Our region saw the return of the Year 10 Maths Feasts in February and March. I am always amazed at how positive and fun the atmosphere is at these maths competitions. Luckily we managed to hold nine Feasts, before Covid-19 stopped play.
One of the last Feasts was at a new venue, The King Edmund School, in Rochford, Essex. Many of the schools who took part had not attended a Feast before, making the anticipation almost unbearable. Once all eight schools had assembled, we set off. The first round was steady, and frantic for the final collaboration minute, before the noise level rose in the second round, where the teams chose four out of six problems to hand in. After the first two rounds, there were five points between all eleven teams! Southend High School for Girls were leading after Round 1, with Shoeburyness High School winning Round 2. The overall joint leaders were Hathaway Academy and Westcliff High School for Boys. We then moved on to the comprehension round, where the students investigated some linear programming. It was so exciting: Woodlands School won Round 3 and then Hathaway Academy won Round 4, the relay. When all of the scores were collated, the King John School had scored the highest overall.
Thank you again to all the teachers who took the time to organise bringing their students to these events – the behaviour is always superb and the atmosphere is respectable sportsmanship. It is a real pleasure to be present.
We are grateful to all of the host schools across the region: Cromwell Community College, Jack Hunt School, King Edward VI Grammar School, Linton Village College, Roundwood Park School, City of Norwich School, Milton Keynes Academy, The John Warner School and The King Edmund School. We are also grateful to the schools that agreed to host a Maths Feast but had to have it cancelled, with varying degrees of notice. We are sorry for the teams of Year 10 students who had to miss the Maths Feast. Area Coordinators will be in touch with schools and colleges to offer alternative enrichment opportunities, as and when it is appropriate.