A mathematician of distinction: Rachit is first-ever winner of national accolade
QE mathematician Rachit Banker is the first and – to date – only winner of the Outstanding Achievement distinction given by The Archimedes Awards Academic Council.
Rachit, who is in Year 10, won the accolade for his efforts as the first QE pupil to undertake and successfully complete the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards Bronze Mathematics Skills Pathway.
Congratulating him on his “particularly special accomplishment”, a spokesperson for the Archimedes Awards – an international competition for young mathematicians – said: “Beyond completing the programme, Rachit demonstrated remarkable creativity by developing two original mathematical challenges, The Coin Flip Conundrum and The Penultimate Proof Paradox. Both were selected for publication by The Archimedes Awards, together with their worked solutions and marking schemes.”
Earlier this year, QE became one of just ten schools nationally to be recognised as an Accredited Archimedes Mathematical Thinking School.
The 13-week pathway is a new national opportunity for students to pursue Maths as a dedicated D of E skills activity.
Rachit joined the pathway independently after taking part in the Archimedes Awards competition and being invited to participate in the programme as part of its 2025–2026 inaugural cohort.
QE Head of Mathematics Jessica Steer said: “Rachit did very well indeed, amply demonstrating at least two of the priorities in our Boundless School Plan, namely helping pupils become deep thinkers and compelling communicators, as well as self-aware people who make things happen.”
Over the 13 weeks, he tackled a series of challenging mathematical problems covering topics including geometry, combinatorics, number theory, game theory and combinatorics (the branch of Mathematics that studies counting, arranging, and selecting objects in finite or discrete systems). Geometry proved to be a particular favourite for Rachit.
Rachit said: “My experience of the programme went exceptionally well as not only could I develop my problem-solving and perseverance skills by tackling difficult, yet fun, Maths problems, but also my creative skills: I am most proud of all the problems that I created as part of the programme.”
Inspiration for The Archimedes Awards comes from Archimedes of Syracuse – the most famous mathematician and inventor in ancient Greece.