Maths prodigy finds joy among the geometry

Thomas, who was reading a physics encyclopaedia as a toddler, is taking maths classes with pupils twice his age since he first began primary school.

Thomas, of Leeds, spends nine lessons each fortnight studying alongside 16 and 17-year-olds at Horsforth School.

His mother Deborah Fletcher, 40, a primary school teacher, said that she first realised Thomas’s exceptional talent when he was about 18 months old and he became fascinated with car registration plates.

She said: “His love of numbers was hugely apparent and he could count in twos and tens, recognise numbers up to 1,000. I remember he used to ask to count everything and anything and rapidly taught himself to count in different multiples.

“He enjoys working with the sixth-formers. He loves it, he just literally runs out of every lesson with a big grin on his face.”

Thomas was reading fluently by the age of three and at five he beat his grandfather at Scrabble.

Lorraine Wadkin, his headteacher at West End Primary, said: “He is a lovely little boy who is quite relaxed about everything. We have been trying to liaise with high school for a few years because he was at high school level many years ago.”

Horsforth School said: “He has settled into the class easily and is enjoying doing maths with other young people who enjoy the subject. The class are glad to have the opportunity to work with Thomas, who is an exceptionally gifted mathematician.”