King's Maths School

In your own words, what is King’s Maths School? 

It’s a place where like-minded people can come together and enjoy doing what they are passionate about. You are surrounded by students and teachers who go that extra bit to help you, to be friends with you, and it feels a lot more like a community than any other school. 

What is exciting about King’s Maths School? 

It has a very special vibe that is pure mathematician: working through and solving problems with other people who also enjoy the challenge, and will help you if you get stuck. Other schools just don’t have the same atmosphere, where everyone has the same passion and so can converse and connect easily with one another. 

What do you enjoy about learning here? 

I enjoy the way it is challenging. Some schools are not challenging enough, but here you are always challenged and encouraged to go that bit further, meaning we are not always working off the syllabus. By going that extra mile you begin to analyse your own way of thinking. You begin to ask yourself ‘Why is this true?’, ‘Why this proof is a proof?’, ‘Why does this proof work?’ I think that’s very important because it’s building up characteristics and skills that you will need later in life, overall making you a stronger person.  

What is your favourite subject to study? Why? 

Decision Maths. I think it’s really interesting to investigate different ways you can do something to get to the same result. For example there are different ways to work out the best way to pack boxes into a bigger box. All different approaches have their strengths and weaknesses, but you can choose what one works best for your understanding and skill. 

What have the problem solving sessions been like?  

They’ve been great. The sessions are an extra bit more challenging than our normal lessons and we have the opportunity to reflect on what we’ve already learnt in class, which is really important. It’s nice to have PhD students from King’s (who lead the sessions) come in and show us what it is like to study maths at university level. We’ve been able to ask them general questions about university life, and what studying for a maths degree is really like, and they really help make you more aware of the options out there for us. 

Tell me about the sports / exercise you have done at King’s Maths School? 

In Autumn I did rounders, and that was extremely fun! As it’s a team activity, you have the chance to make friends with other people in your year group, and indulge in friendly competition! It was also nice to go to the King’s gym and use their equipment. Here we learnt how to individually focus and work on one area of fitness we wanted to improve.

It’s so much better than other schools that do not have compulsory sport, as without it you may not find the opportunity or facilities to exercise outside of school. It’s also getting you out of the classroom, and giving you the chance to meet and have fun with your friends. 

What are the teachers like? 

I think the teachers are all great here and I wouldn't change any of them!

We have a great relationship with all of our teachers. They are all very approachable and are always available to listen and talk through any problems you may have, whether they are workload related or more personal problems, and that's very important. They don't patronise us, but instead teach and talk to us as adults, and that is really important because it prepares us for university life and working alongside academics.  

There is a mixture of teaching styles too. Our teachers are always enthusiastic, sometimes they will include fun group activities into the lesson, or they take the time to go more in-depth with a step-by-step explanation of a topic. It's nice having these different styles, as it keeps the classroom interesting and we don't get stuck in the same boring routine every day. 

Has the school been helpful to you in the UCAS process? 

The teachers have all been very supportive during the UCAS process. I approached one of my teachers when I realised I was having difficulty with my application; I was beginning to feel unsure about my choice of applying to study physics at university. He sat down with me and, after going through my application form with me, he helped me think through my options, decide what the best course of action for me was, and then create a plan of how I would progress with my application. As a result, I researched universities that offer combined maths and physics courses, and departments that were right for me.

There are lots of other sixth forms and colleges that have a large student population, and so students may not have the opportunity or confidence to approach teachers in the same way we do. These teachers also may not have the time they want to help their students. That’s why coming to a small school is nice, you are able to approach a teacher and talk to them about anything - my teacher and I discussed my UCAS application for over an hour! It helps that our teachers have all been through the UCAS process themselves too, so they understand how we feel and know the right advice to give us. 

What subject do you want to study at university? 

At the moment I am looking at a combined maths and physics course. I may decide, once I have completed my first year, to specialise in physics within the course. I have always found physics extremely interesting, but I have discovered a new passion for mathematics since attending the maths school. At any other school or college, I would have focused on physics and may only of considered applying for physics degrees, but the maths school teachers have inspired me to rethink my options and choose a different course, one that I am more excited about starting.   

What career do you want to go into? 

I am extremely interested in particle physics, and when I was considering a physics degree, I would have expected to follow that field of study and research. However, if I do a combined maths and applied physics degree, I may find that there are other aspects to the field that I find more interesting, so I am keeping my options open. I could go anywhere at the moment, I may even become a teacher!