Varndean College Maths Whizzes win individual golds and make Varndean the top state school in Sussex and Kent in the UK Maths Trust Challenge

Three Varndean College Maths students have won gold awards (the highest possible) and a further eight silver awards in the individual UK Maths Trust Challenge competition held in November. A third of all Varndean’s entrants came away with at least a bronze in this toughest of maths contests.

One gold winner, Hayyan Asif, said, “The challenge was very challenging - it prepares you for anything. But it killed me psychologically!” Together with his two fellow gold winners, Natsuki Chimura and Oli Dench, he went through to the next round in December where Natsuki received a merit and was placed joint first out of 1500 students nationally.  The very best can represent their country in the International Mathematical Olympiad.

The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions. No calculators are allowed!

Two silver award winners have just received Oxbridge acceptances: Rowan Howell to read Mathematics at Oxford and Callum Huseyin to read Music at Cambridge.

It was also the first time that Varndean College have sent contestants to the team event that was held on 6 November, and Varndean emerged as the top state school team in Sussex and Kent. To prepare for this event the UK Mathematics Trust and the Further Maths Support Programme ran a Maths 'boot camp' at Sussex University on 15 October and Varndean emerged as the top school in Brighton for 16-19 year olds.