SPS Mathematics Blog

The Maths society hosted a Teams Maths Challenge (TMC) for it's 4th and 5th form members. Students paired up and worked through the cooperative cross-number round. The cross-number round was followed by the, always enjoyable, Relay. This task requires a teammate to pass their previous answer on as a variable to start the next question. It was a close contest and quite dramatic!  We worked through the 2015 paper, however the 2016 and 2017 paper are available from the UKMT website for those who want to try it. Thank you to the L8th committee who volunteered to organise and run the Maths society TMC.  

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 ...

Students are invited to the Intermediate Maths Challenge (IMC) preparation sessions at their respective problem solving club. These are sessions tailored to the IMC and will continue up to the 29th January.  5th/6th Form Problem Solving: Monday Lunchtime, 12:40, Room 228 The 5th/6th form had the choice of a previous IMC paper or attempting the questions from the Mclaurin. When students sit the IMC they will be battling for the pride of qualifying for the Olympiad rounds - The Cayley (4th), Hamilton (5th) and Mclaurin (6th).  4th Form Problem Solving: Tuesdays Lunchtime, 12:40, Room 227  The most recent session focused on question 25 from the IMC. Often one of the most challenging questions, students were given opportunity to try and discuss a mix of Q25s on various topics.  IMC papers are available on the Maths Hub. Please see the tannoy for more details of the problem solving societies. 

Having both won our other matches, Highgate were the only other school still in the running for topping our group and going through to the main knockout competition. A loss wouldn’t be the end of the story, as we would certainly come second and carry on to one of the plate competitions (which we won two years ago), but with the talent at our disposal it would be a shame to miss out on the opportunity to go for the Hans Woyda cup again this year. Highgate had posted some good scores on the first two rounds, but I had faith in the St Paul’s team of Issam (4 th ), Shyamak (6 th ), Aman (L8 th ) and Eason (U8 th ).   We made good time and were welcomed by Stephen Kirkham, the Highgate coach who happens to be an OP and one of Andy Mayfield’s old tutees! Naturally I had already interrogated Andy to discover whether or not Stephen had any weaknesses that could be exploited to give us the edge, but sadly it turns out that he was a first rate student and a remarkably talented mathemati...