Swanmore teacher mentors online ‘maths circles’ for children to learn outside the curriculum

Maths Circles was developed in Bulgaria 100 years ago, the concept involves a group of young people getting together with a mentor who nurtures their mathematical curiosity.

Best selling writer Simon Singh trialled the programme in the form of free, weekly, interactive, online maths sessions over the summer. Kyle Evans, from Swanmore, has been involved since the launch, using his knowledge as an experienced A-Level teacher, maths presenter and writer to “coach viewers in the right direction.”

The Barton Peveril teacher, along with Dr Singh and the rest of the Parallel Maths Circles team is now preparing for the official start of the programme’s first academic year.

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Beginning on Tuesday, September 20 kids aged 10 to 16 plus will be able to join the interactive maths sessions online on the Parallel website, a hub created by Simon Singh for young mathematicians. Kyle, 38, will feature alongside Simon to mentor viewers within the age 16 plus category.

The local maths teacher and entertainer said: “The idea is that you have an experienced mentor and young people can work with that mentor to widen their horizons and nudge them and encourage them in the right direction and show them some fascinating and exciting maths that they might not have otherwise seen.

“It’s really for kids that are interested and love their maths at school, but they might not necessarily be the sort of kids with maths material lying around the house or their parents might not know how to direct them how to fulfil their potential.

“Kids have so much energy and intrigue and it’s not about teaching them everything in a wrote way, it’s nudging them and pointing them towards the exciting stuff that they might not otherwise know about.

“I hope they start to understand that’s there’s so much more to maths then what they see in the classroom. There’s a certain amount of mathematics that the government decides is important to learn and that is largely important for future skills. But there’s so much more to maths then what they see in schools. There is such a thing as recreational maths and doing it for fun and for personal growth.”

Mr Evans will be leading sessions on Tuesdays and Saturdays throughout the academic year for the highest levels (level five and six), whilst ages 10-11 (level one), 11-12 (level two), 12-13 (level three) and 13-14 (level four) will be ran by different mentors from across the UK.

Programme founder Dr Simon Singh MBE will oversee all the sessions. Dr Singh left his career as a writer, with his book Fermat’s Last Theorem being the first about mathematics to become a number one bestseller, with the aim of revolutionising maths education online and increasing the number and diversity of budding mathematicians.

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The condensed trial period, throughout June and July 2022, received around 100-200 participants each session but Simon has his sights set higher. He said: “Within a year, our goal is to have 1 million students in our maths circles. I like the ideas of being the Joe Wicks of maths.

“I have set aside £1 million of my own money to make this project a success. I won a BAFTA and written a number one bestselling maths book, but I really want Parallel maths circles to be my legacy.”

Each 45-minute session is free to join, with students able to comment and participate during the live lesson. For more go to parallel.org.uk/circles.

As well as being involved in the UK wide scheme, alongside celebrity mathematicians like YouTube star Ayliean MacDonald and Countdown champion Junaid Mubeen, Kyle is preparing for the release of his latest book Maths Tricks to Blow Your Mind! on November 3. 

For more on the award-winning presenter and maths entertainer go to kyledevans.com/.