‘I’m not giving up on them’: Maths teacher helps prisoners prepare for the outside world

A teacher who goes into prison and uses maths to help inmates prepare for the outside world has said he “couldn’t believe” the outcome.

Isaac Anoom, 55, lives in Harlsdon, Brent, and works as a maths teacher in Wormwood Scrubs prison in Du Cane Road, Hammersmith.

He said: “Part of the job is to engage adults in learning irrespective of their background.

“Teaching prisoners is especially important when they’re coming up on parole so when they come out they have learnt skills they can call on and make use of.”

Mr Anoom has been a maths teacher and teaching consultant for the past 25 years. While working at a primary school in Willesden, Brent, he said he noticed that children were not “engaging” with the way maths was being taught. 

He said: “I took it upon myself to start teaching differently – I would use objects to represent numbers and make learning more engaging, and it worked.”

Soon Mr Anoon was going around schools in the area to show other teachers his methods and was invited by the BBC to present his teaching skills on a math’s programme under the name – Mr Numbervator.

Mr Anoom uses these same methods in his lessons at the prison, bringing in shop signs to show percentage differences or relating lessons to the cost of living crisis with advice on how to save and budget.

He said: “From lesson one they were all so engaged, they really wanted to learn. These are people who have made a wrong choice. I don’t know what they have done and I don’t need to know.

“I treat them as students not as prisoners and they respond well to that. So many people have given up on them already.”

Mr Anoom began his course in the prison with an entry test for his students, followed by weekly evaluations to track progress across the six week programme.

He said: “I couldn’t believe how much they improved. I was giving them GCSE questions and some of these guys are young, 18 or 19 , and they could answer them.

“They want to be taught by people who believe in them and see the value they have got.

“What made me really happy was they said they could now go home and help their children with maths homework.”

Mr Anoom’s maths lessons are part of a new Government funded programme called Multiply which was set up to help adults improve their numeracy skills.

He said: “It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done because I can see change.”

Pictured top: Isaac Anoon (Picture: Isaac Anoon)