Making it all add up: King Edward VI School win maths competition
King Edward VI School from Southampton were worthy winners of the recent maths competition organised and hosted by the University of Southampton and sponsored by Deloitte.
The King Edward VI team beat off stiff competition from seventeen schools from across the south to get their hands on the winners' medals. The winning year 10 pupils also took home individual cash prizes and £100 for their school, as well as a collection of top maths books to help them in their studies for their GCSE examinations.
It was an entertaining and educational day for the 220 competitors and throughout the competition pupils were encouraged to work as teams and manage their time effectively to solve difficult mathematical problems.
Help was on hand for all the teams, with two presentations on techniques given during the day and University of Southampton undergraduate and postgraduate students also lending a helping hand to the competitors.
Head of the University's School of Mathematics, Professor Alistair Fitt, was on hand to present the prizes and said: " It was an outstanding effort from the hardworking and talented team from King Edward VI School here in Southampton.
"Through this competition for schools, we are working to raise the profile of maths as a rewarding and exciting subject to study at university and highlight how it is applied to real-life situations. We also hope to inspire a new generation of professional mathematicians who will contribute to innovation across many fields, including science, engineering, technology, finance, economics and medicine."
Toby Wright, Audit Partner for Deloitte in Southampton was impressed with the high-standard of skills shown throughout the competition and said: "It was a very exciting competition. I think there may have been a few nerves, especially when the competitors were getting to the final rounds, but the speed and accuracy of problem-solving was impressive."
He added: "King Edward VI were very worthy winners, but commiserations go to the other teams as it was a particularly hard-fought contest. I think everyone enjoyed themselves and hopefully learnt a lot from the day. Deloitte were extremely proud to sponsor the event and we will continue to be committed to projects in the local Southampton area that benefit the local community."
Prizes were also presented to Romsey School, who finished in the runners-up position, Sarisbury Green-based Brookfield School who came third, South Wiltshire School from Salisbury who finished in fourth place and Wyvern School from Southampton who came fifth.
Notes for editors
The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research institution with a global reputation for leading-edge research and scholarship.
This is one of the country's top institutions for engineering, computer science and medicine, and home to a range of world-leading research centres, including the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, the Optoelectronics Research Centre, the Centre for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, and the Mountbatten Centre for International Studies.
We combine academic excellence with an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to research, supporting a culture that engages and challenges students and staff in their pursuit of learning.
As one of the UK's top 10 research universities, we offer first-rate opportunities and facilities for study and research across a wide range of subjects in humanities, health, science and engineering.
We have over 22,000 students, around 5000 staff, and an annual turnover in the region of £325 million.
For further information contact Sue Wilson, Communications, University of Southampton,
Tel. 023 8059 5457, email:
sjew@soton.ac.uk