TECH
Backers – the app ’ s supporters include , from left , Imran Anwar , Owain Brennan , Lisa Gosnay , Sam Shenton and Andrew Rowe .
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY
Investors sought for new edtech AI tool that will help teachers ‘ get their lives back ’
An app designed to stem the flow of teachers leaving the profession by using AI to mark work is being developed on Teesside .
Last year , 27,000 teachers joined the profession but more than 40,000 left , with many citing excessive workloads as the key factor .
But by freeing up time currently spent marking work , the AI-enabled “ Assessable ” marking assistant app aims to allow teachers to spend more time where it really matters – in the classroom .
And it ’ s hoped that with financial backing from Tees Valley investors , Assessable can become an invaluable tool for teachers across the globe .
Assessable is being developed by a founding team that share a passion for using ‘ tech for good ’ and includes entrepreneur Chris Taylor , Seer CEO Owain Brennan , Spark Tees Valley owner and primary education specialist Andy Stogdale , secondary education specialist Lisa Gosnay and process specialist Sam Shenton PhD .
It has already been accepted onto the Tees Valley Combined Authority ’ s sixmonth business incubation programme The Stable , with up to £ 30,000 awarded for initial development .
But to get the app properly up and running , up to £ 250,000 more is needed – and that ’ s where it ’ s hoped Tees Valley investors can get involved .
Assessable qualifies for the government ’ s Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme ( SEIS ) which offers significant tax reliefs to individual investors for supporting small businesses .
To use the app , teachers will upload their students ’ work and Assessable will mark it against set criteria .
It will then produce personalised feedback for the student .
A dashboard for the teacher will also give an overview of class performance so they can see where they need to focus their teaching moving forward .
Marking a page of A4 written work would take just five seconds , potentially saving teachers at least half a day a week .
And with all that time saved , the burden of marking work would be drastically reduced .
The intention isn ’ t to replace teachers marking work – it ’ s to support it , allowing teachers to focus their time in the classroom on plugging the gaps the marking has identified .
And with teacher workloads highest in areas of deprivation , it ’ s appropriate that Assessable is starting life on Teesside .
Initially , the start point is Key Stage 2 ( KS2 ) English , but the idea is to then scale up and expand into other qualification levels , subjects and internationally , too .
And while there ’ s currently some use of AI for assessment , it ’ s concentrated in post- 16 provision – not in compulsory education , which is where the main teaching crisis is .
By 2033 , the edtech market globally is predicted to grow by 400 per cent .
However , in the same period , AI in edtech is set to grow 2,500 per cent .
For more information on Assessable and to request a Pitch Deck , visit assessable . co , call 07507 673673 or email mail @ venturecompany . co . uk
WORDS : DAVE ROBSON PICTURE : TOM BANKS
And Owain Brennan believes it ’ s an opportunity to be embraced .
He told Tees Business : “ Teaching is in crisis , with 44m teachers needed globally by 2030 .
“ The AI model behind Assessable will be trained to mark student work using machine learning , and the more it marks , the better it ’ ll become – practice makes perfect !
“ But it won ’ t replace teacher assessment – it will just make it more efficient and help to keep teachers in the classroom with the children , where they belong .”
Imran Anwar , CEO and founder of Alt Labs – which is running The Stable programme for the TVCA – said : “ We ’ ve worked with the Assessable founding team from ideation through to where they are now .
“ It ’ s an impressive founding team with experience across education , tech and enterprise . We ’ re looking forward to working with them as they work towards market traction and further investment .”
And Azets office managing partner Andrew Rowe said that as one of the leading accountants in the local education sector , working with more than 50 schools , the Assessable project was a “ great match ”.
He added : “ It ’ s good to be involved from the ground up because often we are commissioned later in a business ’ journey as it grows .
“ We like to support local businesses and enterprise , especially those working on projects with social impact at the core .”
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