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Westminster City School students have achieved record-breaking success in this year’s UKMT Senior Mathematical Challenge. The Senior Mathematical Challenge, organised by the UK Mathematics Trust, is a prestigious 90-minute competition consisting of 25 challenging multiple choice questions. Aimed at students in Year 13 and below, it encourages mathematical reasoning, precision, and creativity.

This year, 24 Westminster City School students achieved Gold Awards, an incredible accomplishment that reflects their talent, passion and dedication. In addition, Year 8 student Bruce earned a Silver Award which is also an outstanding accomplishment considering that the national competition is designed for students in Years 12 and 13.

Head of Maths, Mr Drakes, expressed his pride in the students’ achievements:

“This is indeed an amazing achievement, and the Maths Department feels incredibly proud of the students’ hard work and results. Achieving 24 Gold Awards shows we have a high number of strong mathematicians, and that the teaching in the department reinforces and stretches our most able students.

Having a Year 8 student achieve Silver, younger than typical entrants, is particularly inspiring as it shows that students lower down the school can succeed and raises the bar for the future. Such positive outcomes reflect a healthy culture of mathematical thinking and challenge across the school.”

All students who achieved a Gold Award have been invited to take part in the Andrew Jobbings Senior Kangaroo, the next round of the competition, which offers another level of challenge through complex, higher-level mathematical problems.

Additionally, Year 12 student George, Westminster City School’s highest scorer, has been selected to compete in the British Mathematical Olympiad Round 1, an elite invitation only paper consisting of six Olympiad-style questions where participants are required to answer full written solutions, testing deeper reasoning and their ability to explore ideas.

George, commented on the experience, saying:

“Competing in the Senior Maths Challenge was a great experience. The questions go beyond the curriculum and really test your problem-solving skills, which made it both enjoyable and rewarding.

It’s brilliant to be among 24 Westminster City School students who achieved Gold which is definitely something to celebrate! The Maths Department has done an excellent job incorporating these challenging problems into our lessons in a way that prepares us without overwhelming us.”

Mr Okyere, Primary Transition and Maths Enrichment Coordinator, added:

“These are the best Senior Mathematical Challenge results on record for Westminster City School. Our students have done remarkably well and are a credit to themselves and the school. Congratulations to both George and Bruce for their brilliant performances!”

Students reflected on what they gained from taking part in the competition. Rikash, who is in Year 13, said:

“Participating in this challenge was a great opportunity to improve my mathematical skills. Facing complex problems is a fantastic way to become more fluent in maths, something I aim to achieve throughout my career. Being one of the 24 students to achieve a Gold Award is a personal achievement I’ll always be proud of. Learning Maths at Westminster City School is a privilege, with teachers who genuinely enjoy their subject and always support us.”

Isabelle, who is also in Year 12, shared:

“Maths offers a completely different kind of challenge compared to my other A-Levels, and I love the satisfaction of finding logical solutions. The enthusiasm of the teachers here makes learning maths genuinely fun and rewarding.”

Congratulations and well done to our students on their excellent success in this year’s UKMT Senior Mathematical Challenge!