More Maths success for talented King’s Ely students

A King's Ely student has qualified for two national Maths competitions despite entering the first round of the contest a year early.

Eleanor MacGillivray, 14, took part in the Mathematical Olympiad for Girls competition in October. The contest is usually aimed at girls in Year 11 or above, however younger students are allowed to enter at the discretion of their school.

Eleanor, who is in Year 10, scored 41 points out of a maximum possible score of 50, qualifying her for both the Intermediate Mathematical Olympiad and the British Mathematical Olympiad.

The Intermediate Mathematical Olympiad is sat by the top 500 scorers from each school year in the Intermediate Maths Challenge, and Eleanor will sit the Hamilton paper. Round 1 of the British Mathematical Olympiad is a three-and-a-half hour examination which tests entrants’ puzzle-solving skills. Around 100 high scoring entrants are then invited to sit the second round, from which the 20 top scoring students are then invited to a training camp at Trinity College, Cambridge, for the first stage of the International Mathematical Olympiad UK team selection.

Head of Mathematics at King’s Ely, Audrienne Bezzina, said: “Sitting the Mathematical Olympiad for Girls paper is a big feat in itself, but to do it a year early shows courage and resilience. We are all very proud of what Eleanor has achieved so far and we will be rooting for her as she sits more Mathematical competitions over the coming months.”

During half term, King’s Ely Senior students Ben Collier, Joseph Coppin and Elliot Bord also took part in the Game of Dragons Outdoor Maths Challenge. More than 150 students from across the region entered the competition, which was held at St John’s College, Cambridge and Ben, Joseph and Elliot won the Year 9 category.