A maths whiz who shot to fame after appearing on University Challenge has returned to his roots to share his love of numbers.

Newham Recorder: Bobby Seagull wiith staff from Kaizen Primary School. Picture: Kaizen Primary SchoolBobby Seagull wiith staff from Kaizen Primary School. Picture: Kaizen Primary School (Image: Kaizen Primary School)

Bobby Seagull, who grew up in East Ham, visited Kaizen Primary School to talk to staff about the subject and the importance of helping children improve their skills using everyday situations.

He highlighted ideas such as getting children to calculate discounts when out shopping as an easy way to integrate maths into life.

The former St Bonaventure’s pupil’s talk was to support the Elkington Road, Plaistow school’s staff development day, with the aim of boosting their development work around maths.

Bobby said: “It was really wonderful to share some maths positive vibes with all the staff from Kaizen Primary.

“The talk I gave highlighted that we can all do maths and that maths is everywhere.

“We need to help people to be confident and competent in using numbers and data so they can make better decisions.”

Bobby is no stranger to the classroom, having taught at the East London Science School before moving to a school in Cambridge ahead of starting a PhD.

And since finding fame on the BBC Two quiz show, Bobby - who led his Emmanuel College team to the semi-finals in 2017 - and fellow University Challenge captain Eric Monkman have been sharing a love of maths through appearances on television, radio and even their own quiz book.

Kaizen headteacher Barbara Sims said: “We’ve followed Bobby on Twitter for a while now and as he is a local person and passionate about maths, I thought it would be a great way to start our staff training day and to get the team reflecting, learning and laughing and it definitely was.

“We’re really grateful to Bobby for giving up his time and it’s really invaluable that our trust supports and values days like this and encourages us to collaborate with new and interesting people who can share their experiences and love of learning.”