Count On Us Competition

On the 11th of May, five year 9 pupils represented Meridian High School in London’s 'Count On Us’ competition - putting their mathematical and problem solving skills to the test in a combination of perplexing puzzles and gruelling games. 

Meridian High School aced the first round, winning four out of the five head-to-head rounds of ‘the Game of Hex’. Lucy-Anne Butterworth played the crucial third player role to great effect, and Caitlin Lelas was leading the team with crucial instructions between the silent rounds, in which no communication was allowed.

After this, the students took to the stage to battle it out with soma cubes, domino games and other geometric challenges. In a fast paced round, they again scored well. Notably, Molly Adair and Rebecca Lippett managed to complete all the domino puzzles before the final bell!

Next was the round of 24, with some of the UK's finest mathematicians showcasing their numerical skills in this fast paced activity. Chloe Lee managed to come first or second in all but one of her rounds, an outstanding achievement.

The team were riding high and hopeful of securing a place in the next round, but struggled with the final problem solving task, which proved decisive. The team slipped in the rankings, finishing a very respectable 6th out of 12 high-performing London schools. Though they were disappointed after a high-flying start, it was a very successful and enjoyable day out.

Many thanks to Ms Hedderman for supporting the trip, who I know learnt a thing or two from our star mathematicians! Well done to them all.

Mr Nott