What POP POP STUDIO LTD does

Pop Pop Studio Ltd is a privately held UK digital consultancy, founded in 2018 by Jonathan D Holden and registered in Morecambe, that designs and develops open-source digital platforms and content services exclusively for SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and Alternative Provision public sector clients. The company's commercial centre of gravity is the SEND Local Offer — a statutory duty on English local authorities under the SEND Code of Practice 2015, Chapter 4 — for which it sells two purpose-built platforms: Placid, a LocalGov Drupal-based website and directory platform enabling one directory to feed multiple council sites (SEND, Childcare, Adult Services, Kinship, Looked After Children), and Belong, a graduated-approach platform with Universal Offer, Targeted Support, and Experts at Hand tiers plus a whole-school SEND audit tool, developed in conjunction with Calderdale and Leeds Councils under the DfE Change Programme. Ancillary offerings include an Airtable-based SEND Local Offer Planning Tool (128-item checklist), a portfolio of co-production engagement methodologies, two content newsletters (White Paper Watch; Mainstream Inclusion Resources), content migration and update services, training/coaching, and pay-as-you-go self-hosting support.

The studio follows a vertically specialised B2B/enterprise go-to-market: direct consultative sales to UK local authorities, with procurement via the Low Value Purchase Scheme (LVPS, registered 1755788478) or competitive tendering, supported by community engagement (co-production with parent carers and young people), event-driven presence (Alternative Provision Conference November 2025, Yorkshire and Humber UnConference), and thought-leadership content positioned around the upcoming SEND White Paper. Pricing is structured as a hybrid of one-time build/setup fees (£2,000-£8,000 design and migration) plus annual recurring support (£8,000-£16,000 per council per year depending on site count), with bundled weekly office hours, training, and content update services that generate recurring revenue beyond year one. The studio operates with 1-10 employees, is heavily founder-led, and publicly commits to Net Zero by 2035 using green-energy hosting via Krystal.io.

Name

POP POP STUDIO LTD

Legal name

Pop Pop Studio Ltd

Website

https://poppop.studio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pop Pop Studio Ltd is a UK digital consultancy that builds open-source SEND and Alternative Provision platforms — Placid (SEND Local Offer sites) and Belong (graduated approach platform) — for English local authorities and SENCOs, monetising via hybrid build/annual support contracts with bundled training and content services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector SEND Digital Platforms

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Low-Code/No-Code Application Platforms (HDAEAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Reading Content & eBooks (Leveled Readers, Libraries) (EDAFACAH)

Keywords

• SEND Local Offer platforms
• Special educational needs software
• LocalGov Drupal consultancy
• Mainstream inclusion tools
• Public sector web services

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Website Build and Setup: One-time fees for building, maintaining, supporting, and hosting the Placid SEND Local Offer platform. Includes initial setup year.
2. Annual Support and Hosting: Recurring annual fees for ongoing maintenance, support, and hosting of the platform after year one. Includes weekly office hours support.
3. Design Services: One-time fees for custom design work to create a local look and feel for the SEND Local Offer, including CYP (Children and Young People) minisites.
4. Content Migration Services: Transfer of existing content from old platforms to Placid, including information architecture planning, content planning, and implementation. Can be standalone or part of annual content update service.
5. Content Update Service: Annual contract for ongoing content updates on any platform, freeing up SEND Partnership Officers to focus on community engagement.
6. Training and Coaching: Personalised training services with daily call support for a week if needed, and ongoing coaching for platform management.
7. Prototype Development: Free, no-obligation prototypes for local authorities to demonstrate graduated approach documents before full commitment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pop Pop Studio designs, builds, and supports open-source digital platforms and content services for UK local authorities delivering SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) programmes. Its core offerings are the Placid SEND Local Offer platform and the Belong Graduated Approach platform, both built on LocalGov Drupal, supplemented by content migration, design, training, and ongoing support services.

Product overview

POP POP STUDIO LTD is a digital consultancy specialising in web projects for SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and Alternative Provision (AP). The company offers two core platforms: Placid (a SEND Local Offer platform built on LocalGov Drupal, providing hierarchical information pages, guide and step-by-step pages, a directory of services, and content migration) and Belong (a graduated approach platform with three tiers — Universal Offer, Targeted Support, and Experts at Hand — supporting SEND reform, with a whole school SEND audit tool and action planning capabilities). The company also distributes an Airtable-based SEND Local Offer Planning Tool, publishes a White Paper Watch newsletter and a Mainstream Inclusion Resources Database newsletter, provides engagement activity methodologies (Week in the Life, Puppet Shows, Prompt Cards, Interviews, and more), and delivers content migration and training services. The product portfolio is primarily oriented around local authority SEND Local Offer compliance, mainstream inclusion strategy, and co-production with children, young people, and parent carers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Belong: A digital platform supporting the graduated approach for SEND, featuring Universal Offer, Targeted Support, and Experts at Hand portal for SENCOs.
• Placid

Products and services

• Placid A SEND Local Offer platform built on LocalGov Drupal, providing hierarchical information pages, guide pages, step-by-step processes, a searchable directory of services (organisations, services, and events), and content migration tools. Designed for UK local authorities to deliver a comprehensive, accessible, and up-to-date SEND Local Offer for children and young people aged 0–25.
• Belong A digital platform supporting the graduated approach to SEND inclusion with three tiers: Universal Offer (self-serve curated resources for teachers), Targeted Support (SENCO-accessible curated interventions with evidence-based strategies), and a Whole School SEND Audit tool. Developed as part of the DfE Change Programme with Calderdale and Leeds councils.
• Experts at Hand portal A portal within the Belong platform that allows SENCOs to communicate directly with Local Authority education and health experts, and through which experts curate and create evidence-based resources and strategies for the Belong directory.
• Whole School SEND Audit tool An online review tool within Belong enabling SENCOs and SLT to evaluate SEND and inclusion practice across the whole school, covering focus areas such as Leadership, Curriculum and High-Quality Teaching, Pastoral Behaviour and Relationships, and Preparing for Tomorrow. Results feed into action plans and can be shared with local authority specialist teams.
• SEND Local Offer Planning Tool A 128-item Airtable-based checklist for comprehensive SEND Local Offer planning, based on the SEND Code of Practice 2015 Chapter 4. Includes column headings for item names, Code of Practice text, categories, status tags, responsibility assignments, notes, and resources. Viewable and filterable in multiple ways.
• Engagement Activities suite A suite of co-production and engagement methodologies for working with children and young people with SEND, parent carers, and professionals. Includes Week in the Life, Puppet Shows, Prompt Cards, Interviews, I Like I Wish What If, Peer-to-Peer Filming, Creating Soap Operas, and Mini Me Activity.
• White Paper Watch newsletter A weekly newsletter providing a roundup of news and commentary on the upcoming Schools White Paper and SEND reforms. Published weekly, with past editions archived on the site.
• Mainstream Inclusion Resources Database newsletter An interactive newsletter covering the company's work building a database of resources for mainstream inclusion, designed for council specialist inclusion teams to share resources with SENDCOs and teachers. Past editions cover Accessible, Collaborative, and Comprehensive principles.
• Website Build, Maintain, Support and Hosting Full-service website build, maintenance, support, and hosting for the Placid SEND Local Offer platform, with year-one pricing from £8,000 and weekly office hours included. Recurring annual hosting and support contract from year two.
• Custom Design Service One-time custom design service to create a local look and feel for SEND Local Offer websites, including CYP (Children and Young People) minisites, priced from £2,000 per single simple design.
• Content Migration Service Transfer of existing content from old platforms to Placid, including information architecture planning, content planning, and implementation. Can be standalone or part of annual content update service.
• Annual Content Update Service Annual recurring contract for ongoing content updates on any platform, freeing up SEND Partnership Officers to focus on community engagement.
• Training and Coaching Personalised training services with daily call support for a week if needed, and ongoing coaching for platform management.
• Prototype Development Free, no-obligation prototypes for local authorities to demonstrate graduated approach documents before full commitment.
• Self-Hosting Support Specialist support from £600 per day for councils with in-house Drupal expertise who host their own open source site.

Quantifiable outcome

• Huge increase in website usage reported after redesign
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Calderdale CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Strategic partnership to rebuild the SEND Local Offer from the ground up, creating a modern, accessible platform. Also collaborating on mainstream inclusion resources including the Belong platform, whole school SEND audit tool, and Mainstream Inclusion resources database. Co-producing with Specialist Inclusion Team and engaging over 600 stakeholders including parent carers, young people, and SEND professionals.
• Leeds CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership for mainstream inclusion content including innovative database and Whole School SEND review. Working with Leeds Specialist Inclusion Teams to develop Inclusive Mainstream Practice Leeds (Belong platform). 500+ SENCOs and headteachers attended launch events.
• LocalGov Drupal CommunitycoreTechnology or IntegrationUses LocalGov Drupal as the core open source CMS platform for building SEND Local Offer websites. Benefits from ongoing development by the LocalGov Drupal community of councils and companies.
• Ardea Eco-innovationminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvided support for Net Zero carbon reduction planning and emissions calculations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Manifest: UK digital agency specialising in websites and digital services for charities, public sector, and purpose-driven organisations. Comparable business model, client base, and digital consultancy positioning to Pop Pop Studio.
• The Cogworks: UK Drupal agency delivering web platforms for enterprise and public sector clients. Comparable to Pop Pop Studio in Drupal-based platform development and digital services delivery, though with a broader sector mix.
• Agile Collective: UK Drupal and WordPress agency working with charities, social enterprises, and public-sector clients. Directly comparable in offering Drupal-based websites and ongoing support for civic/non-profit organisations.
• Code Enigma: UK-based Drupal agency serving public sector, charity, and civic clients with open-source platforms. Directly comparable in tech stack (Drupal), customer type (UK councils/charities), and digital services delivery model to Pop Pop Studio.
• Wave Digital: UK digital agency providing web development and digital transformation services to public sector and not-for-profit clients. Comparable in target market (UK councils) and Drupal/open-source approach, though broader in scope than SEND.
• Big Blue Door: UK Drupal agency focused on charities, civic, and public-sector organisations. Similar size and operating model to Pop Pop Studio, building websites and platforms on Drupal for mission-driven clients.

Broad incumbents

• TPXimpact: Larger UK public-sector digital transformation firm (formerly FutureGov et al.) offering digital, data, and technology services to local authorities and central government. Overlaps with Pop Pop Studio in council-facing digital services but operates at much greater scale.
• Civica: Major UK public-sector software and services company providing digital platforms for local authorities, including education and SEND-adjacent solutions. Represents the broad incumbent alternative Pop Pop Studio competes against in council procurement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pop-pop-studio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 POP POP STUDIO LTD