Team Maths Challenge

"the very top pupils are just too quiet and shy, so would not do well in the team competition"

If they didn't want to then fair enough. Otherwise be careful because given an opportunity, superficially quiet and shy Y7 DD has prompted a few teachers to pick their jaws up off the floor then revise their personality models. She's a credible contender for this in Y8 and will likely bite your hand off to do it, but I'll probably be back next year complaining that they picked some lesser louder child. I hope her school does do a sample session because that sounds reasonable.

Incidentally since it's mentioned, can anyone give me the stock explanation for two top sets i.e. why have two top sets with a wider ability range?

We have that here and I was musing that it would be better to pick a couple of children from one of the top-sets where they're long used to working/racing together, then pick a couple from the other top set next year.

I organise the team at my school and I invite the best mathematicians to a sample session and then pick. Often it's not the very best academically as they sometimes find it hard to work in a team/express their thoughts with their teammates.
As for university, I wouldn't worry at this stage!

Maybe the teacher felt that another child would benefit more from the opportunity, for whatever reason. You're right, it will sound like sour grapes if you mention it at parents' evening, so just don't.
Maybe the teacher fancied an easy day out with a kid who wouldn't keep pushing with lots of 'challenging' questions?
Universities really won't give a damn about whether or not he did a maths challenge in year 8.

In my sons' school, it's names out a hat from all those capable for the Maths challenge as they don't have space for them all to do it - they possibly do the same for the team challenge?

My eldest got a Gold award the first year he did it and his name hasn't come out the hat for the next two years. Younger son is top at Maths but his name hasn't ever been picked out.

The teacher he has this year possibly has no idea that your DS came top in the maths challenge last year and simply picked the other boy because he thought he'd enjoy it and do well with the style of questions.

It definitely won't harm his chances of doing Maths at uni.

I don't see any harm in asking for clarification. How else would your son know what he has to do to be chosen next time. It all depends on how you phrase your enquiry as to whether it comes across as sour grapes. I would assume that it was simply a case of the school giving some others the chance to take part. I don't see anything wrong with that.

It may be that he isn't a good match with the other people in the team. It may be that he is very good but not quick (my dd's problem), speed is a big part of the team competition. It may be that there are a few pupils who are all in a cluster at the top and they want to spread out the chances to shine.

There are any number of reasons why I would choose somebody for the team challenge over the person who scores top in tests. In fact, the 4 pupils from my school who were chosen are in the top 10 in the yeargroup but not the very top, because the very top pupils are just too quiet and shy, so would not do well in the team competition (they also didn't want to be in the team)

It won't hurt to ask reasons at parents evening, but try to make sure you ask how he could improve his chances for next year, rather than demand why he wasn't chosen.

Perhaps they think it's someone else's turn to (try to) shine?