Springboard for Children

What Springboard for Children does

Springboard for Children (registered charity no. 1124257) is a UK children's literacy charity founded in 1992 and led by CEO Isabel Greenwood. It delivers a multi-sensory, phonics-based literacy intervention to children facing disadvantage — stated at 85% of those supported — through programmes tiered by educational stage: Story Lab (Early Years), Literacy Lab (KS1), Reading Lab (KS2/3) and a Reader Leader Mentoring programme. Delivery is carried out by tutors trained and quality-assured by the charity itself, with outcomes measured against the PIRA standardised assessment; the organisation claims children make four-plus months of progress in one month of intervention, that two-thirds close the literacy gap and that graduates finish roughly nine months ahead of national expectations.

The charity operates from London with active regional footprints in Kent and Nottingham, embedding directly into state primary and secondary schools. Its business model is hybrid: schools contribute 20–25% of programme costs, with the remaining 75–80% raised from individual donors, corporate partners and charitable trusts and foundations. Adjacent revenue levers include Reader Leader Training, which upskills school staff in the charity's methodology. External validation is provided through a partnership with the University of Sheffield's School of Education, and the organisation is registered with the Fundraising Regulator and engages with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF).

Commercially, Springboard is a small charity (11–50 employees) with no disclosed revenue. Its strategic positioning rests on a 30-year evidence base, validated methodology and deep school relationships rather than technology differentiation — no AI, adaptive learning or digital platform features are described in available materials. Recent strategic emphasis has been on broadening the product range, expanding regional reach and securing national visibility through the 2026 National Year of Reading partnership with GoalIn.

Name

Springboard for Children

Legal name

The Children's Literacy Charity

Website

https://thechildrensliteracycharity.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Springboard for Children is a UK charity (founded 1992) that delivers phonics-based literacy interventions to disadvantaged children through trained tutors embedded in state primary and secondary schools across London, Kent and Nottingham.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Literacy Intervention Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Literacy & Numeracy Intervention (Reading/Math Support) (EDAJALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Literacy & Reading Intervention (Phonics, Fluency, Comprehension) (EDAKADAA), K–12 Remedial Reading & Literacy Intervention (EDANAJAA), Reading Comprehension & Literacy Intervention Tutoring (Non-OG) (EDANAFAG)

Keywords

• Literacy intervention programmes
• School tutoring partnerships
• Children's literacy charity
• Specialist phonics tuition
• Educational attainment support

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. School Contributions: Schools contribute between 20-25% of programme costs, ensuring programme sustainability while keeping costs accessible for schools.
2. Individual Donations: General public donations to support the charity's mission of closing the literacy gap for disadvantaged children.
3. Corporate and Trust Funding: Financial support from corporates, trusts and foundations which is essential to continue expert literacy intervention. Many long-standing partners value the significant impact of the charity's work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Children's Literacy Charity (Springboard for Children) is a specialist UK charity that delivers structured literacy intervention programmes — Literacy Lab, Reading Lab and Story Lab — through employed expert tutors embedded in dedicated Literacy and Reading Lab spaces within partner primary and secondary schools in areas of deprivation across London, Kent and Nottingham. Services target children aged 4-14 from disadvantaged backgrounds who are up to two years behind age-related literacy expectations, providing small-group (1:1 and 1:3) multi-sensory phonics-based tuition in reading, writing, comprehension, speaking and listening. Schools contribute 20-25% of programme costs with the charity fundraising the remainder through individual donations, corporate partnerships and trust and foundation grants.

Product overview

The Children's Literacy Charity (Springboard for Children) is a specialist charity offering a portfolio of literacy intervention programmes for children aged 4-14 from disadvantaged backgrounds. The core offerings consist of three structured programmes: Literacy Lab (1:1 and 1:3 intensive intervention for KS1 children focusing on phonics and foundational literacy), Reading Lab (1:3 catch-up programme for KS2/3 pupils focused on comprehension, fluency and vocabulary), and Story Lab (interactive storytelling for Early Years nursery/reception children). These are complemented by the Reader Leader Mentoring Programme, a Parental Engagement Programme providing family learning resources, and Literacy Lab Story Missions (reading challenges with book-linked activities). All programmes are delivered by specially-trained expert tutors in dedicated Literacy and Reading Lab spaces within partner primary and secondary schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Literacy Lab: Expert 1:1 and 1:3 intervention for younger primary school children in Key Stage 1 (KS1), developing all the important literacy skills and tailored to a child's individual needs
• Reading Lab
• Story Lab
• Reader Leader Mentoring Programme

Products and services

• Literacy Lab Programme A 1:1 and 1:3 expert intervention programme for younger primary school children in Key Stage 1 (KS1), providing multi-sensory literacy support tailored to individual needs and developing phonics, reading, writing, comprehension, speaking and listening skills. Delivered by employed expert tutors in dedicated Literacy Lab spaces within partner primary schools.
• Reading Lab Programme A 1:3 catch-up programme for older pupils in Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 (KS2 & KS3), focused on reading comprehension, fluency and vocabulary skills ahead of the transition to secondary school. Children make on average seven months of progress in the 10-week programme.
• Story Lab Programme An interactive storytelling programme for nursery and reception children (Early Years), developing early language and literacy skills including vocabulary expansion, listening skills, social-emotional development and a love of reading. Delivered to small groups of 4-5 children.
• Reader Leader Mentoring Programme A mentoring programme that trains school staff to support reading development and foster a reading culture within partner schools.
• Parental Engagement Programme Family learning resources and engagement activities that support parental involvement in children's literacy development, including home-learning materials, workshops and progress communication such as postcards and celebration assemblies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children make 4+ months of literacy progress in just 1 month of specialist tuition
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• GoalIn (National Year of Reading 2026)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The charity is an official partner for National Year of Reading 2026, a major initiative to celebrate and promote reading. This partnership raises awareness of the charity's mission and connects it with broader literacy advocacy efforts.
• University of SheffieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Sheffield validates the charity's research and programmes, providing academic credibility to the evidence-based literacy intervention approach. This partnership supports the charity's positioning as a 'gold standard' in literacy intervention.
• Fundraising RegulatorcoreOthersOfficial registration with the Fundraising Regulator demonstrates the charity's commitment to responsible fundraising practices and compliance with regulatory standards.
• Education Endowment Foundation (EEF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe charity's approach aligns with EEF research showing that small group, out of class tuition can add an additional four months of progress over the course of a year. This research underpins the charity's evidence-based intervention model.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Beanstalk: UK children's literacy charity that recruits, trains and matches volunteers to provide one-to-one reading support in primary schools serving disadvantaged children. Direct peer: same target beneficiary (UK disadvantaged primary pupils), same school-partnership distribution model, same volunteer/tutor-led delivery approach.
• Reading Partners: US nonprofit that provides one-to-one literacy tutoring to underserved elementary students in partner schools. Direct peer: nearly identical model - volunteer/tutor-led, school-partner based, evidence-based literacy intervention for disadvantaged primary pupils.
• Bookmark Reading Charity: UK charity that places trained reading volunteers in primary schools to support children who struggle with reading. Direct peer: comparable UK literacy intervention mission, school-based delivery, focus on disadvantaged early-years/primary readers.
• Action Tutoring: UK charity that recruits volunteer tutors to deliver small-group tuition in primary and secondary schools for disadvantaged pupils, including literacy and numeracy. Direct peer: same UK school-partnership model, same small-group tutoring emphasis, same disadvantaged-pupil focus.

Broad incumbents

• National Literacy Trust: Major UK literacy charity addressing disadvantage through a wide portfolio of programmes, research, campaigns and school resources. Broad incumbent: operates in the same UK literacy/disadvantage space but at a national scale with a much broader remit than the Children's Literacy Charity's school-tutoring focus.
• Teach First: UK education charity focused on tackling educational disadvantage through teacher development and school leadership in low-income communities. Broad incumbent: broader education-equity remit, but operates in the same disadvantaged-UK-schools ecosystem and often overlaps with literacy intervention work.
• Room to Read: Global nonprofit focused on literacy and gender equality in education across low-income communities. Broad incumbent: shared literacy/instructional mission with school partnerships, but operates at global scale with a much broader programme portfolio than the Children's Literacy Charity.

Emerging players

• Literacy Shed: UK-based provider of literacy resources and training used by primary schools to support reading and writing instruction. Emerging player: serves the same UK primary literacy market but through content/training rather than direct in-school tutoring.
• Reach Out and Read: US-based nonprofit that partners with paediatric providers to promote early literacy and reading aloud for young children from low-income families. Emerging player: comparable mission of closing literacy gaps for disadvantaged young children using an embedded-partner model, though delivered through healthcare rather than schools.

Regional players

• Volunteer Ireland / School Completion Programme (literacy volunteers): Volunteer-based literacy mentoring and reading support programmes operating in Ireland, with comparable one-to-one-school-tutoring models. Regional player: comparable mission and method but primarily serves Ireland rather than UK schools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thechildrensliteracycharity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Springboard for Children