Beyond the syllabus

For the child who finished the textbook in October.

A syllabus is a floor, not a ceiling. Some students clear it early and then spend eight months being asked to prove it again. This is what we do with those months.

Competition mathematics

Problems that do not tell you the method.

School mathematics names the technique in the question. Olympiad mathematics does not, and that single difference is what develops a mathematician. We work through the standard ladders, at the level the student is actually ready for.

  • AMC 8, AMC 10 and AMC 12
  • AIME
  • UK Junior, Intermediate and Senior Challenges
  • Australian Mathematics Competition
Physics olympiad

Where the physics stops being plug and chug.

Olympiad physics asks a student to model a situation before touching a formula, which is exactly what engineering asks. It is also the most reliable preparation for university physics that exists at school age.

  • BPhO and the Physics Challenges
  • F = ma and the USAPhO route
  • Mechanics and dynamics beyond A-Level
  • Estimation and order of magnitude reasoning
Projects

Something built, not something revised.

A student who has carried one real piece of work from question to conclusion has something to talk about for years. These are chosen to fit the child, and they are supervised the way an engineering project is supervised, with real reviews.

  • Orbital mechanics and mission design
  • Rocket sizing with the rocket equation
  • Numerical modelling in Python
  • A written report that survives questioning

Two honest notes. This is not a shortcut to an examination grade: it is the opposite, a deliberate detour away from the paper. And it is not for every strong student. Some capable children want depth; others want the grade and their evenings back. Both are legitimate, and the assessment is where we work out which one you have.

Is your child ready for this?

The assessment includes one problem deliberately above grade level. How a child handles being stuck tells me more than how they handle being right.

Request an assessment