12-year-old world maths champion

He's a man of few words, but Ross Chambers is a world champion.

The 12-year-old Kai Iwi School student was ranked top in the online maths game Live Mathletics last week, beating competitors from around the world.

In the game, students go head-to-head to solve math problems quickly and accurately against three other students, and each week there's a new champion at each skill level.

Ross, who competes at level four, said that when he saw his name at number one in the world he had to tell someone. "I ran in and told my dad, and he just gave me a high five."

The programme had made his classwork easier and he said he wanted to try the higher skill level.

His teacher, Trish Wakeling, said the Mathletics programme was part schoolwork and part fun for her class of 22, who are aged between 11-13.

"When it's time to do maths in class, they have to do their set tasks and then they can go on to Live Mathletics. I actually have kids run up to me after they've finished their set work so they can go on.

"They earn points with each correct answer and they have an avatar they can customise, so they have an incentive to do well," she said.

Principal Alistair White said the programme was trialled at the school last year and had been a hit with students, who even used the programme outside the class.

"It's a really valuable tool to motivate kids to use their own time to increase their knowledge, and we know it's motivating because the kids are doing it at home. Some kids may not have internet access at home, so they come in early and have a go before school starts."

Although he spent about four hours every weekend on Live Mathletics, Ross said it hadn't quite replaced his Playstation as his favourite pastime.