This British Maths Teacher Is So Brilliant He Might Win $1 Million

An exceptional London maths teacher has made it to the final 10 in the world to win a prize for teaching worth a million dollars.

Colin Hegarty, of Preston Manor School in Wembley, northwest London, made the final shortlist for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize, which recognises outstanding contributions to the profession.

Mr Hegarty, 34, became a teacher six years ago after quitting his job as an accountant for Deloitte.

The maths specialist has created more than a thousand videos explaining his subject to pupils, which have been viewed around six million times.

He started putting his lessons online four years ago after one of his A-level pupils had to take time off to see his sick father and was worried about falling behind.

The student kept up with his studies and passed his A-level.

Mr Hegarty said he was “flabbergasted” when he learnt he had made the shortlist.

“They called me to tell me and I was a bit shellshocked,” he said.

"It’s an amazing idea to get good news stories out there about amazing teachers.”

The winner is due to be revealed at a ceremony held at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai next month.

"I didn’t make the videos to be a YouTube sensation,” Mr Hegarty said.

“It kind of snowballed. When I got a few positive comments it made me want to make more. ”

Mr Hegarty is now taking a sabbatical to establish a dedicated website for his maths videos, which went live for around 70 schools last week.

He said that if he wins the Global Teacher Prize, he will invest the money in his website.

“I would like to use it to make this website change maths education,” he said.

The other nine finalists are drawn from around the world, including Pakistan, Kenya, Palestine, the USA, Japan, Finland, Australia and India.

Pictures: PA