MATHS-MAD youngsters from a York secondary school are celebrating the sum total of their success.

Congratulations go to about 100 Millthorpe School pupils who have just surpassed all previous records in a national mathematics contest.

This year a record 97 students saw success, with 12 gold, 36 silver and 49 bronze awards.

The Intermediate Maths Challenge, in which they took part, is attempted by pupils aged 14 to 16 in thousands of schools across the UK.

There were 25 questions of increasing difficulty which were designed to make students think carefully. No calculators were allowed!

Anne Williamson, head of maths at Millthorpe, said the school was delighted in recent years when 60 to 70 pupils received certificates, and the increase in youngsters taking part was fantastic.

Five pupils gained exceptionally high scores, which qualified them for entry to international competitions.

Results are awaited with interest by Ralph Mortimer Roome, Adam Holt, George Molesworth and Rachel Stancliffe from Year 11, along with Frankie Robertson, from Year 9.

Updated: 14:24 Wednesday, April 27, 2005