FIFTY mathematicians in Year 9 and 10 at Burnt Mill Academy, in Harlow, took part in the UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge.

The students were among 700,000 to take part in the national competition which encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought and fluency in basic mathematical techniques to solve problems.

They came away with eight silver certificates and ten bronze certificates.

Maths teacher Joe Handscomb said: “The focus of this competition is high-level problem-solving to give students a great opportunity to stretch and extend these skills.

“The results of those taking part were fantastic. Students did their upmost to persevere with the difficult content within the challenge.

“It really highlights their mathematical resilience and high achieving ambitions.

“A lot of students are already focused for next year’s challenge to improve which is amazing to hear.”