Alexander F. L. Newberry

Alexander attended St Paul’s as a Foundation Scholar (1996-1998) where he particularly enjoyed the harmonious relationship between staff and pupils. He then studied Medieval History at Edinburgh and went on to read Byzantine Studies at Exeter College, Oxford.

During this time, Alexander wrote a song called Crib, which won the UK Songsearch Rock Category. This was the catalyst for ten years of adventure, which brought two record deals and multiple European tours, including shows supporting UB40 and Foreigner.

After leaving the LA music scene, Alexander returned to the UK and started tutoring. Unearthing a passion for teaching, he began formulating motivational brain-training books to improve students’ performance. He self-published his first maths book in 2012; to date, he has released 35 books with sales in the US, the UK and Australia.

In 2014 he began to develop Numberella, a maths game that acts as a gateway to the subject and accelerates numeracy. After a successful data trial in early 2018, which showed 100% of children improving their grade through playing Numberella, it launched in October 2018. Alexander’s game is now played in 20+ US states and several UK schools, with Millfield being Numberella’s most recent customer.

What guidance would you give to your younger self on the day you left St Paul’s?

Work fiendishly hard and follow your dream.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

The person in front of you is also your teacher.

Why did you choose your current career?

It feels more like it chose me. But I wake up every day excited about what I’m doing.