Plympton students among top mathematicians in Britain

Two maths students from the Ridgeway School in Plympton have won their way into the next round of a national maths competition.

Jamie Trace and Rhiannon Hughes, who are both 17 years old, achieved gold awards in the UK Maths Trust Senior Challenge putting them in the top 3,000 mathematicians in the country.  The students will now go through to the next round.

“The challenge is tough, but there is a real sense of achievement when you can get to a solution,” said Rhiannon Hughes. Both her and Jamie are planning on going to university to study Maths and are currently on track to achieve good grades in Maths and Further Maths.

The competition is a series of mathematical problems and schools are asked to put forward their most able mathematicians. Several students from Ridgeway School won certificates in the recent Senior Challenge.

Over 81,000 pupils from across the UK participated in the UK Maths Trust Senior Challenge this year, with the top 10% receiving a gold certificate, the next 20% silver and the next 30% bronze. The questions are sent to each school and the students sit them in exam conditions. The very best pupils were also invited to participate in the more prestigious Senior Kangaroo competition.

“This is an incredible achievement,” said Craig Follett, Assistant Principal. “Winning a gold award is fantastic but being in the top 3,000 in the country is a big accomplishment. We are really proud of all our students who have taken part.”

Next up it’s the turn of the top Year 9, 10 and 11 students who will compete in the Intermediate Maths Challenge.

“We are confident that this group of students will achieve similar results,” said Craig Follett. ”Everyone at school is wishing them the best of luck.”