Shrewsbury Maths Teacher Helps Shape National Competitions 

Since 2012, I have been volunteering with the UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT), the leading charity that promotes maths education across the country. As a pupil, I enjoyed taking part in their competitions, especially the very first Senior Maths Challenge (SMC) and I was struck by the elegance of the questions and solutions. About 15 years later, I felt it was time to give something back. 

I began by writing questions for the Senior Team Maths Challenge, for pupils in Year 11 and above, and before long, I was asked to become the ‘Round Ruler’ for one of the competition rounds, a role I still hold today. Writing good maths problems takes time, and in the early days my submissions were heavily edited before making the cut. Thankfully, the process now runs much more smoothly, though I am currently working hard to finalise my set of questions for the National Final early next year! 

Some questions that aren’t quite right for the team event get passed on to the panel for the Senior Maths Challenge. This selection process is a bit like Britain’s Got Talent – problem setters put forward their ideas, which are then debated, tested and sometimes ‘buzzed out.’ Each year, more than a hundred questions are whittled down to just 25, covering a full range of topics and levels of difficulty. Some years, none of my problems make it through, while in others, several do, but it’s always exciting to see pupils across the country attempting a question you’ve created. 

This year, I’ve also been invited to help record video solutions for the upcoming Senior Maths Challenge paper (which takes place on 9th October). These videos will be available on the UKMT website and YouTube once the competition has been held worldwide. 

It has been a real privilege to contribute to UKMT over the years, and I hope that pupils enjoy solving these problems as much as I enjoy setting them. 

Dr Charles Oakley, Shrewsbury School Maths Teacher