Academic Success in Maths

Is academic success about results alone, or about the journey a child takes to get there?

Many parents think that grades are the best way to measure success in school, but that's not the whole story. True learning happens in the moments between the answers: when a child pauses, questions, struggles, and eventually understands. Nowhere is this more evident than in mathematics.

For many students, maths can feel like a cycle of revising, practicing, and repeating. While it can be easy to focus on correct solutions, the real value lies in how a child thinks their way there. At NAS Dubai, maths is viewed as a skill to be learned rather than a subject to memorise. Opportunities like the Challenge Me competition extend this concept beyond the classroom, encouraging students to apply their knowledge in unfamiliar, high-pressure situations. It’s here that resilience is built, confidence grows, and understanding deepens, which transforms maths from something students do into something they truly grasp.

For one family, their journey with NAS Dubai began long before competitions and successes. It started when their son Aadidev was just starting Nursery.

His parents still remember that time clearly. Having relocated from the US in 2016, they were searching for more than just a school. They were looking for a place where their “sweet pea” would feel safe, supported, and genuinely happy. There was that mix of hope and worry that many mums feel, wondering where their child will belong, who will guide them, and whether they will walk into the classroom with confidence or hesitation.

In a moment many parents will recognise, it wasn’t something he could fully put into words, but the way he settled in said everything. He felt comfortable, at ease, and naturally connected with his teachers in a way his parents hadn’t seen before.

As his mum shared, “we sensed that our baby is happy,” and sometimes, that feeling speaks louder than anything else.

Starting from those early Nursery days, that sense of belonging became the foundation for everything that followed.

Over the years, Aadidev grew not just academically but in confidence and character. His parents describe his journey as one of “consistent academic performance", but what sits beneath that is even more meaningful. It’s the way he was encouraged to discover his strengths, supported by teachers who didn’t just instruct but truly understood how to bring out the best in him.

They became, in his parents’ words, “the catalyst to accelerate his development".

That growth was recently brought to life on a much bigger stage.

The Challenge Me competition is designed to push students far beyond the boundaries of the classroom, bringing maths to life through complex problem-solving, critical thinking, and real-world application. Open to thousands of students in the MENA region, it challenges participants to progress through multiple rigorous stages. To win at any level is an achievement, but to place first among all Year 7 students is truly exceptional. Out of more than 40,000 participants, his success is a powerful reflection of both his dedication and the depth of understanding he has developed along the way.

When asked about the experience, Aadidev described it with a smile: “It was a rollercoaster of intelligence… there were a lot of ups and downs.”

It shows not only Aadidev's academic skills, but also his attitude and his willingness to take on challenges, deal with problems, and keep going.

That's where the real story is because those “downs” are the moments every parent worries about, the frustration, the self-doubt, and the temptation to give up. At NAS Dubai, those moments are reframed; rather than being seen as failures, they are seen as proof that a child is thinking, stretching, and going beyond what is easy.

It’s exactly this mindset that opportunities like Challenge Me are designed to nurture. They take maths out of the textbook and into a space where resilience matters just as much as skill. Where students learn that not knowing the answer right away is not something to be afraid of, but something to explore.

For Aadidev’s parents, watching this transformation has been deeply rewarding. They’ve seen their son not only succeed but also contribute to his class, his school, and the community around him, and through it all, they’ve felt supported too.

“The school community has been very supportive in his journey,” they shared, expressing both gratitude and trust in what lies ahead.

That trust is something many parents are searching for: the reassurance that their child is not only learning but thriving. That they are seen, understood, and guided in a way that allows them to grow into confident, capable individuals.

Today, as Aadidev celebrates his achievement and looks ahead to new opportunities - including a complimentary course with Logiscool in coding and digital innovation - his story is a reminder of what’s possible when a child feels truly supported from the very start.