Schools vying to become maths champions

Pupils at 12 schools across England are busy making the final preparations for a competition that could see them crowned as the country’s top young mathematicians and statisticians.

Schools from Devon to Lincolnshire and Kent to Merseyside are in the running to be named the champions of WinAtSchool 2015.

The online competition is organised by the International Centre for Statistical Education (ICSE) with Plymouth University, and sponsored by Winton Capital Management.

It has been open to Year 7 to 11 pupils in all secondary schools since last September, with tthousands of pupils from hundreds of schools taking part.

Now the 12 best performing schools are to compete in the national finals, taking place at Reading University’s Whiteknights campus on July 01, where they could win a first prize of up to £3,000.

Dr Rana Moyeed on behalf of the ICSE, said: “Mathematics and statistics are vital components of any young person’s education, and WinAtSchool is a great and fun way for youngsters to get involved. We hope it has given those participating an insight into the exciting potential of mathematics to open up a range of possibilities for future careers which some might not initially consider. We also hope this competition has inspired and challenged young people in equal measure, and that the live final will be very exciting and competitive.”

The competition aims to present mathematics and statistics in a fun and exciting fashion, with questions being based on the Key Stage 4 curriculum. The first stage was a multiple choice online quiz, with each participant receiving a certificate, while the second stage posed much more challenging questions. The finalists are the 12 UK schools with the best scores in the second stage.

A team of four pupils from each school will now compete in the grand finale, which will be hosted by Dr Vicky Neale, Whitehead Lecturer at the Mathematical Institute and Balliol College at the University of Oxford presenter of the BBC Radio 4 documentary The Mathematics of Beauty. Neil Sheldon, the Royal Statistical Society’s vice president for education and statistical literacy, will present the prizes.

Dr Moyeed added: “This competition is now in its third year, and we continue to receive fantastic feedback from teachers whose pupils have or are participating. Winton is continuing to support the ICSE for the next year and we look forward to inspiring even more young people with WinAtSchool next September.”

More information about the WinAtSchool competition is available online at www.WinAtSchool.org.uk.