Four sixth-formers scored almost 97% and saw off 26 other schools in a team Mathematics competition.
Their score of 180 out of 186 was the highest QE total in the regional Senior Team Maths Challenge in the last four years – but, agonisingly, the team fell just four points short of the overall winners and so missed out on the chance to go on to the next round.
Captain Kiran Aberdeen travelled with teammates Bashmy Basheer, Aadi Desai and Niam Vaishnav to the City of London School for the challenge, which is run jointly by the UK Mathematics Trust and the Further Mathematics Support Programme.
Assistant Head of Mathematics Wendy Fung said: “The boys had a great afternoon competing with, and meeting, other keen young mathematicians. They performed very well, although they were understandably disappointed not to have progressed further.”
The competition combines mathematical, communication and teamwork skills; it offers pupils a way to express and develop their enjoyment of Mathematics.
There are three rounds:
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- In the group round, competitors must solve ten questions in 40 minutes;
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- For the crossnumber round, one pair of contestants are given the ‘across’ clues and the other pair the ‘down’ clues, with several clues being interlinked;
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- The shuttle round involves pairs answering questions alternately, with the answer to the previous question providing crucial information for the following one.
QE’s second place out of the 28 teams who had entered put them ahead of their hosts, City of London, and of Dame Alice Owen’s School in joint-third place. They lost out to the overall winners, the George Abbot School.
Other teams were from The Latymer School, Alleyn’s, Henrietta Barnett and Finchley Catholic High School.