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 Alan Walker, 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

Mr Cameron Orr

Cameron is a Depute Head Teacher at Darvel Primary School in Ayrshire. With a passion for mathematics and music, Cam had been instrumental in the creation of Maths Week Scotland materials for the Council such as Escape from Lochdonia Manor and Looking and Listening for the Beauty in Maths.

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.

Emma Gardner

Emma is a Depute Head Teacher with 29 years’ experience. She has previously worked as part of the Glasgow Counts pedagogy team and the Education Scotland National Numeracy Network. Emma has a particular interest in how early mathematical skills develop through play, including learners with additional support needs.

Ms Tara Harper

Tara is a Lecturer in Mathematics Education (Initial Teacher Education) at the University of Dundee. She joined the Council in 2019 and has this year taken on responsibility for organising the SMC’s annual Stirling Maths Conference. As a former secondary maths teacher and primary teacher and head teacher, she has a particular interest in mathematics…

Sarah Leakey

Sarah is a primary school teacher in Highland and was also the Numeracy Development Officer for the region between 2018 and 2022.  She has been fortunate to work in a wide range of schools in England, New Zealand and Scotland.  She has a passion for supporting learners to develop an understanding and love of mathematics…

Mr Chris Smith, MBE

Chris Smith started teaching Maths at Kilmarnock’s Grange Academy back in 2006. He joined the Scottish Mathematical Council in 2014 and currently is an Associate Member, responsible for liaising with the secondary Enterprising Mathematics in Scotland team. Chris is involved in various Maths Week Scotland initiatives: filming the Daily Challenges with the BBC and running…

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…

Mrs Suzanne Stoppard

Suzanne has been a maths teacher at St Joseph’s College since 2007. She has undertaken many roles in this time including the regional maths and numeracy support officer until 2014. Suzanne has a passion for helping all learners experience success in maths and supports other teachers by sharing any resources she can. She joined the…

Mr Allan Duncan

Retired Senior Lecturer in Mathematics Education at Aberdeen University, Allan keeps himself busy proofreading Mathematics in School and editing our own journals. He has a particular interest in the use of technology to deepen mathematical understanding. He still enjoys dog walking, occasional hill walking and reading crime novels and travel literature.

Mr George Gibson

Throughout his career George has always had a focus on encouraging youngsters to stretch their minds through math’s challenges, which he was instrumental for running in Cumbernauld, Glasgow and Highland Region. As further enhancement he introduced a series of masterclasses for S1/S2 pupils and an annual Advanced Higher residential course when he was the Maths…

Dr Andrew Wilson

Andrew Wilson, the Chair of the Council,  received a MSci (Hons) in Mathematics from the University of Glasgow, completed his PhD at the University of Edinburgh in Algebraic Geometry, and returned to his alma mater where he is a Senior Lecturer on the Learning, Teaching and Scholarship track. He is founder and director of the…

Professor Jonathan Fraser

Jonathan is a pure mathematician working at the University of St Andrews.  He is especially interested in the mathematics of fractals and how these objects connect to other areas.  He joined the Scottish Mathematical Council in 2020 and believes an appreciation of mathematics can play a vital role in all walks of life.

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…

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…

Dr Paul Argyle McDonald

Paul is a Chartered Teacher of Mathematics at Fife Council. He also is an Associate Tutor at Moray House and an approved SQA marker for Advanced Higher Mathematics. He joined the council in 2019 and recently became a journal editor. As a former engineer, Paul seeks to promote problem-solving with all young people in his…

Mr Simon Fogiel

Simon is Head of Mathematics at Robert Gordon’s College, and has been teaching Mathematics in Secondary schools since 2003. He also serves as an Advanced Higher Mathematics marker for the SQA. Simon is passionate about helping all learners access Mathematics that is challenging and relevant to their future destinations upon leaving school.

Mr Bill Richardson, MBE

From 1973 to 2000, Bill was Principal Teacher of Mathematics at Elgin Academy. He was also an assessor with the Scottish Examination Board. Since his retirement he has continued to be involved in school mathematics across the UK and managed to attend quite a few overseas conferences over many years.

Mrs Shazia Ahmed

Shazia is the Learning & Teaching Skills Co-ordinator in the School of Mathematics & Statistics at the University of Glasgow. She has been a council member since 2021 and her interests include maths/stats support and outreach.

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