FIVE promising young mathematicians from Ipswich got their sums right to rise above the rest of the competition and win the chance to get the low down on the high flying Red Arrows.

FIVE promising young mathematicians from Ipswich got their sums right to rise above the rest of the competition and win the chance to get the low down on the high flying Red Arrows.

The girls, from Ipswich High School, won the group category of the Royal Air Force Maths Challenge.

Lucy Gosling, 16, and 15-year-olds Rebecca Neville, Harriet Smith, Jenna Blanchette and Hannah Pewter beat more than 1,400 other entrants from over 350 schools across the country by completing five maths puzzles and cracking a secret code to reveal it as the RAF's motto, Rise Above The Rest.

Their prize was a visit to RAF Scampton during which they were given a unique insight into the preparations and work of the Red Arrows.

They attended a pre-flight briefing with the aerial display team's pilots, watched spectacular aerobatics training exercises, sat in on the post flight debrief and joined the team for lunch.

During their time at the Lincolnshire base, the girls also received a laptop computer on behalf of their school from RAF Group Captain Jonathan Wheeler.

The RAF Maths Challenge is aimed at presenting the subject of maths in a real life context and looks at its practical uses in work-orientated environments. In particular, a range of careers in the RAF are used to demonstrate how maths is used at work.

Students can take part in the next challenge which takes place in the autumn.

To enter visit www.raftarget.com or phone 020 7401 4000 in September to obtain an entry form.