Counting on the next generation

Nicola Sturgeon has put education at the centre of her program for the new Parliament. Barely anyone sees it differently but that doesn't mean that that shared focus means there is a shared view of the way forward.

Since the SNP came into government in 2007 we have seen the gap between the achievements of pupils in our most deprived areas improve from being 36 percentage points behind our best areas to now being around 20 points behind. Still behind, so still a job to do. But progress made. And a big drop achieved in the number of pupils in our most deprived areas leaving school without any qualifications.

International experts are coming to Scotland shortly. That's good because we should always check whether others have good ideas. The introduction of a baby box for every newborn, which we promised during the election is an example. Well done Finland for showing us the way on that.

And our First Minister has also invited people from all the other political parties in Parliament to join in our mapping a way forward to higher achievement for all and a narrowing of the gap between different areas.

My pal, and previously my boss when I was Transport Minister, John Swinney has been appointed to the Education brief. That's an indication of how committed Nicola Sturgeon is to the education agenda. He is very analytical and very focussed in all that he does. His forensic skills in analysing this policy area and bringing forward new proposals that are rooted in evidence will be the mark of his time in office. That's this man. A top performer.

Personally I was not a well youngster and spent a lot of time off school. But fortunately in a house crammed with books. I read well beyond my years – a history of Scotland at about 5, my first political biography at 7, my father's medical books at 8. And always poetry and some literature.

But above all I was pretty obsessed with numbers and cryptology.

I tripped over the work of a Jewish mathetician, Jakow Trachtenberg, at an early age. Born in Odessa in 1888 he was held in a Nazi concentration camp for an astonishing 7 years – and survived. My local library had to order his book – The Trachtenberg Speed System of Basic Mathematics – specially for me.

To keep himself sane, he spent his time solving mental puzzles and developing techniques for mental arithmetic – without having to be a professor – perhaps today we would say “mental arithmetic for dummies”.

Youngsters, even of quite modest ability, can quickly frighten parents and teachers after learning a few of the Trachtenberg techniques. And with even as little as an hour's study.

I shouldn't claim this as a “magic bullet” for maths education. But it is example of what may be lying out there for us.

Thinking out of the box and into the future.