In a competition involving over 700 hundred schools across the UK, Ladbrooke Junior Mixed and Infant School from Potters Bar have been crowned the winners of the National Young Mathematicians’ Awards. The team made up Brooke Callaghan, Daisy Dixon, Vincent Lee, Joel Swedensky battled through three rounds to be declared the best young, mathematical brains in the country!
The annual event, organised by tuition provider, Explore Learning, and the NRICH Project at the University of Cambridge, is the biggest maths competition for school teams in the UK, open to teams of four children (two boys and two girls) aged nine to 11.
The team from Ladbrooke Junior Mixed and Infant School took part in the final on Wednesday 13th December at Cambridge University where they were revealed as winners and presented their trophies by Kjartan Poskitt, TV presenter and author of the Murderous Maths series of books who is Explore Learning’s National Young Mathematicians’ Awards Ambassador for 2017!
Charlotte Gater, Head of Curriculum at Explore Learning says:
“The mathematical talent we see during this competition seems to grow every single year, and this year didn’t buck the trend! All five of the teams in the final, and in particular Ladbrooke Junior Mixed and Infant School, should be extremely proud of what they’ve achieved. It was a brilliant day at the final, and the final results were extremely close!”
The other teams that made it to the final were St Margaret’s Prep school in Calne, St Peter’s C of E Primary School from Coggeshall, Trinity Anglican Methodist Primary School from Bristol and Holy Trinity C of E Primary School in Richmond.
Helen Romain, Deputy Head at Ladbrooke Junior Mixed and Infant School, says:
“I would definitely recommend the National Young Mathematicians’ Awards to other schools, it has been great to challenge my higher achievers who have achieved all of the year 6 objectives already! It has been excellent for developing team work skills and perseverance.
It feels amazing to have won the National Young Mathematicians’ Awards! I still cannot believe how well the children have done to get here. We are all so very proud.”
Ying Lee, Parent of Vincent Lee, says:
“The competition has been very well organised and the speed of going from one stage to another stage is well structured, so children didn’t have to wait too long and lose the interest of what this competition was about. Vincent thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
I would definitely recommend other parents to get their children involved as it’s fun, its teamwork, it’s a day out for the kids who enjoy solving problems.
It is such an amazing feeling that Vincent’s team won. Well done to all the kids who put in their talent. Also, as a parent, I feel very, very proud of my child. It gives them more confidence about maths, and more inclined to pick up puzzles and have a go.”
David Swedensky, Parent of Joel, says:
“My son, Joel, was really excited to attend and loved the first challenge. He really wanted to make the finals as I studied at Cambridge University. Getting here has been amazing for his confidence and the group gets on really well. Being here I’ve found out so much more and it has been a superb experience!
It’s a different type of challenge to what they see at school. Getting through even one round does wonders for the children’s self belief. The school also has something extra to be proud of and hopefully will inspire future students.
Them winning still feels surreal – top out of 700 schools! I am incredibly proud of them all!”
Author and TV presenter, Kjartan Poskitt says:
“I’m so pleased to be involved with the National Young Mathematicians’ Awards this year. I’ve heard from so many kids who have taken part in the past and they’ve all loved it and come away feeling very proud of themselves. Explore Learning and NRICH are always coming up with fun new maths challenges, and of course nothing beats the feeling of getting an answer right!”
As the winners of the National Young Mathematicians’ Awards, they will now receive an incredible bundle of prizes including –
- A Meccano M.A.X. Robot worth £149.99 – the most advanced Meccano robot to date, drawing on advanced robotic technology, M.A.X. combines Artificial Intelligence (AI) learning and customisable programming to create a one of a kind personal companion. Infrared (IR) Navigation and customisable apps bring M.A.X. to life with almost limitless potential for personalisation and interactivity. It also includes a built-in gaming platform for added fun and is set to take the shops by storm this Christmas.
- A signed set of books from presenter and author, Kjartan Poskitt for all finalists including: The Most Epic Book of Maths, All Shapes and Sizes, The Brain-Bending Basics and The Magic of Maths
- A class trip to KidZania for the winning school. Worth £420 KidZania London is an indoor city run by kids! At KidZania, children aged 4 – 14 years can explore more than 60 real-life activities. Spanning across 75,000 sq.ft, KidZania London is a child-size city located in Westfield, Shepherd’s Bush where the kids are in charge! Have your kids ever dreamt of becoming a pilot, a firefighter or the next award winning singer? Role-play has long been a favourite past-time of children through the generations. Watch the excitement on their faces as they try out more than 60 real life role-play activities in the bank, on stage or fighting crime on the streets as a police officer! For more information visit KidZania.co.uk.
- Artline is giving £500 worth of stationery for the winning school and an EK230 Drawing system pen, EK240 Calligraphy pen and Stix Drawing Pen for the winning team. “We are delighted to be working with the Explore Learning team on this campaign. As a company we know how important it is to learn, progress and experience education in a fun and stimulating way. We are excited to be able to support the schools taking part and the team at Explore Learning.” Derek Evans, UK Sales and Marketing Manager Shachihata (Europe) Ltd., home of the Artline brand
- A set of Sum Fun games. Sum Fun is a tile game with numbers, but quicker to play than scrabble.
Last year 500 schools participated in the competition and the winners were from Bilton Junior School in Rugby.