Preparation for the Senior Maths Challenge (SMC)

With the Senior Maths Challenge (SMC) a week away, 8^th form students are preparing at the Senior Problem-Solving Club. The Senior Problem-Solving club is a lunch time activity where students work through a mix of interesting and stretching questions.

The focus this week was on the hard final question on the paper with Dr Hemery and Mr Morris providing the last 20 years of question 25. Here is an example:

As the final and typically the most demanding question of the SMC, it provided an excellent test for even some of SPS’s best problem solvers.

The 16+ Mathematics Entry Exam for St Paul’s School

The mathematics entrance exam at 16+ is taken in November for entry to study A Levels in the following September. The content of the exam is the Edexcel IGCSE syllabus but does not include the topics of arithmetic series and differentiation. The emphasis is on number and algebra skills. The test for entry in September 2026 onwards will be non-calculator. When you apply to St Paul’s, we need to know whether you intend to take single mathematics A Level or further mathematics A Level. Pupils who do well on the entrance papers across all their chosen subjects are invited for interview. Interviews are taken by subject specialists at St Paul’s School and last 20-30 mins. The aims of the interview are to: gauge your ability to apply the GCSE mathematics skills in unfamiliar questions. to understand your reasons for choosing the subject. to investigate the additional problem-solving skills you have developed through classes and your independent studies. We realise that not ...

16+ Interview - What's it like to join St Paul's?

Two students who joined St Paul's in L8th, Conrad and William, discuss the their experience of joining the school. Arav of the Maths Society volunteered to interview the students.

BMO1 Results 2025

It was another successful year for the students who qualified for the British Mathematical Olympiad Round 1 (BMO1). Of the 85 students who took part, 35 received merits, 25 received distinctions, and 7 students qualified for BMO2. Having 7 students qualify for BMO2 is a fantastic achievement, especially given that only around 100–120 students nationwide reach this stage each year. This is also the highest number of merits and distinctions the school has ever attained in BMO1. Well done to all the students who took part — your hard work is truly paying off! Here is a selection of questions from the six problems on the BMO1 2025 paper, courtesy of UKMT. The full paper and mark scheme are available here :

SPS Mathematics Blog