Dyslexic former English teacher launches award-winning app to support English skills in Liverpool

Late-diagnosed dyslexic, former English teacher and five-times head of English, Tom Reynolds, has launched EdenFiftyOne (EFO), an award-winning edtech platform that promotes 51 universal skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

The platform’s step-by-step, skill-by-skill approach supports every secondary school by enabling teachers and leaders to select any combination of the 51 skills to complement their current English curriculum. Seamlessly integrating into pre-existing learning pathways, EdenFiftyOne aims to change everything for teachers.

The initiative includes a free ‘English Skills Audit’ for every school, college, academy and education centre, across the Liverpool City Region, as part of ongoing efforts to support local education first.

Supported by artificial intelligence (AI)-driven exam analysis, the audit combines summer GCSE results, school assessment trends and specific student and teacher needs, to ensure a simple yet effective skills strategy is embedded into the school curriculum.

The Liverpool City Region faces fresh challenges to improve English education outcomes, due to the impact of lost learning during the pandemic.  Learning loss was most pronounced for disadvantaged students, widening the attainment gap between more affluent students and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Outstanding accolades from trial users helped Tom and the team to secure over £100,000 in government and charity funding to develop the app. Now, schools in Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens, and Wirral will be the first in the country to benefit from this award-winning innovation.

Peter Cox, a former Department for Education advisor and Ofsted Inspector, said: “Why hasn’t this been thought of before?”

As a late diagnosed dyslexic, founder Tom Reynolds, set out to create a platform that deconstructs English education into bite-size pieces and provides teachers, learners (and their parents) with something clear, colourful and logical, something ‘more than a grade’.

Speaking at October’s BRILLIANT Education Exhibition, Tom will present the benefit of a universal ‘skill-by-skill’ and ‘step-by-step’ approach to the English learning journey, regardless of age, stage, ability or engagement.

Over the last 20 years, ‘Great British Entrepreneur of The Year Finalist’ Tom has supported and collaborated with teachers, education leaders and academics from around the country, in the pursuit of understanding and perfecting how technology can facilitate inclusive access to and lighten the load of high quality English education.

Now, the award-winning EdenFiftyOne is launching in Liverpool, from its Moorfields office headquarters.

Speaking at a Labour Conference fringe event, Tom said: “A progressive vision for skills education and technology is essential. Teachers need and deserve to be amongst the first of us to leverage the benefits of technology to reduce workload and work-related stress.”

School leaders and educators in the Liverpool City Region who are interested in enhancing their English skill intervention strategies are invited to claim a free ‘English Skills Audit’ by clicking here.