Maths students strike gold

STUDENTS from Warrington’s Priestley College achieved three golds, seven silvers and 11 bronzes in this year’s UK Mathematics Trust Senior Maths Challenge.
More than 98,000 pupils from across the UK entered the challenge with the top 10 per cent receiving a gold certificate, the next 20 per cent silver and the next 30 per cent bronze.
Matthew Cummins and Ben Stratulis, both 17, were two of 4,000 of the top students who were invited to take part in follow-on competitions.
Maths tutor Wendy Brennan said: “This competition is an extra challenge for students who choose to take it on.
“It provides extra preparation for their exams because it is done under test conditions, but they also enjoy taking part.”
The Senior Maths Challenge is aimed at those in years 13 and below.
Priestley students sat the challenge in college and those who received gold, silver and bronze awards were presented with their certificates this week by Principal Mike Southworth.
Ben Stratulis, formerly of Great Sankey High School, is studying Maths, Law, Biology and AS Chemistry at Priestley.
He made it through to the Senior Kangaroo round of the competition and said: “I enjoyed taking part. There were some strange questions, but it was interesting.”
Former Bridgewater High pupil Matthew Cummins, who studies Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics at Priestley, reached the BM01 round.
That posed six questions giving students three and half hours to answer in detail showing all their workings out.
“I like how once you know your maths you learn how to apply it and you always have a definite answer,” he said.
Picture: Priestley students who took part in the challenge.