By Mrs Drummond (Head of Mathematics) and Ms Adams (Mathematics Teacher)

This month sees eight of our wonderful ‘Year 14’ students start their mathematical degrees at university – our highest ever number. Four have chosen pure Mathematics, with a further two studying Maths and Physics, and finally two who have selected Physics. What has inspired these talented young women? What qualities have they developed through their NHEHS journey?

From day one, they demonstrated an enthusiasm and excitement for their subject. They never shied away from a challenge, and positively relished an argument over the relative merits of their varied approaches to the trickiest questions. They managed to balance an intense competitive spirit with a real flair for collaboration – two (or even many) heads are often better than one when it comes to solving complex problems.

Then there’s the hard work. These girls were driven to give their very best, always. They wore out their teacher with their constant attempts at extension work and requests for more fiendish questions! They asked questions that challenged their teacher as well as themselves, always making links between topics and determined to delve deeper into the subject.

Outside the classroom, NHEHS presents so many opportunities for girls to further explore mathematical concepts, and to pit their wits against the best of other schools in external competitions. Four of these girls scored in the top 10% in the fiendish Mathematical Olympiad for Girls and this cohort, as part of their research week, explored concepts as broad and challenging as the Basel Problem, the Banach-Tarski Paradox, the irrationality of pi, Ramsey Theory, the Ising Model, and the Euler-Fermat Theorem.

Nor do these outstanding students confine their efforts to their own studies. They inspired and assisted younger students through their infectious enthusiasm and perseverance, volunteering their time to run clubs and to act as individual mentor. Even during a lengthy lockdown period, they continued to run the ever-popular Enigma club, challenging Year 7 students to explore concepts such as infinity, while having great fun with games and puzzles.

Most importantly of all, they had fun. They loved their subject and they loved exploring and discovering new maths. They enjoyed the difficult alongside the straightforward.

Au revoir, cohort of 2021 – we wish you all the very best as you take the next step on your mathematical journey. We know you will keep in touch, and we can’t wait to hear of all your adventures.