SUDDENLY, everything was starting to add up!Youngsters at Thurleston High School found themselves racing through a whole maze of number puzzles at a special Maths afternoon.

By Judy Rimmer

SUDDENLY, everything was starting to add up!

Youngsters at Thurleston High School found themselves racing through a whole maze of number puzzles at a special Maths afternoon.

Eight employees from BT Exact Technologies went along to the school in Defoe Road, Ipswich, to join in the fun and give youngsters some tips on the mathematical teasers.

Teacher Joanna Woolaghan came up with the idea of a Maths puzzles afternoon as a way of adding excitement to the lessons.

"Altogether we have come up with 51 different puzzles for year seven pupils," she said. "But they don't have to do all the puzzles – they have to pick 20 each."

Working in groups, the youngsters faced a race to finish each puzzle in just six minutes flat before Miss Woolaghan banged a gong and they had to move on to another tricky challenge.

The puzzles were set out on tables around the hall and varied from magic squares to model-making, and putting coloured shapes together to create a wide range of mathematical figures.

"It's good fun," said one of the children taking part, Sarah Ellis, aged 12. Aaron Marsh, also 12, agreed, but said: "Some of the puzzles are quite hard."

Headteacher Mike Everett said: "I think what's so exciting about this is that the whole of year seven has been involved in Maths, which hasn't always been the most popular subject. They are really enjoying themselves and working with people from outside."