EdTech platform Assessable has secured its first paying school within days of its commercial launch.
The platform, which supports primary teachers and school leaders with the assessment, tracking and moderation of English writing, became commercially available on September 1. Its launch follows more than two years of development and testing involving more than 40 schools across the North.
Middlesbrough-based Assessable was initially designed to help reduce teachers’ marking workloads but has evolved into a broader platform supporting assessment, progress tracking and moderation across pupils’ portfolios of writing.
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While the technology is available to schools throughout England, the company is initially concentrating its launch activity on the Tees Valley before expanding more widely across the North East.
Assessable co-founder Lisa Gosnay, a former teacher and school leader, said: “We wanted to start here because this is our home. These are the schools, teachers and children we care deeply about and many of the people who have helped us shape Assessable are based here.
“The Tees Valley has brilliant education and technology communities. It matters that innovation isn’t only created elsewhere and brought into our schools. We can build it here, with people who understand our region, and make sure teachers are involved from the beginning.”
Assessable analyses pupils’ writing and suggests grades and editable feedback for teachers to review. It also tracks individual pupils’ progress, strengths and gaps over time and brings evidence together to help teachers and school leaders check that assessment judgements are consistent.
Teachers remain responsible for reviewing and approving all assessment decisions.
Gosnay added: “Assessable is not designed to replace teachers’ expertise or make final judgements for them. It provides a second pair of eyes across a pupil’s portfolio, supporting evidence review, progress tracking and preparation for moderation.”
The launch comes as national writing attainment remains below pre-pandemic levels. Department for Education figures published in July showed that 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in writing in 2026, compared with 78% before the pandemic.
Writing has been the lowest-performing of reading, writing and mathematics since 2022, despite the proportion reaching the expected standard increasing from 72% to 73% in the latest figures.
“Technology is not a shortcut to better writing,” Gosnay said. “Its value is in helping schools use the evidence they already have more effectively, so teaching can be better targeted and assessment judgments made with greater confidence.”
Hartlepool-based Extol Academy Trust is working with Assessable as a strategic development partner.
Its CEO, Craig Nicholson, said: “Our collaboration with Assessable represents the sort of forward-thinking our sector needs. By combining real classroom experience with cutting-edge technology, we can start tackling some of the biggest challenges facing schools today.”
Luke Harper and Rebecca Brown, Year 6 teachers at Belmont Primary School in Guisborough, added: “We see Assessable as a way to revolutionise the way we assess, mark and provide tailored feedback, allowing us more time to focus on high-quality teaching and maintain a work-life balance.”
Assessable was co-founded by Gosnay and Sam Shenton, with Peter Calvert of Embeddable supporting the business as fractional chief technology officer.
Gosnay taught on Teesside for around 18 years before a serious illness led her to step away from working in schools. She has drawn on her experience of teaching, leadership and portfolio-based assessment to help develop the platform.
Following its commercial launch, Assessable plans to grow its base of paying schools and raise its first round of external investment to accelerate its development and expansion.
The company was named Start-Up of the Year at the 2025 Tees Tech Awards and shortlisted for the Digital Innovation Award in 2026.
Schools can register for a free trial of Assessable for Year 6 writing through the company’s website.
