefore asked to take part in the invitation-only follow-on Senior Kangaroo challenge. The Kangaroo round is a 60-minute challenge consisting of 20 problems, without the benefit of five options to choose from.

Abhinav and Rebecca both placed in the top 25% and received a Certificate of Merit. Gautam narrowly missed out but still obtained a Certificate of Qualification.

Commenting on his competition success, Abhinav, who also came Best in School in both rounds, said: “I was so pleased to learn that my hard work had earned me a place in the next stage of the competition, and placing in the top 25 percent was very exciting.”

Rebecca added: “Extra-curricular competitions such as the UKMT challenges offer the opportunity to explore the subject way beyond the syllabus at school and it’s a real badge of honour to get through to the Kangaroo stage as it is exclusive to the highest scoring participants.”

Gautam said: “I felt very proud to have been selected for the Senior Kangaroo, the competition was fierce and I would like to pass on my congratulations to Rebecca and Abhinav for scoring in the top 25 percent.”

Mr Michael Pointon, Teacher of Mathematics and Chemistry, said: “This is a huge achievement for the pupils. The UKMT Senior Mathematical Challenge is a great way for our pupils to showcase their maths skills, and the highest scoring pupils are recognised by being invited to the next stages.

We encourage our pupils to take part in additional competitions and challenges where possible, as they make great additions to their CV in readiness for college and university applications.”