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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.

Co-curricular

The Mathematics department also offers a wide range of co-curricular mathematical societies. These include our problem solving clubs, support sessions, trips, maths themed days, team maths challenges (such as the fiercely competitive Hans Woyda) and intra-school competitions such as the Toller prize. Further details can be found here.

Mathematics Examination Results Summary

Congratulations to all the pupils who achieved excellent results in the IGCSE and A Level. Here is a summary of the 2023-2024 cohort:

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:

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.

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