FOUR Stourbridge primary schools are going head-to-head this week in the first round of a national maths competition.

Children from Pedmore CE Primary School, The Ridge Primary School, in Wollaston, Brierley Hill School and Greenfield Primary School will be battling it out for a place in the semi-finals of the National Young Mathematicians’ Awards.

The annual event, organised by tuition provider Explore Learning together with the NRICH Project at the University of Cambridge, will entail a set of first rounds taking places across the UK.

Stourbridge’s schools will compete at Explore Learning’s Crown Centre base on Thursday (November 12) from 1pm.

Carey Ann Dodah, head of curriculum at Explore Learning, said: “Maths is so often regarded as a subject that can put children off their studies but this competition shows that not only is it fun and engaging, but a fantastic opportunity to build on teamwork, reward children’s success, develop their confidence and realise their skills for numbers.

“The children will be challenged to solve a multi-layered, high-level problem and will be assessed on their ability to get to the root for the problem, teamwork and their true mathematical thinking.”

The winning school will then move on to the regional semi-final on November 25 before the top five teams in the country go through to the grand final at the University of Cambridge on December 8.