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The Mathematics Department of St Paul’s School has an international reputation. We don’t teach to the examination, we teach mathematics – and exam success is a consequence.
Our pupils are not just highly skilled but show enthusiasm and real understanding, and there’s a vital mathematics culture in the school. On any day you will hear pupils of all ages discussing mathematics with knowledge and interest, and the mathematics staff equally find time to throw mathematical ideas around every day. There are whiteboards in the maths department corridors where questions are displayed, and you will find pupils discussing the problems and offering solutions. The powerful intellectual curiosity characteristic of St Paul’s School is exemplified by the passion for mathematics shown by staff and pupils alike.
A central part of the school’s educational creed is that we do not accelerate our pupils by entering them early for public examinations. Instead we stretch them by providing extra depth, and in particular by using a wide range of harder questions and problems. We have consistent outstanding success in national competitions such as the British Mathematical Olympiad.
Mathematics is a core subject to GCSE. At A Level it is hugely popular: typically, over 85% of pupils take Mathematics A Level and around 45% study Further Mathematics.
Examination Results Summary
Congratulations to all the pupils who achieved excellent results in the IGCSE and A Level Mathematics Exams. Here is a summary of the 2023-2024 cohort:
| Ұ䳧 | A Level | A Level Further Mathematics |
| 91% were grade 9 | 75% were A* | 77% were A* |
| 98% were grade 8-9 | 95% were A-A* | 94% were A-A* |
| 100% were grade 7-9 | 99% were B-A* | 100% were B-A* |
It is clear that the pupils appreciate the outstanding teaching they all receive. For more information on the results and comparisons with previous results, see below:
Detailed Examined Results
UK Maths Challenges (UKMT)
Central to the school’s mathematical profile are the various national mathematics competitions run by the UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) – the Intermediate and Senior Mathematics Challenges, the Intermediate Olympiad (Cayley, Hamilton and Maclaurin) and the British Mathematical Olympiad rounds 1 and 2.
The Intermediate Maths Challenge (IMC): Years 9 to 11
Of our 2023-24 academic year entries, 232 pupils achieved a Gold with 40 pupils qualifying for the next round – the Cayley (Year 9), Hamilton (Year 10) and Maclaurin (Year 11).
The Senior Maths Challenge & British Maths Olympiad (SMC & BMO): Years 12-13
Of the 239 pupils who achieved a Gold in the SMC last academic year (2023-24), 38 pupils qualified for Round 1 of the British Mathematical Olympiad (BMO1).
After a paper lasting three and a half hours containing six complex and involved mathematical problems, 15 pupils achieved Distinctions and a further 28 achieved Merits. A further 9 qualified for the second round of the BMO (BMO2). It is worth remembering that only 100 students nationally qualify for BMO2.
Of the 9 boys who qualified for BMO2, 5 attained Distinctions and 4 attained Merits.
See our most recent blog posts in
Historic Maths Challenge Results
Maths Society
Maths Society is open to all pupils. The pupils, with support from Dr Baxter, arrange a variety of events with talks given by pupils, staff and external speakers. The highlights of Maths Society have included:
- Mr Toller’s talk about “How many centres does a triangle have?”;
- Professor Alex Paseau from the University of Oxford on philosophical logic;
- Dr Asuka Kumon from King’s College London on continued fractions; Dr Davide Rizza from the University of East Anglia on an introduction to Hilbert’s hotel;
- Mr Hewitt’s talk on Conway’s Soldiers encouraged the audience to experiment on chessboards with the rules behind the puzzle as well as the underlying maths behind this and associated games.
- A about Babylonian maths when the Pegasus Society joined the Maths Society. This was very intriguing and people liked learning about maths from 2000BC.
- Professor Imre Leader lecture on aspects of Game theory which was elaborate and ingenious, and even managed to tie in the distinction between countable and uncountable infinity.
See what we do in Maths Society in the .
Problem Solving Clubs
Events
Team Maths Challenge
The Team Maths Challenge sessions are always extremely popular, with a large number of Upper Third (from SPJ) and Fourth Form pupils attending each fortnight to battle against each other in crossnumbers and shuttles. The talent and enthusiasm of the pupils are extraordinary, making it an absolute pleasure for the teacher running the sessions.
Maths Circle
The maths department are heavily involved in outreach, and one of the highlights of the programme is the UKMT Maths Circle which we host. This involves 54 year 10 students from 27 local schools who come to enjoy eight one-hour lectures and break out activities over two days.
See our previous blog post about
Further Maths Projects – The Toller Prize
In the two weeks following the Lower Eighth summer examinations all of the further mathematicians undertake a short research project, culminating in the production of a poster and the giving of a short lecture. Amongst the huge range of topics selected, we had presentations on topology, fluid dynamics, Diophantine equations and the nature of infinity. The best posters and talks went through to a grand final which took place in the Wathen Hall.
Having made it through to the group stage where the pupils presented their work to their peers, three prizes finalists presented to staff and parents.
The adjudicators remarked at the incredibly high standard of all the talks. It was a showcase for the incredibly talented mathematicians at St Paul’s.
Toller Prize Winning Presentation 2024:
