School Flies the flag for Maths Week Scotland

The High School of Dundee has been flying the flag for Maths Week Scotland!

To celebrate the national event, which aims to showcase the involvement and impact of Maths in our everyday lives and enable people to engage with the subject in exciting new ways, pupils throughout the school have been taking part in a range of inspiring activities.

All week the School’s iconic Pillars have been sporting a new addition in the form of the HSD Big Number Line, a puzzle which invites pupils and staff to work out the meaning and origin of a series of numbers.

Meanwhile, Maths Teacher Kevin Hodgson proved he had the formula for an entertaining start to the day as Senior School assemblies played host to his Early Early Show, in which pupil and staff guests took to a chat show sofa to share their comments and views about Maths.

Junior years pupils also had a perfect, or perhaps parfect, opportunity to put their numerical skills to good use when they tackled the maths problems on the actual flags which were used at this summer’s Scottish Men’s and Women’s Open Golf Championships.

And rounding things off, an NHS Ethical Data Hack, hosted by NHS staff and data scientists, resulted in multiple commendable suggestions for the redesign of A&E services from F2 and F3 pupils.

The action-packed week also saw Nursery children come up with their own creative number line; F5 & F6 pupils visit Dundee University’s Maths Department to talk to PhD students and lecturers; Junior Years children take part in a range of activities; Senior Years pupils take on the 'Maths wi nae Borders' Contest and attempt to solve sums in speedy fashion in a maths relay; and much, much more!

Kevin Hodgson, who has been leading Maths Week at the High School, said, “The purpose of the week’s activities has been to enable pupils, staff and parents to wonder at the marvel of maths in and around our everyday lives; highlighting how surrounded we are by maths, how accessible maths is and how everybody can do maths.”