School maths students get their first taste of life at Cambridge

The students, who are about to enter Year 10, are from deprived areas of Greater London, with priority being given to those from ethnic minority backgrounds, with no family tradition of having gone into higher education and from schools with below average GCSE or A level scores.

The Fast Forward Maths programme was launched in 2008 and aims both to improve students' understanding and enjoyment of maths, and to encourage them to aspire to study maths related subjects at university. Despite rises in the number of students taking maths at A level this year, there have been media reports of fewer students from state schools in deprived areas taking the subject. 

Over the course of the coming year, the 40 students will attend three one-week residential courses at the University, being taught by Cambridge academics and teachers, including Professor John Barrow, director of the University’s Millennium Maths programme.

This is the second cohort of students to enter the programme. The first year’s cohort finished their third residential course in July and will now be given e-mentoring and support.

In addition to workshops and lectures on subjects ranging from codebreaking to calculating risk, the students have been hearing from Cambridge graduates, many from similar educational backgrounds to their own, about how they came to study at Cambridge. They are also taking part in a full schedule of social events which offer them a chance to see more of Cambridge and further opportunities to make lasting friendships.

Preveina Mahadevan, a student at Crest Girls Academy in Neasden, said she had expected small rooms at Churchill College where the students are staying, school food and incomprehensible lectures, but was pleasantly surprised. “We had fun and learnt a lot of new things about maths, such as codebreaking. It’s really different to what we do at school and everyone is so concentrated on learning. It’s very rare to get this experience. I will never forget it.”

She said around 30 people had applied from her school and only two were selected. She added that the experience had encouraged her to go on to do maths at A level and to apply to Cambridge.

Kajal Chhapia from London Academy in Edgware said: “I thought the students would all be from private or grammar schools, but a lot are from state schools. It has increased my confidence so that I think I might be able to study at Cambridge. It has really made me look at maths in a different way.”

Mark Copestake, the Fast Forward coordinator from Cambridge Admissions Office, commented: “We are delighted to welcome this second cohort of students. It was clear from last year’s cohort what a difference the programme made in terms of the students’ confidence and ability. We hope for the same results this year.”

Fast Forward Maths is being run by the University over three years and includes the residential courses and three Teacher Inspiration Days each year aimed at addressing some of the challenges maths teachers face in keeping students engaged and interested in their subject.

The Fast Forward Maths programme is the first time Cambridge has run a subject-specific residential programme over such a lengthy period. It is run by two award-winning divisions of the University of Cambridge: the NRICH Project, which is part of the Millennium Mathematics Project, and the Group to Encourage Ethnic Minority Applications (GEEMA), which is part of the Widening Participation Team in the Cambridge Admissions Office.

The NRICH website is part of the Millennium Mathematics Project and has been providing free on-line maths education resources for over a decade. The aim of the MMP is to develop mathematical skills and understanding through providing top-quality enrichment activities for maths students and their teachers, both nationally and internationally.