Twelve schools from across the country are vying to be crowned the champions of a new national mathematics and statistics competition

Schools vie for top prize in national mathematics competition

Twelve schools from across the country including Plymouth's own Devonport High School for Boys, are vying to be crowned the champions of a new national mathematics and statistics competition.

WinAtSchool is an online competition organised by the Royal Statistical Society Centre for Statistical Education (RSSCSE), based at Plymouth University, and sponsored by Winton Capital Management.

WinAtSchool has been open to Year 10 and 11 pupils in all UK secondary schools since last September. Thousands of pupils from hundreds of schools, took part and now the 12 best performing schools are to compete in the national finals, where they could win a first prize of up to £3,000.

Professor Neville Davies, Director of the RSSCSE, said: “Mathematics and statistics are vital components of a young person’s education, and can open up a range of possibilities for their future careers which some might not initially realise. We hope this competition has inspired and challenged young people in equal measure, and I am sure the live final will be very exciting and competitive.”

The competition aimed to present mathematics and statistics in a fun and exciting fashion, with questions being based on the Key Stage 4 curriculum. The first stage was a multiple choice online quiz, with each participant receiving a certificate, while the second stage posed much more challenging questions. The finalists are the 12 UK schools with the best scores in the second stage.

A team of four pupils from each school will now compete in the final at the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) headquarters in London on July 8, 2013.

Professor Davies added: “This competition has generated some fantastic feedback from teachers saying what a great idea it is. It has also thrown up some interesting factors demonstrating there may be weaknesses in the existing curriculum, and we hope the results could be used to influence future education policy in these core subjects. Winton is continuing to support the RSSCSE, and WinAtSchool, for the next three years and we look forward to inspiring even more young people when the next competition starts in September.”

The live final will be hosted by the distinguished statistician and risk communicator, Professor David Spiegelhalter OBE, co-author of The Norm Chronicles and presenter of the BBC documentary The Science of Chance. Professor David Hand, OBE, former President of the RSS and Chief Scientific Advisor to Winton Capital Management will present the prizes.

More information about the WinAtSchool competition is available online at www.WinAtSchool.org.uk.

The 12 schools taking part in the competition final are:

Bourne Grammar School, Lincolnshire

Kendrick School, Berkshire

The Costello School, Hampshire

St. John’s Marlborough, Wiltshire

Devonport High School for Boys, Plymouth

The King’s School, Gloucester

The Ecclesbourne School, Derbyshire

Kesteven & Grantham Girls’ School, Lincolnshire

Lady Manners School, Derbyshire

The Tiffin Girls’ School, Surrey