Crossbow Education

What Crossbow Education does

Crossbow Education is a UK family-owned specialist supplier founded in 1992–1993 by SEN teacher Bob Hext, focused on dyslexia-friendly and visual stress relief resources for schools, parents, specialist opticians, employers, and individual consumers. The product range addresses Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD), Meares-Irlen Syndrome, and scotopic sensitivity through coloured overlays, tinted exercise books, coloured reading rulers, and assessment tools.

The firm's technical foundation is the granted patent on the Eye Level Reading Ruler, paired with a long-term research collaboration with Professor Arnold Wilkins, which anchors the underlying visual-stress hypothesis. The product line has extended from physical SKUs into software, most notably Tint and Track V2 (2025), a screen-tinting and visual assessment application sold under annual licence, and Boxes Font, a typeface designed for readers with dyslexia and visual stress.

Crossbow operates a direct e-commerce go-to-market with unit pricing ranging from approximately £0.90 for individual overlays to £59.99 for bundled kits, and £399–£699 per year for Tint and Track V2 licences. Distribution combines UK school and college sales — where the company claims over 60% penetration for its reading rulers and overlays — with a US branch, international resellers, and a separate workplace segment channel. The business is founder-owned, employs between 11 and 50 people, and has not raised external capital.

Name

Crossbow Education

Legal name

Crossbow Education

Website

https://crossboweducation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Crossbow Education is a UK family-owned business founded in 1992 that supplies dyslexia-friendly and visual stress resources — coloured overlays, the patented Eye Level Reading Ruler, tinted exercise books, and assessment software — to schools, specialist opticians, parents, and workplaces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Resources for Dyslexia and Visual Stress

NAICS

Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)

SIC

Blankbooks, Looseleaf Binders & Bookbindg & Relatd Work (2780)

akta.pro primary industry

Reading & Literacy Intervention Materials for Learning Disabilities (Dyslexia, Decoding, Comprehension) (EDAGAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Needs & Inclusive Learning Trade (Dyslexia, ADHD, ASD Supports) (EDAGAIAL), Occupational Therapy & Fine-Motor / Sensory Integration Instructional Materials (EDAGAMAG)

Keywords

• Visual stress resources
• Dyslexia learning aids
• Reading support tools
• Tinted education supplies
• Coloured overlay products

Headquarters

HQ city

Stafford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Physical Product Sales: One-time purchase of physical dyslexia and visual stress resources including coloured overlays, reading rulers, tinted exercise books, boards, and multi-sensory tools. Invoice payment available for educational establishments.
2. Software Licensing: Downloadable software products including Tint and Track virtual overlay (site licenses for education) and Boxes Font (per-user licensing).
3. Third-party Publisher Resources: Resale of resources from other publishers representing best multisensory resources for dyslexia teaching support in the UK.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Crossbow Education designs, manufactures, and sells dyslexia-friendly and visual stress relief resources, including coloured page overlays, patented Eye Level Reading Rulers, tinted exercise books, notebooks and refill pads, wipe-clean boards, screen-tinting software (Tint and Track V2), the Boxes Font, and Coloured Overlay Assessment Packs. Products are sold through a UK e-commerce storefront, a US storefront, and international resellers to schools, parents, workplaces, and specialist opticians.

Product overview

Crossbow Education is a specialist provider of dyslexia-friendly and visual stress relief resources, founded in 1992-1993 by SEN teacher Bob Hext. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of physical and digital products organized around visual stress intervention and literacy support. The core product line centers on the patented Eye Level Reading Ruler (launched 2004) and Coloured Page Overlays in 16 colours, complemented by tinted paper products including exercise books, notebooks, refill pads, and wipe-clean boards. Assessment tools include the School Edition and Workplace Edition Coloured Overlay Assessment Packs. The company also provides teaching resources including Magnetic Foam Letters, Box Dictations, and Write and Wipe Pockets, as well as software products like Tint and Track (screen tinting software) and Boxes Font. Educational books authored by specialists like Neil Mackay and Beccie Hawes round out the portfolio. The Visual Stress Collection (overlays, rulers, tinted books) has won multiple Education Resources Awards, and the company holds patents on its reading ruler designs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coloured Page Overlays Transparent scratch-resistant recyclable PET plastic overlays placed over text to reduce visual stress, available in 16 colours including Aqua, Sky, Yellow, Grass, Celery, Jade, Purple, Orange, Pink, Magenta, Sunflower, Red, Deep Green, Deep Blue, Bluebell, and Lilac. Sold individually, in packs of 5, 10, 16, or 40 mixed colours, with protective film and storage slip included. Target users are children and adults with visual stress, recommended by specialist opticians and used by schools and parents.
• Eye Level Reading Rulers (Plain Window and Duo Window) Patented reading rulers combining coloured tinting with tracking support, available in Plain Window (1cm tracking line) and Duo Window (1cm and 4cm windows for single line tracking and paragraph scanning) variants, made from clear scratch-resistant recyclable PET in 16 colours. For children and adults with visual stress and dyslexia; used by UK schools and parents.
• Coloured Overlay Assessment Pack - School Edition Comprehensive assessment kit (£59.99) for educators to identify coloured overlay needs in students. Includes 16 A5 overlays, testing pages in two font styles and eight font sizes, an assessment instruction manual, recording sheets, and templates. Sold to schools and SENCOs for visual stress screening.
• Coloured Overlay Assessment Pack - Workplace Edition Workplace-focused assessment pack (£59.99) for identifying overlay colour needs in employees. Includes Rate of Reading Test materials, workplace adjustment guidance, and Access to Work information. Sold to UK employers, HR, and occupational health teams.
• Tinted A4 Wipe-Clean Boards Lightweight, durable dry-wipe A4 boards in 10 tinted colours (Yellow, Apple Green, Rose, Sunflower, Leaf Green, Salmon, Purple, Aqua Blue, Sky Blue, Cream), priced from £2.49 each with bulk discounts at 10+. Used in schools, classrooms, and at home for writing practice with reduced visual stress.
• Tinted A4 Hardback Notebooks Hardback notebooks with tinted pages in 8 colours (Yellow, Apple, Leaf, Aqua, Sky, Purple, Rose, Orange), 180 pages of 80 gsm paper, 9mm lined ruling, integral bookmark, from £9.99. Used by students with visual stress.
• Tinted Project Books (Exercise Books) A4 exercise books with one side lined and one side blank, 48 pages in 10 pastel colours with soft grey lines to reduce visual stress. Sold to schools and parents for writing practice; one example showed a child moving from 6/20 to 16/20 on a spelling test using tinted paper.
• Coloured Monitor Overlays (Wide-Screen and Standard) Coloured overlays designed for computer monitors to reduce visual stress and Computer Vision Syndrome, available in sizes for 17", 19", 21.5", 23", and 24" screens in 10 colours, from £7.99 with bulk discounts. Used by workplaces and individuals with screen-related visual stress.
• Tint and Track V2 Virtual Overlay Software Screen-tinting software for Windows PC/tablets and Macintosh that applies coloured overlays to digital screens. Two modes: Overlay Mode for whole-screen tinting and Reading Ruler Mode with tracking lines attached to the mouse cursor. Includes Crossbow's 10 pre-populated colours plus custom colour feature and a diagnostic tool matching screen preference to physical products. Sold under annual site licences: Primary School £399/year, Secondary School £499/year, College £699/year.
• Boxes Font Truetype word-shape font for Windows providing visual support for letter and word shapes, including six fonts: boxes with letters, empty boxes, cursive boxes, child-friendly font, and coloured boxes. One-time / perpetual licence from £11.99 per 1-3 users. Recommended by dyslexia advisors.
• Write and Wipe Pockets Reusable dry-erase sleeves (25cm x 35cm) sold in sets of five assorted colours, from £12.00. Worksheets or learning cards are inserted for repeated practice with dry-erase markers. Used in classrooms and at home for multi-sensory literacy practice.
• Magnetic Foam Letters Multi-sensory magnetic foam letters for spelling practice, sold in sets including Alphabet (cursive), Consonant Blends, Vowel Digraphs, Suffixes, Prefixes, Capitals, and Letters and Sounds Phases 2, 3, and 5. Designed for classroom phonics and small-group literacy work.
• Removing Dyslexia (the Dyslexia-Friendly Toolkit) Teacher's reference book by Neil Mackay covering dyslexia-friendly classroom environments, inclusion strategies, and practical interventions, priced at £25.00 (sale) / £30.00 full price. Target audience: teachers, SENCOs, and learning support staff.
• Getting it Right for Dyslexic Learners - The Teacher's Toolkit Comprehensive framework by Beccie Hawes for early identification and intervention for dyslexic learners, including wave one, two, and three toolkits with tracking tools and personalised survival kits, priced at £29.95. For teachers and SENCOs.
• Magnetic Tinted Wipe-Clean Boards Vinyl-coated magnetic dry-wipe boards with tinted surfaces in six colours, sets of six boards, from £8.49. Magnetic side blank, the other side with five lines ~22mm apart for handwriting practice. Used in classrooms.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reading speed can increase by over 25%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Prof Arnold WilkinscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Prof Arnold Wilkins in the development of the Crossbow colour range for visual stress intervention. Prof Wilkins is a leading researcher in visual stress and pattern glare, with Crossbow working closely with him for nearly twenty years in developing scientifically selected overlay colours.
• International ResellersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational resellers handling distribution in markets outside UK and US. Details available on delivery information page.
• Phonic BooksminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCrossbow represents and sells the SEN range from Phonic Books, a publisher of phonics reading resources for the dyslexic learner. Available through both UK and US branches.
• Carbon Capture ProgrammeminorOthersPaper used in visual stress assessment packs, tinted exercise books, and refill pads is purchased through the Carbon Capture Programme, which has helped plant over 53,000 trees throughout the UK.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Nessy Learning: UK-based provider of dyslexia intervention software and learning apps for schools and parents. Targets the same end customer (children with dyslexia) via a digital/software delivery model rather than physical classroom products.
• OrCam Technologies: Developer of AI-driven wearable reading devices (OrCam MyEye, OrCam Read) for people with reading difficulties including dyslexia and visual impairment. Targets a similar accessibility end-user with a high-tech alternative to physical overlays.

Broad incumbents

• Lexia Learning: Major provider of structured literacy and dyslexia intervention software (Lexia Core5, PowerUp) used in US and UK schools. Addresses the same SEN/dyslexia buyer in schools but via a digital curriculum rather than coloured overlays and reading aids.
• Texthelp: Global assistive technology provider (Read&Write, Equatio) used widely in UK schools to support learners with dyslexia and literacy difficulties. Overlaps with Crossbow's school-segment customer base but addresses literacy via software, not physical products.
• TTS Group: Large UK educational supplies retailer and wholesaler selling a broad range of classroom resources including literacy and SEN products. Competes in the same UK school procurement channel with a much wider catalogue.
• Scientific Learning (Fast ForWord): Provider of neuroscience-based reading and language intervention software (Fast ForWord) for struggling readers including dyslexic learners. Sells to the same SENCO/learning-support decision-maker in schools.

Regional players

• Hope Education: UK-based educational supplies retailer providing classroom and SEN resources to schools and parents. Overlaps with Crossbow in primary UK schools but with a broader, less specialised catalogue.

Direct peers

• Irlen Institute: Global pioneer of coloured overlay and tinted lens methods for scotopic sensitivity/visual stress; offers Irlen Method assessment tools, overlays, and filters. Most direct competitor to Crossbow's core product line, addressing the same Meares-Irlen/visual stress condition.
• ChromaGen: UK provider of ChromaGen tinted lenses and contact lenses for visual stress, dyslexia, and colour vision deficiency. Addresses the same visual stress condition as Crossbow, via an optician-prescribed tinted-lens channel rather than overlays.
• Cerium Optical: UK-based optical company producing precision tinted lenses for visual stress and migraine sufferers. Competes in the same visual-stress intervention category via a clinical/prescription channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/crossbow_ed
• Facebookfacebook.com/CrossbowEducation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crossbow Education