How combining technology helps children, teachers and schools
OK, so I’ve got some exciting news to share! One of our partner academies has just been shortlisted for the Optimus Education #MATexcellenceaward for Digital Innovation. This is brilliant news as it shows how our tools are making a real difference in actual classrooms to support our learners.
If you’ve spent any time in schools lately, you’ll know staff are absolutely drowning in data. Assessment results, progress trackers, pupil premium reports… it’s endless, isn’t it? We’ve been chatting with teachers, heads and academy CEOs all over the country, and they’re all saying the same thing – they need practical solutions that don’t take time to implement. That’s why I’m so excited about what we’re doing with Lexplore.
Reading assessments have always been a bit of a nightmare – they take forever and the results can be really inconsistent. Most teachers I know are desperate to spot reading difficulties early, but when you’re juggling 30 kids and a million other priorities, those traditional assessments are just another thing on the to-do list.
That’s where Lexplore changes everything. It uses eye-tracking technology (sounds fancy, I know) to assess a child’s reading in about 3-5 minutes. It flags up reading challenges straight away, even identifies potential dyslexia traits (though not formal diagnosis). No more waiting weeks for results or drowning in paperwork!
It’s not just some trendy tech either – it’s based on 30 years of proper research from the Karolinska Institute. Teachers tell me they love how it gives them solid data without adding to their already ridiculous workload.
But here’s the thing – spotting the problems is only half the battle, isn’t it? The real question is what you do next. That’s where our askKira platform comes in, turning those assessment results into personalised next steps.
A Y6 teacher in one of our schools in the North West put it better than I could:
“Before this, I was totally swamped with assessment admin. It’s honestly been amazing—I can spot needs early and jump right in with help. The suggested interventions are so useful, and I can mix them with what I already know about my students…”
Instead of spending her PPA time wading through spreadsheets, she can see exactly where each child needs support and get cracking with interventions straight away. That’s exactly what we wanted when we built askKira – helping teachers move from data to doing something useful with it.
By bringing these two tools together, we’re working to bridge the gap of early identification and instant intervention so that students can benefit.
The key thing is that we’re not trying to replace teachers – far from it! Both systems are designed to make teachers’ expertise even more powerful, giving them the insights they need without piling on extra work.
I’m so proud to see one of our partner academies getting recognition for their digital innovation. It shows that AI can actually work alongside teachers, not against them.
If you’re curious about how this might work in your school, we’d love to show you. No hard sell, just a chance to see if it might help your pupils too.
Lorna Stockwood, COO of askKira
