CLEVER pupils from St Leonard’s Primary School in Dunfermline have been crowned as the top maths stars in Fife after beating the competition to take first place in an online challenge.

The Primary 7 class have been practising their mental maths skills at home and in school, completing games on the educational website SUMDOG to earn points and pit themselves against more than 1500 pupils from all over Fife.

Class teacher Chris Wilmshurst is incredibly proud of his pupils, and think they deserve praise for their achievement.

“The whole thing was really successful,” he said. “The class was really motivated to do the online competition and they were so enthusiastic about checking the leaderboard – they were determined to get to the top.

“Everyone in the class did their bit and got points, it was a team effort and everyone contributed.

“The children were really proud, they were desperate to get home and go on it at night, it was homework as well as school work.

“There was a real buzz around the school when there was a chance we might win.” The Primary 7 class did end up winning, fighting off competition from around 60 other classes across Fife to score the most points and take first place. But Mr Wilmhurst revealed the kids weren’t done yet.

“I thought it was a fantastic achievement and I’m proud of each and every one of them,” he said.

“But they are still keen to do it now even though the competition is over. A UK-wide competition starts on Friday and we’re keen to see how we can do against the rest of Britain.” The ongoing interest and enthusiasm from the kids has convinced Mr Wilmhurst that getting involved with the competition was a great idea.

“The website is used by quite a lot of schools, its educational games are used to consolidate skills learned in the classroom and adds a competitive element,” he said.

“The interactive element is really engaging for them, it makes them enthusiastic about a subject that many don’t instantly love. The competition and the fun of playing a game helps and it’s worked a treat, kept them motivated to continue while sharpening their maths skills.”