University Challenge star helps Essex families embrace maths

Bobby Seagull is now a maths teacher and author

A mathematician who made his name on University Challenge is backing a campaign to persuade families to embrace maths.

Bobby Seagull has provided tips to make the subject fun as part of Essex County Council's Year of Numbers initiative.

Seagull captured the public's attention with his knowledge during the 2017 series of the academic television show.

In an Essex County Council survey, 41% of parents said they did not feel confident helping children with maths.

Bobby Seagull and Eric Monkman were the standout stars of the 2017 series of University Challenge and they later joined forces on a team

The 2017 series of University Challenge spawned two unlikely celebrities in Eric Monkman and Seagull, who captained rival Cambridge college teams and set social media alight with their lightning responses and boundless knowledge.

Now a mathematics teacher himself, Seagull is encouraging families to embrace the "everyday magic of maths" for the council's campaign.

"Maths can help make sense of the world around us, open new doors and allow us to see very normal things in an exciting new light," he said.

"By encouraging children to proactively look around them and find examples of using numbers in their everyday life, we are inviting them to enjoy the magic of maths from a young age."

Eric Monkman (left) and Seagull appeared in their own TV show, "Monkman & Seagull's Genius Adventures"

Figures collected by the council suggest its £1.5m Year of Numbers campaign has a lot of work to do.

Among the findings of a survey were:

• 44% of parents said they did not feel confident in helping their children with their maths homework

• 45% of families did not often speak about and learn maths at home

• 52% of parents said it was important for their children to become better at maths than them

Tony Ball, ECC's cabinet member for education excellence, said: "It's clear that there is a gap in confidence that needs to be addressed.

"Through our collaboration with Bobby, we hope families across Essex will be inspired to embrace the magic of maths and identify new and fun ways to strengthen numerical skills in their everyday lives."

ECC said it would be running a series of events and activities across the year, while also providing support for parents, carers and teachers.

Seagull also appeared alongside Su Pollard and others in Pilgrimage: The Road Through Portugal on BBC2

Seagull has provided some "top tips" for families to support the campaign.

They include using sport to encourage conversation about numbers and encouraging children to measure baking ingredients and calculate cooking times.