Maths Challenge

A day for budding young mathematicians to take part in a maths competition with other local schools.

Aims

The aim was to give primary school students the opportunity to extend their mathematical abilities in a  competitive environment. 
 
The day was designed to develop problem-solving and team work skills, and to deepen an interest and passion for Maths. 
 
For the event to be a success, we needed pupils to attend from a range of schools across the Nottingham area.  
 
Pupils and staff from 5 schools benefited from the competition.  

Background

Nottingham High School hosts an annual programme of STEM outreach events, run by our Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Maths departments. Part of the schools’ ethos is to share its facilities and STEM opportunities with other schools in the local community. The school’s Maths Challenge event has been running annually since 2018 (aside from 2 years exempted by COVID-19).  

Resources

For this project to succeed, we needed free access to the school’s Large Lecture Theatre, as well as 3 members of teaching staff from the Maths department to support the children on the day.  
 
Our Maths department prepared practice resources to send to schools in advance, to give an idea of what to expect.  
 
The schools’ Head of Admissions and Partnership oversaw the invitation and booking process for the event.  
 
The catering staff provided refreshments and lunch free of charge for visiting children and school staff.  
 
The event itself ran for 3 hours, with approximately 3 days of preparation time.  

Impact

“We had a brilliant morning at NHS and our children came away from it buzzing with excitement from this unique opportunity. These very able pupils were challenged even further in Maths and it definitely deepened their love for the subject.” (Teacher, Southwark Primary School) 
  
“The children were thrilled with their win! They really enjoyed the challenges, which were lots of fun and they liked working as a team to solve them. Most of all, it was great for them to get out of our small village school environment, meet other children and see a bigger school. We really appreciate all that you did to make them feel welcome.” (Teacher, Orston Primary School) 
 
After each event, visiting teachers complete a survey to summarise what their pupils learned and enjoyed about the event, along with any suggestions for improvement.   

Pupil Involvement

22 girls and boys aged 9-10 from 5 local state primary schools, and 5 members of staff. 

Frequency

The Maths Challenge event runs annually.