Assessable has commercially launched its assessment platform for primary school English writing, securing its first paying school and issuing its first invoice. The platform, which supports teachers and school leaders with assessment, tracking and moderation, went live this month following more than two years of development and testing in schools across the north of England.

The launch, confirmed by Assessable, will initially focus on the Tees Valley before expanding further across the North East, with Extol Academy Trust signed on as a strategic development partner and Belmont Primary School in Guisborough among the first schools using the platform.

Extol Academy Trust, headquartered at Eldon Grove Academy in Hartlepool, is an eight-school multi-academy trust that reported revenue reserves of £2.4 million against an in-year deficit of £325,000 for the 2024/25 financial year. Assessable, co-founded by former teacher Lisa Gosnay and Sam Shenton, has Peter Calvert of Embeddable serving as fractional chief technology officer.

The structural driver behind Assessable's launch strategy is deep classroom validation before commercial rollout, with more than two years of development and testing inside Tees Valley schools used to shape the platform ahead of any wider sales push into the North East.

Craig Nicholson, chief executive of Extol Academy Trust, said the collaboration with Assessable "represents the sort of forward-thinking our sector needs," adding that combining classroom experience with technology lets schools "start tackling some of the biggest challenges facing schools today."

Luke Harper and Rebecca Brown, Year 6 teachers at Belmont Primary School, said they see Assessable as a way to "revolutionise the way we assess, mark and provide tailored feedback," freeing up time to focus on teaching and maintain work-life balance.

Lisa Gosnay said Assessable started in the Tees Valley "because this is our home," pointing to the region's "brilliant education and technology communities" as central to shaping the platform.

For the sector, Assessable's launch confirms that EdTech providers are increasingly using multi-academy trusts as formal development partners rather than informal pilot sites, giving vendors sustained classroom access before their first commercial sale.

Source: edtechinnovationhub.com / education.gov.uk