Junior maths challenge 2025

I've rotated it 90 degrees, it was like an up down line graph

I should not have posted photo as submission deadline is still live.
I've reported so Mumsnet can remove as one can no longer delete posts.
Apologies all

Good to know, helpful. Like I said my DD prepped more and had an extra year vs last so it seemed hard for her to gauge difficulty. I think she'll have a firmer view when she sees the solutions.

Had a chat with her in a bit more detail yesterday evening and she's thinking at least high 20s worst worst case. Hopefully the extra difficulty can bring the distinction threshold down to around this level.

She isn't going to enjoy the weeks of waiting to find out her result. Last yr around late June her teacher was away on a school trip, and then she was away on another trip, so it'll probably be first week of July before she finds out.

DS10 sat JMO yesterday and said he thought it was considerably harder than last year. Answered three fully, and 3 very sketchily.

DS y8 sat Junior Kangaroo today.
No.prep other than his regular Parallel Academy.
Thought it "easy" and the 8 other sitters (mostly y8) at his 4-form entry state school agreed it was not harder than the JMC.
DS added "I've got at least 24/25, I finished with at least 10mins to spare and checked all my answers and changed one".
He often misses a mistake or two, but glad he felt he had done well.

DS sat kangaroo and said it was easy....and finished 20 minutes early. I don't take this as a good sign. But perhaps the paper was slightly easier this year? I never think it is good if he finishes something early. Makes me think he rushed and probably made mistakes along the way. But ah well it is just for fun anyway so not a big deal.

I have not had a chance to look at the paper properly yet but DD did complete 5. She was not too sure about q6 as she only had 10 minutes and did not have time to do the question before writing it up. This is the first time that she was able to attempt all 6. However, this is not due to the paper becomes easier but because she got better with age, experience and practice.

DS sat the Kangaroo and the general consensus among his cohort was that it was easier than the JMC itself this year. Is it a similar turn around time to the JMC? DS is Y7 so this is our first experience of it.

DD2 did kangeroo today.

Other than looking at last years kangeroo paper on Sunday she has done no prep at all. (I wouldnt expect her to either, shes has end of year exams all of last week, finally finishing yesterday, then kangeroo this morning)

Her opinion was it was harder than last years.

Her friends opinion was that it was easier than last years kangeroo paper.

My yr8 DD sat the JMO today. She seemed to like the paper but prepped a bit for it unlike last yr and with the extra age has probably got better. Says she all but answered 4, got some traction on 1, and then didnt understand the last question.

I'm hoping she improves on last years Merit. It'll be interesting to see what other comments come forward from students/ parents about the difficulty in the next few days.

A fair few also did the Kangaroo, the consensus was it was a lot easier than the JMC itself. One girl who had guessed 7 on the JMC only guessed 1 on the Kangaroo. But like all these exams it's relative, easier exams just mean higher grade boundaries.

Any DCs sitting the Kangaroo today? Couldn’t get much out of DS (who qualified with 101 in the JMC), but he seemed happy enough with what he’d done- especially as he’s Y5 and hasn’t really done much real prep other than a couple of JMC past papers.

It’s been useful to hear all about the Parallel website and various apps. We’re pretty low screen at home so DS has basically taught himself from books. In answer to the poster up thread asking how to encourage mathematical reasoning in a younger child- my answer to that is if they’re into it you won’t be able to stop them. Our family has zero interest or experience in this area but through sheer force of interest DS has just done it all himself really (obviously we took him to a library to get books… but beyond that…)

Anyway. Would love to hear how other DCs found the Kangaroo.

You have a very good point and I don't disagree!

My children also have the huge advantage of being taught by truly outstanding teachers, in small classes, where the behaviour is excellent, so the teachers can get on with teaching, rather than wasting learning time managing behaviour....

Which could be argued to be due to their school, which we can send them to as a result of our own educational achievement. While I went to a normal state school, DH also had an excellent independant education at a top selective school, which led him to Oxbridge... which his parents could afford because of their high flying jobs etc etc...

DD1 has clearly been gifted since around, perhaps even before, she was 2 years old. She has the academic scholarship at her school.

@BananaDaiquiri

"However going back to maths, I'm sure plenty of people go on to do a maths degree and maths related careers having gone to state school, so I'm not convinced that significant financial investment is necessary for decent academic achievement."

True, but in context it's a prevalence test. I mentioned my pathway, and in fact i did take maths, it wasn't impossible, but in my environment it was very rare. A grammar or private school, even though the effort isnt directed wholly towards maths would have had far more kids doing maths or STEM at Uni.

@nannyl

I agree with that. Wow you are in a family with an educational CV behind them. Mine was nothing like that, I was smart but at a poor northern (11-16) comp which closed 2 years after I left, and messed around as much as I could get away with. I failed 7/9 GCSE's.

I needed to start working hard, and quick.

Re sat 4 GCSE's at a local 6th form and passed. Then started A levels and half way through the 6th form closed down so was bumped to a college. But 3 yrs after the GCSE failure I was taking Maths at a top 30-50 QS rated redbrick Uni.

I was the first person in our family to go to Uni. I wont claim it was an easy ride by any means.

What you wrote leads me onto another one of my hypothesis that I've often wondered about. When high achieving kids grow up in smart households and the parents know the full educational system it raises expectations, I call it "normalised exceptionalism"....exceptional for most households, normalised in the environment they are in.

Well yes, using my example of the sprinter: the right genes but also excellent coaching, the latest tech in shoes / clothing, an amazing work ethic and desire to really push themselves. I also agree that the "right teacher, hard work and consistency are very powerful" (as I mentioned in my post answering your question: we haven't really done anything to foster our child's ability in maths, but I believe she had excellent teaching at her state primary).

I'm interested in your comment about the level of financial investment required though. In the context of sport, financial input and supportive parents will be needed in most cases, due to the level of training needed. I don't think you can become the next prima ballerina without a combination of natural ability and great coaching, and probably you're going to have needed parent(s) running you around to different dance classes and paying a lot for those classes (because this is quite a specialist thing). However going back to maths, I'm sure plenty of people go on to do a maths degree and maths related careers having gone to state school, so I'm not convinced that significant financial investment is necessary for decent academic achievement.

@nannyl - I found your comment below very interesting to reflect on, and it made me wonder whether, in the UK context, it is fairly typical for children from Oxbridge-educated families to also grow up aiming for Oxford or Cambridge themselves.

“My children have Oxbridge educated parents, aunts/uncles and grandparents, and it’s fair to say DD1 is also aiming for Oxford.”

I imagine that growing up around highly educated family members probably shapes children’s expectations, confidence, academic identity, and understanding of what is possible from quite an early age. It may also influence the kinds of conversations, habits, opportunities, and educational guidance children receive at home.
At the same time, I also wonder how much of this is due to environment and culture within the family rather than purely academic ability itself.

@BananaDaiquiri I agree with you that genes certainly do play a role in children’s educational outcomes and overall development. However, even “good” genes may not lead to exceptional results if a child does not have strong teaching, a motivating environment, emotional support, opportunities, and at least some level of financial investment from parents. But in the context of UK " some level of financial investment" is very high that most average income households cant afford.
At the same time, I also believe that hard work, consistency, the right teacher, introduced at the right time can sometimes be just as powerful as natural ability.
Personally, I have seen children with no obvious “gifted” signs thrive enormously because they had disciplined habits, supportive parents, inspiring mentors, and an environment that nurtured curiosity and confidence over many years.

@Jonny234 I liked the idea of Caravan/ Butlins breaks which are doable and financially manageable for us now. I will defo have a look at the website you shared!

I think your genes do play a role in having some aptitude for certain things. Of course, hard work can help anyone improve, great teaching will have a massive impact etc etc, but I think some people are born with a stronger inherent ability in maths.
Same with many things. I think people who are champion sprinters have worked extremely hard to excel in their sport, and that their nutrition as well as their coaching and their attire has also helped. But I also think they were probably off to a head start (pardon the pun) from early childhood - that their genes have also played their part in their success.