About

The Scottish Mathematical Council is a charitable body, registered in Scotland. Our aims are to foster and improve mathematical education at all levels, and to encourage the advancement and application of mathematics throughout Scotland. The current Chair of the SMC is Dr Andrew Wilson, who is supported by the members of the SMC, all of whom are volunteers.

The Scottish Mathematical Council held its first meeting on 25 September 1967. Initially the Council had 15 members of whom six were nominated by the Edinburgh Mathematical Society, six by the Glasgow Mathematical Association and three by the Scottish Branch of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. The size of the Council has remained essentially unaltered, although members are no longer externally nominated, and the membership spans the full range of Scottish mathematical education as well as including representation from industry. All SMC members provide their time and experience to the Council on a voluntary basis, and most do so in addition to their roles within Scottish education.

Our activities are governed by our Constitution and by our financial procedures policy.

Current Members

Dr Alan J. Taylor

Alan is a teacher of Mathematics at Jordanhill School in Glasgow. He joined the council in 2020 and became treasurer in 2022, holding that role for two years. His interests include promoting numeracy across the curriculum and developing problem solving and critical thinking skills.

John Neeson

John is a Senior Education Officer with Education Scotland with responsibility for Numeracy and Mathematics. He has been in post since November 2021 having previously been a primary school head teacher. John is committed to connecting colleagues and partners in all sectors to ensure Scotland becomes a maths positive nation. John has been working collaboratively…

Mrs Nicola Dalgliesh

Nicola has been a Primary teacher in Dumfries and Galloway for the past 16 years.  She is currently on a secondment as part of the PT of Inclusive Practice team in Dumfries and Galloway, and has been involved with numeracy development in the region for the past four years.  She is a big advocate of…

Georgina Holmes

Georgina is the Head of Science, Mathematics and Core Skills at SQA. She initially trained as a science teacher before moving to AQA, one of the English awarding bodies. Georgina has worked in awarding bodies for the last 20 years with a focus on stakeholder engagement and educational reform.  Her main area of expertise is…

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Previous Chairs

1967-73
Professor R.A. Rankin, University of Glasgow

1973-74
Professor W.D. Collins, University of Strathclyde

1974-80
Professor E.M. Patterson, University of Aberdeen

1980-84
Professor A.G. Mackie, University of Edinburgh

1984-87
Professor J. Hunter, University of Glasgow

1987-93
Professor J.M. Howie, University of St. Andrews

1993-96
Professor D.A.R. Wallace, University of Strathclyde

1996-2001
Professor A.C. McBride, University of Strathclyde

2001-06
Dr I. Anderson, University of Glasgow

2006-09
Professor T.A. Gillespie, University of Edinburgh

2009-11
Eddie Mullan

2011-14
Professor Rob Archbold, University of Aberdeen

2014-19
Dr Chris Pritchard, McLaren High School

2019-22
Mrs Carol Lyon

2022 - 2024
Dr Alan J. Walker, University of the West of Scotland

2024 - Present
Dr Andrew Wilson, University of Glasgow