It’s an exciting year for Higher Level Problem Solving (HLPS) in the North East region. HLPS is our catch-all term for all the work that we do across the North East region with sixth form students who wish to access the challenge of problem solving outside of their standard A level curriculum. This includes:
- general mathematical problem solving for extension, challenge and fun.
- preparation for university entry tests including MAT (Maths Admissions Test), TMUA (Test of Mathematics for University Admission), and STEP (Sixth Term Examination Paper).
- practice and preparation for university interviews.
Having moved all of our delivery online last year, we’ve now moved to a mixed offering in order to cater for the needs of as many aspiring mathematicians as possible! This term we’ve been running weekly face-to-face sessions at the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle, as well as online sessions. This will continue after Christmas with a similar mix of courses available, using different materials.
We’re also very lucky to have two new expert tutors assisting and collaborating with us: the brilliant Sarah Sharp and Adam Townsend. This is on top of old hands such as myself and Sam James. We now have the widest range of materials and options that we’ve ever had, and the numbers of students attending so far this year has been incredibly high. So, if you teach students who may benefit from what we offer, please do get in touch with your local Area Coordinator!
Right now, we’re in mock interview season, and I have the pleasure of putting students through their paces ahead of real university interviews at Oxford, Cambridge and other top universities. I never cease to be impressed by the enthusiasm and ingenuity shown by so many of these students. Slots are filling up fast but, if you have students who may benefit from a mock interview, please email me ([email protected]) and I’ll do my best to arrange this!