Congratulations to Year 9 student Dylan Chan, who recently undertook a number of Junior and Intermediate mathematical challenges run by the UK Mathematical Trust which challenges students to think about different approaches to mathematical problems.

In the UKMT Junior Challenge, Dylan achieved a gold certificate and qualified for the highest follow on round, the Junior Olympiad. The two hour challenge included a section where students must write full written solutions to problems. Dylan was awarded a distinction and scored in the top 90 students which earned him a silver medal.

Dylan also achieved a gold certificate in the UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge and qualified for the highest follow on round available for his age group, the Cayley Olympiad. Only 600 students across the UK qualify for this Olympiad each year. The candidates are judged on a high standard of written communication with only complete and rigorous solutions gaining full marks. Dylan gained two perfect scores which placed him in the top 100 of participants and earned him a certificate of distinction as well as a medal.

In preparation for the challenges, Dylan has been mentored by former Brooke Weston student, George Robinson, who is completing a PhD in mathematics at the University of Oxford. George has introduced Dylan to new topics in maths and challenged him to think about complex problems.

Dylan said, ‘I enjoyed solving the problems the most and I find completing the questions really satisfying. I am not sure what job I would like to have yet, but maths will probably be a part of it!