Ethan is no.1 pupil
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A PASSION for numbers from an early age has translated into a remarkable achievement for one of the youngest pupils in Moray, and possibly Scotland, to sit a Standard Grade exam.
Elgin West End Primary pupil Ethan Hew (11) has achieved a credit 1 pass in maths, the highest award that can be gained. He was still in P6 when he sat the exam at Elgin Academy in June.
George Sinclair, head of schools, learning and development at Moray Council, described the youngster’s achievement as "unique".
Ethan’s parents Chee and Wai Hew, who also have a son Nathaniel (3), are understandably proud of his achievement.
"From a very young age has been good with numbers and we started to notice it when he was two," said Mrs Hew. "He just loves playing with the fridge magnets with numbers on them," she added.
Ethan admitted the exam, normally taken by secondary fourth year pupils, had been hard
and he was nervous before sitting it.
"I like maths and want to keep learning. My friends say it is cool," he said.
Gordon Barron, head teacher at West End, and staff there, recognised Ethan’s talent for maths and spoke to colleagues at Elgin Academy for advice. After a few sessions with the maths department there earlier this year, aged just 10, Elgin Academy said his name should go forward to sit the exam.
Mr and Mrs Hew, who are originally from Malaysia but have lived in Moray since 1994, have promised Ethan a bumper batch of Lego as a special reward.
Ethan is also a keen footballer, enjoys taekwon do and plays tenor horn in Moray Concert Brass.
Mr Sinclair said: "As far as I am aware this is unique in Moray. West End is very proud of him and they would like to thank Elgin Academy’s maths department for the support and input."
Ethan was among many other students across Moray celebrating this week after the exam results dropped through letter boxes.
A record 28 pupils in Moray gained five Highers at A grade. That compares with 17 last year and 16 the previous year.
Many students got their results 24 hours early after thousands were sent out across Scotland by text by mistake.
The early indications are that S4 results in Moray are in line with those of last year, while results in S5 are slightly down.
However, results for S6 students are the best ever achieved.
Mr Sinclair said that overall this year’s results were encouraging although it would take some time to complete a full analysis.
"What can be said with certainty is that recent years have shown a clear and consistent improvement on attainment figures in the earlier years of Moray Council."
Mr Sinclair added: "It is clear that, to realise their future aspirations, young people require a range of skills in addition to their attainment.
"We can be confident that overall the young people leaving our schools, particularly from S6, are the best qualified in the history of Moray Council and that they are better equipped with the skills required for their future."
Over 50% of students, based on S4 rolls two years ago, have left sixth year with at least one Higher, while one-third have achieved at least three Highers.
